Soooo... low pH

[Azedenkae]

Hey y'alls. Suddenly I decided to test my aquarium's pH, and probably big mistake. It measured 7.8, which is still... good enough, but on the low end.

Calcium is at 520ppm, kH is 9, unfortunately I don't have a Mg test.

Tested a fresh batch of mixed saltwater and it was 8.2, which is expected.

No CaCO3/CO2 reactor, skimmer, or anything. I only have a pseudo-ATS, and remove algae manually. I feed pretty heavily and remove a lot of algae every two days.

Tank has been up and running for almost four months, last water change was about 3 weeks ago. Unfortunately I did not make any measurements back then.

For someone who likes to test a lot, I sure did not test at the crucial times. >_>

Anyways, any ideas?

 

[redfishbluefish]

Stop breathing! Your pH is from carbon dioxide in the water. If no skimmer, add a bubbler and also direct powerheads toward the surface to get some motion at the water/air interface.

Also, as you stated, 7.8 is just fine. I wouldn't lose any sleep over a pH of 7.8

 

[Pistondog]

A common cause is co2 in the room.
Try cracking a window for a day and see if ph goes up.

 

[Azedenkae]

Thanks guys. XD Yeah I think I will just alter the powerheads a bit more (or return pump outlets anyways) more towards the surface. It is currently breaking the surface-ish, but could be even more so.

Or open a door.

Or not worry. This is probably one of those times where I would agree with a lot of people that everything is probably fine given that everything has been fine and testing just generated unnecessary worry. XD

 

[Aldrinlights]

There's always the seachem Reef Buffer. Maintains 8.3 and alk. Never goes past 8.3

Seachem - Reef Buffer

www.seachem.com

 

[arking_mark]

Lookup cup aeration test. That will help identify cause of your pH.

As mentioned, many people are highly successful at 7.8pH.

Please note that a skimmer will work against other methods to raise pH if the cause is higher CO2 levels in the air. It is highly efficient at aerating your tank with the air it pulls in. You would have to plumb the air intake outside or use a CO2 scrubber.

Instead, if your lower pH is due to lack of aeration, then a skimmer alone could help raise your pH.

However, if you want to dial-in your pH:

Tuning a Skimmer / CO2 Scrubber for pH Control

On my reefing journey, I found Kalkwasse + Skimmer + CO2 Scrubber to be very effective for bringing my pH from 7.8 - 7.9 to 8.26 - 8.36. I guess most people would just leave it at that. However, I wanted to be more efficient with the CO2 scrubbing material so I wanted to implement a...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Azedenkae]

Lookup cup aeration test. That will help identify cause of your pH.

As mentioned, many people are highly successful at 7.8pH.

Please note that a skimmer will work against other methods to raise pH if the cause is higher CO2 levels in the air. It is highly efficient at aerating your tank with the air it pulls in. You would have to plumb the air intake outside or use a CO2 scrubber.

Instead, if your lower pH is due to lack of aeration, then a skimmer alone could help raise your pH.

However, if you want to dial-in your pH:

Tuning a Skimmer / CO2 Scrubber for pH Control

On my reefing journey, I found Kalkwasse + Skimmer + CO2 Scrubber to be very effective for bringing my pH from 7.8 - 7.9 to 8.26 - 8.36. I guess most people would just leave it at that. However, I wanted to be more efficient with the CO2 scrubbing material so I wanted to implement a...

www.reef2reef.com

Thanks for the reco. Yeah I know of the cup aeration test, might do it then if it makes me too worried.

 

[kilnakorr]

Thanks for the reco. Yeah I know of the cup aeration test, might do it then if it makes me too worried.

I had the exact same readings.
I couln't do a true cup test, as it is to cold outside.
I took a cup of water from DT and from fresh made saltmix.
Let both sit overnight, and some.
Both cups meassured the same ph as my DT, so a clear sign the issue was CO2 level in the house.

 

[Tyler Bullock]

my ph will raise from 8.1 to about 8.25-8.27 when I open the window in my room.