Tell me to stop worrying about high ph!

Reduck · Sep 15, 2015

I guess I'm a worrier. I know safe ph range tops out at around 8.5. Lately my ph has been starting the day at 8.3x and working its way up to 8.5x. I'm lightly dosing at night, 15ml pt1 and 15ml pt2. Total alk is 10.5. Hand held Ph meter backs up my recently calibrated apex probe.
Over the summer months I know the house is tight and it will generally be higher. But the past few days have been spectacular and cool so we opened up the windows to air out. I would have thought that would start it on a downward trend. But it hasn't.

Should I stop worrying? Or hit it with white vinegar for a few days?

Larry L · Sep 15, 2015

I would not worry about that pH range, mine floats around there sometimes. One thing you could do is to dose your alkalinity in the morning (or whenever your Apex graph shows the low point), instead of during the evening (when the pH is probably already higher), since it tends to spike the pH up temporarily.

Reduck · Sep 15, 2015

Larry L said:
I would not worry about that pH range, mine floats around there sometimes. One thing you could do is to dose your alkalinity in the morning (or whenever your Apex graph shows the low point), instead of during the evening (when the pH is probably already higher), since it tends to spike the pH up temporarily.

I'm dosing alk at 2am. Sorry I didn't make that clear. Glad to know I'm not the only one who has this occur. Just me being me..thanks!

Tahoe61 · Sep 15, 2015

Dose at 5 am when the pH should be the lowest, anytime right before the lighting fixtures come on. I would not be concerned though. If corals and inverts look good then let them be the judge.

ls2ttgto · Sep 15, 2015

Don't chase your PH. It will fluctuate throughout the day. Check out my PH swing

4FordFamily · Sep 15, 2015

Stop worrying about your high PH

Reduck · Sep 15, 2015

Watching my ph plot, its at its lowest between 11pm and 4am. That's why I picked 2am. Occupants show no signs of anything...oblivious..coral are happy...

I realize it swings, just never trended this high before...

Ok I'll stop worrying! LOL!

GainesvilleReef · Sep 15, 2015

Reduck said:
I guess I'm a worrier. I know safe ph range tops out at around 8.5. Lately my ph has been starting the day at 8.3x and working its way up to 8.5x. I'm lightly dosing at night, 15ml pt1 and 15ml pt2. Total alk is 10.5. Hand held Ph meter backs up my recently calibrated apex probe.
Over the summer months I know the house is tight and it will generally be higher. But the past few days have been spectacular and cool so we opened up the windows to air out. I would have thought that would start it on a downward trend. But it hasn't.

Should I stop worrying? Or hit it with white vinegar for a few days?

Outside air will have a lower concentration of CO2. The CO2 concentration in the air around the tank determines the ph. So when you open the windows the CO2 concentration lowers and the pH will rise. I would do nothing.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Sep 15, 2015

Unless you are dosing limewater, pH in reef aquaria is never too high, regardless of what a test might read.

A tank reaching a peak of pH 8.55 is fine. The only apparent issue is increased uptake of alkalinity and calcium as abiotic and possibly biological calcification increases.

That said, did you calibrate both meters with the same fluid? Old pH 10 buffers often drop in pH, making readings higher than reality.

GainesvilleReef · Sep 15, 2015

Randy, what would you say is an acceptable shelf life for calibration fluids?

Reduck · Sep 16, 2015

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
Unless you are dosing limewater, pH in reef aquaria is never too high, regardless of what a test might read.

A tank reaching a peak of pH 8.55 is fine. The only apparent issue is increased uptake of alkalinity and calcium as abiotic and possibly biological calcification increases.

That said, did you calibrate both meters with the same fluid? Old pH 10 buffers often drop in pH, making readings higher than reality.

Used separate packet for each. I will go check expiration date though. Good point! Thanks!

GainesvilleReef said:
Outside air will have a lower concentration of CO2. The CO2 concentration in the air around the tank determines the ph. So when you open the windows the CO2 concentration lowers and the pH will rise. I would do nothing.

This. Brain remembers this, processed it in reverse! I thought it would go down, similar to adding soda water (co2) Thanks!

Ok. I stopped worrying about high ph...thanks everyone!

Now I have a new worry. Mrs is having the house painted. It never ends.

Jlobes · Sep 16, 2015

stop worrying about high PH.

just doing what ya asked. ha

Randy Holmes-Farley · Sep 16, 2015

GainesvilleReef said:
Randy, what would you say is an acceptable shelf life for calibration fluids?

For pH 10, it depends on the size container and how often it is opened since it is CO2 entering that is the issue.

Reduck · Sep 16, 2015

Interestingly enough, I just got home and checked my calibration packets. 8/15 was the exp date on the 10s. Guess it's time to buy more. I would think that since they remain sealed they shouldn't just fall off the cliff on the exp date...
When I last cleaned and calibrated probes a few weeks ago, they were spot on.
Today's ph high was only 8.41

beaslbob · Sep 16, 2015

3FordFamily said:
Stop worrying about your high PH

Jlobes said:
stop worrying about high PH.

just doing what ya asked. ha

stop worring about your high pH.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Sep 16, 2015

Reduck said:
Interestingly enough, I just got home and checked my calibration packets. 8/15 was the exp date on the 10s. Guess it's time to buy more. I would think that since they remain sealed they shouldn't just fall off the cliff on the exp date...
When I last cleaned and calibrated probes a few weeks ago, they were spot on.
Today's ph high was only 8.41

They were probably OK if not opened.

FWIW, when I tested calibration buffers for an article, I found some in a local reef shop that had expired a year earlier, and many without any expiration. And we found the pH 10 standards actually ranged from 9.01 to 10.0.

Reduck · Sep 16, 2015

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
FWIW, when I tested calibration buffers for an article, I found some in a local reef shop that had expired a year earlier, and many without any expiration. And we found the pH 10 standards actually ranged from 9.01 to 10.0.

Great! Now I'll worry that all my calibration solutions are off! Thanks Randy!

kid976 · Sep 17, 2015

So I the same exactly problem. My ph is around 8.3x but when the lights kick on and by then end of the light cycle its usually around 8.5x. I read your responses to not worry about the PH except that recently my SPS have start to burn and RTN. My parameters are
Salinity 1.025 red sea refractometer.
ALK: 7.3 salifert
Cal: 450 red sea
phos: o checked with hanna checker
nitrates 1ppm salifert
First it was the hydropora then my montis , now my acros. Not all of them are being effected but i've lost almost all my montis plating and encrusting and a few acro pieces. Any idea what could be going on? I had a gfo reactor going for a little over a month and I used half the recommended amount of gfo for a 50gal cube. Did I just happen to pull out the po4 too fast and this cause everything to burn and die? As far as i can see my parameters aren't terrible. I even took a sample to my LFS and they confirmed the same results. The LFS suggested to increase my alk dosage. But then I noticed more burnt tips so it back down. when this all started I was dosing 24ml of alk a day now I've turned in down to 12ml a day. Please help things were growing and coloring up great then this happened.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Sep 17, 2015

The problems with your corals are not from the pH. I'm not sure what it is, but many fine reef tanks run at that pH.

Perhaps you have driven nutrients too low or down too fast.

If nutrients are very low, it would not be a good idea to boost alk more as that can lead to burnt tips in ULNS systems.