Wanted to Say Thanks. My low PH

ReefMadScientist · Aug 13, 2015

Hey Randy,

I thought it was time to pay my respect to you. On August 9, I lowered my Alkalinity doser from 28ml to 25 ml to change my 8.5 kH to get closer to 8.0. I should have known to NOT CHASE numbers. I also put a enclosed door on my stand. Fast forward to yesterday, I noticed my pH went from a steady 7.8-8.o to a 7.71 -7.8 margin. I took a few small actions and turned off my GFO/Carbon reactor to help reduce the pH drop impact, set my Alkalinity back to 28ml a day, and opened my stand back up.

From weeks of great pH ranges, I had one bad day yesterday that I wish to fix. Right now I am at a good 7.90 range.

So here are my thoughts, I will keep dosing the measured amount of GFO that Bulk Reef Supply recommends. I read that people dose less than the amount BRS instructs but since I was good at 13TBSP before I will keep it steady once my Alkalinity gets back up to levels.

Steps:

Raise Alkalinity back to 28ml per day from the 25ml per day I adjusted on Aug. 9th.
Keep GFO/Carbon Reactor off for another day or so till my pH gets back to normal levels.
Keep my refugium well ventilated to reduce gas build up.

Sound good?

Thanks for this write-up. It helped me late late last night.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/rhf/

Oh and if that wasn't enough, I noticed my refractometer was off. I was reading 1.025 when my salt was really 1.028. I am doing a 3 gallon per day reduction of tank water and replacing it with RODI.

Feel like a rookie.

hejjo · Aug 13, 2015

If it makes u feel any better the other day I had a hose pop off in my sump, shot ten gallons all over the floor. Ruined my doser that when I grabbed it at 4:30 not thinking cuz I jus woke up electrocuted me lol. Knocked a led in the tank cuz I jus moved n hadn't had em set up in the canopy. Sadly the blues don't work. At Least I can say everybody made it through the move though.

ReefMadScientist · Aug 13, 2015

hejjo said:
If it makes u feel any better the other day I had a hose pop off in my sump, shot ten gallons all over the floor. Ruined my doser that when I grabbed it at 4:30 not thinking cuz I jus woke up electrocuted me lol. Knocked a led in the tank cuz I jus moved n hadn't had em set up in the canopy. Sadly the blues don't work. At Least I can say everybody made it through the move though.

I swear, once a year I have a rookie moment lol.

Glad you're okay HAHA

beaslbob · Aug 13, 2015

you're luckey it's only once per year. Mine happen more often.

FWIW I got my pH up to purple api high range test kit (8.4-8.8) by adding macro algae. Actually, I also have the same experience by with my planted FW tanks as well.

But that's just my .02

Randy Holmes-Farley · Aug 13, 2015

ReefMadScientist said:
Steps:

Raise Alkalinity back to 28ml per day from the 25ml per day I adjusted on Aug. 9th.

Keep GFO/Carbon Reactor off for another day or so till my pH gets back to normal levels.

Keep my refugium well ventilated to reduce gas build up.

Sound good?

Thanks for this write-up. It helped me late late last night.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/rhf/
.

Sounds good to me. Glad the article was helpful.

ReefMadScientist · Aug 14, 2015

Update:

My pH levels remained at low point of 7.88-7.9 the last day since I made my slight corrections. It is now increasing since my main lights have turned on and the increase of Alkalinity dosage is now making an impact. The upswing has begone. I am currently at 7.95 pH and I decided to turn on my GFO/Carbon reactor to help minimize the spike. Everything seems to be getting back to normal

Randy - what are your thoughts on sump lights and turning them off during the day and only on at night to help reduce the pH swings? I am thinking of making it a habit of only using my refugium light during the night and running my GFO/Carbon reactor during the days only.

Thoughts?

Randy Holmes-Farley · Aug 16, 2015

IMO, a pH swing day to night is less of a concern than the low pH overall.

I'd either light it at night to bring up the low end, or light it 24/7 to bring it up all of the time.

Sabellafella · Aug 16, 2015

Keep ur stand open everynite till ur ph goes up youll b fine nothin to go crazy about it lol 7.5 things start to melt

ReefMadScientist · Aug 20, 2015

Thanks for the reply so far guys. I need to update this thread.

So my pH yet again went down to 7.74 and is there at this moment. I do not understand what the heck is causing this. I ordered a cheap BRS CO2 Scrubber so until then I would like to figure out what to do.

My stand is open
My ALK is at 8.3
My ceiling fan is on 24/7
My fuge light is on 24/7
My windows are open until it starts hitting 100degrees
I do not need my skimmer but using it as a huge airstone for aeration

Any thoughts until I get my scrubber?

Here is a picture of my skimmer turned airstone.

TheEngineer · Aug 20, 2015

Did you test the pH of your source water? I have acidic water from my well.

ReefMadScientist · Aug 20, 2015

icecool2 said:
Did you test the pH of your source water? I have acidic water from my well.

I can check my RODI water. I will have to do that when I get home though. Thx for the suggestion.

I am not running off of well water.

cginter · Aug 20, 2015

Is your house sealed up for the summer/running ac to keep house cool?

Randy Holmes-Farley · Aug 20, 2015

ReefMadScientist said:
I can check my RODI water. I will have to do that when I get home though. Thx for the suggestion.

I am not running off of well water.

Ro/Di water at 0 ppm TDS is never a cause of low tank pH.

The answer is always high CO2 in the water (if alkalinity is normal or high).

Try the aeration tests I describe here:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/rhf/index.htm

The Aeration Test

Some of the possibilities listed above require some effort to diagnose. Problems 3 and 4 are quite common, and here is a way to distinguish them. Remove a cup of tank water and measure the pH. Then aerate it for an hour with an airstone using outside air. The pH should rise if the pH is unusually low for the measured alkalinity, as in Figure 3 (if it does not rise, most likely one of the measurements (pH or alkalinity) is in error). Then repeat the same experiment on a new cup of water using inside air. If the pH rises there too, then the aquarium pH will rise with more aeration because it is only the aquarium that contains excess carbon dioxide. If the pH does not rise inside (or rises very little), then the inside air contains excess CO2, and more aeration with that same air will not solve the low pH problem (although aeration with fresher air should).

ReefMadScientist · Aug 20, 2015

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
Ro/Di water at 0 ppm TDS is never a cause of low tank pH.

The answer is always high CO2 in the water (if alkalinity is normal or high).

Try the aeration tests I describe here:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/rhf/index.htm

The Aeration Test

Some of the possibilities listed above require some effort to diagnose. Problems 3 and 4 are quite common, and here is a way to distinguish them. Remove a cup of tank water and measure the pH. Then aerate it for an hour with an airstone using outside air. The pH should rise if the pH is unusually low for the measured alkalinity, as in Figure 3 (if it does not rise, most likely one of the measurements (pH or alkalinity) is in error). Then repeat the same experiment on a new cup of water using inside air. If the pH rises there too, then the aquarium pH will rise with more aeration because it is only the aquarium that contains excess carbon dioxide. If the pH does not rise inside (or rises very little), then the inside air contains excess CO2, and more aeration with that same air will not solve the low pH problem (although aeration with fresher air should).

Will try it today and report back. Thanks!!!

ReefMadScientist · Aug 20, 2015

I hope the change can be noticeable with an API test. For my tank I have the pH probe.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Aug 20, 2015

You can do the test and then bring the sample to the probe if it is not easy to move.

ReefMadScientist · Aug 20, 2015

Okay the results are in!!!

So I did what you said.

Sample 1 will be the sample tested with the indoor air

Sample 2 will be the sample tested with the outdoor air.

I took the exact measurement of water and placed it into two separate cups. I tested pH and they both read 7.8 (API). I placed one cup (sample 2) with an airstone outside and placed sample 1 inside.

Here are the results.

Top left are samples from both 1 & 2 prior to aeration. The two larger vials are after the aeration test with a 1 hour duration. (Left is sample 1 / Right is sample 2)

As you can see, this test proves that my indoor air contains too much CO2. Which was expected due to 115 degree weather and keeping the house shut.

So my plan of attack will be to hookup an airline to the skimmer inlet and run it outside.

Thanks randy!!!