Tank ph with calcium reactor

[bkhunt]

I am having trouble getting and keeping my ph up in my tank. I am maxing out at 8.08-8.09 at best mid afternoon till light out and going down to 7.7ish at night. I am running a co2 scrubber with a humidifier and fresh outside air. My calcium reactor is running at ph of 6.5. I also tried kalk water in my ATO but it was not air tight so I last some of it affect on tank so I discontinued the kalk.

Current numbers:
Salinity: 35ish
Ph: max 8.08-8.09
Nitrates: 5
Phosphorus: 46
Alkalinity 9.6

I would love to be able to get up to at least 8.2 during the day faster and maintain it longer. I have thought of trying Seachem eight four but not sure how it would work with calcium reactor yet, still researching it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[blaxsun]

As soon as I stopped chasing pH it went from 8.05 to 8.2 without the addition of any other equipment. 8.1 is still a really good level.

 

[Mark Novack]

What kind of reactor? Does it have a second hydroxide chamber or afterburner? My second chamber has twice the media volume as the primary mixing chamber. Where do you have the effluent going? Mine is over the skimmer intake area. One of my favorite shops drips it into the overflow where it goes down with plenty of air mixed in before it goes through the skimmer.

 

[IKD]

Have you checked the CO2 levels of the room itself? Try a day of venting the room with outside air and fans and see if you see improvement.

 

[bkhunt]

Have you checked the CO2 levels of the room itself? Try a day of venting the room with outside air and fans and see if you see improvement.

I do not know what the level is in the room. My tank is in our basement where I am pretty much the only person who goes down there.

 

[bkhunt]

What kind of reactor? Does it have a second hydroxide chamber or afterburner? My second chamber has twice the media volume as the primary mixing chamber. Where do you have the effluent going? Mine is over the skimmer intake area. One of my favorite shops drips it into the overflow where it goes down with plenty of air mixed in before it goes through the skimmer.

I have a Korallin 1502 reactor and am using a spare 10” RO/DI type canister with a refillable canister of reborn as my second chamber.

The calcium reactor is dripping into my return chamber of my sump. I will have to get more line and try adding it to the overflow chamber.

 

[bkhunt]

As soon as I stopped chasing pH it went from 8.05 to 8.2 without the addition of any other equipment. 8.1 is still a really good level.

I have stopped chasing ph as I found I was getting nowhere. I tried simple inexpensive things that I had almost everything on hand to do.

 

[Mark Novack]

Basement. CO2 trap. Any way to get the air line out? If not out then up under the ceiling.

 

[bkhunt]

Basement. CO2 trap. Any way to get the air line out? If not out then up under the ceiling.

The co2 scrubber is in the garage and the line intake line is out the window. No vehicle run in the garage just storage, motorcycle and quad that get rolled out prior to starting.

 

[Mark Novack]

With well sourced air and a scrubber, perhaps its not carbonic acid. I put on the scrubber, Ph stablized at 8.2 with reactor on and had it not I would be out of ideas. How are the animals? My first tank was a masterpiece of corals with 7.9 average ph although alk was 14. Now its good Ph but I don't make it that way. The scrubber did all the work.

 

[bkhunt]

With well sourced air and a scrubber, perhaps its not carbonic acid. I put on the scrubber, Ph stablized at 8.2 with reactor on and had it not I would be out of ideas. How are the animals? My first tank was a masterpiece of corals with 7.9 average ph although alk was 14. Now its good Ph but I don't make it that way. The scrubber did all the work.

200g total - 150g display - 30g attached frag - sump

6 - clownfish (3 soon to rehomed)
1 - white tail bristletooth
1 - yellow tang
1 - cream angelfish
1 - fox face
1 - purple Pseudochromis
1 - aptasia filefish
1 - watchman goby with pistol

I am not overly concerned about the ph but I was trying easy stuff boost the ph. Just want to try and provide the best water I can.

 

[Mark Novack]

Don't chase Ph unless your animals are suffering. My tank overgrew itself and eventually suffocated for lack of flow with 7.9 because I did not trim. I could not bring myself to cut it back after it took me so long to learn how to make it grow. It was a long process of killing things and burning money to learn.

 

[gbroadbridge]

I am having trouble getting and keeping my ph up in my tank. I am maxing out at 8.08-8.09 at best mid afternoon till light out and going down to 7.7ish at night. I am running a co2 scrubber with a humidifier and fresh outside air. My calcium reactor is running at ph of 6.5. I also tried kalk water in my ATO but it was not air tight so I last some of it affect on tank so I discontinued the kalk.

Current numbers:
Salinity: 35ish
Ph: max 8.08-8.09
Nitrates: 5
Phosphorus: 46
Alkalinity 9.6

I would love to be able to get up to at least 8.2 during the day faster and maintain it longer. I have thought of trying Seachem eight four but not sure how it would work with calcium reactor yet, still researching it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

There is nothing wrong with the pH in your tank.

Stop trying to force numbers