What is balance?

[Anirban]

Hi guys,

Need a little clear view of what are ideal or near ideal balance parameters for mixed reefs?

My parameters are:

Salinity: 1.026
pH-7.6
Ca-450
KH-10-12
NO3-1-2
PO4-.02

The system is running clean but just wondering why the pH is not coming up? I tried aerating it and tried to play a little bit with the alkanity but not a great success.

 

[redfishbluefish]

How are you measuring pH? At 7.6, I'd first look at possibly my pH measuring device (whatever that might be) as being off. See if you can verify pH with a fellow reefer or at your LFS.

 

[Anirban]

@ redfishbluefish

I generally use two different techniques...
1. using a sensitive pH strip from MERCK biologicals
2. using a pH meter made by FISHER scientific ( its generally well calibrated)

But both this techniques read it 7.6.

My Mg is 1430.

 

[redfishbluefish]

The only thing that could be causing that low pH is CO2. Have you tried drawing in fresh air (from outside), to your skimmer?

 

[Downbeach]

I would agree with Paul, it's likely a test reading issue. The pH in your system is directly associated with the amount of CO2 in your system and its surrounding atmosphere, and once its at equilibrium with the atmosphere is the best you can make it without using any other means to elevate it. Any time of year you have to close up the house due to weather, you'll get elevated levels of CO2, and this will bring the pH down. You could run an air line from your skimmers intake to an outside air source(lower CO2), use kalk in your top off water(will use some of the CO2), add a fuge(again using CO2), or add a CO2 scrubber to your skimmers air intake(this can get expensive due to the cost of the media[soda lime], and the amount of CO2 in the household atmosphere).

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Aside from the pH, your other values seem about perfect to me.

I detail what I think are good parameters here:

Optimal Parameters for a Coral Reef Aquarium: By Randy Holmes-Farley