Keeping PH over 8.0

[duke62]

Im having issues keeping my PH over 8 since I set up my sump and fuge in the basement. Sometimes I look at my PH meter and its as low as 7.6 maybe even lower in the middle of the night. I have my skimmer air coming from outside and even leaving a window cracked. Helps a little but not much. I dont want to drip Kalk because I dont want to mess with my alk and cal. Is there something else I can add to my ATO to just bring the ph up like baking soda? My corals are getting stressd. And yes I run a reverse lighting schedule with my fuge but it doesnt help

 

[lnevo]

Assuming you double checked with a test kit? I went through this two months ago...and i can swear the first double check without the meter corroborated the meter. Boomer basically had to convince me that ph was impossible based on my alk level. Whats your alk at?

 

[mbg75]

Ph probe? How old is the probe and last time it was calibrated?

You could try a CO2 scrubber on the skimmer intake.

 

[duke62]

Probe is 9 months old and just calibrated it today

 

[piranhapat]

If Alk is at a good level I won't worry to much. You can use Soda Ash to dose the Alk which will help bring PH a little better. You can buy it or cook baking soda for hour in oven and that will turn into Soda ash. I use Soda Ash since my PH was low.

 

[JARRETT SHARK]

I dont want to drip Kalk because I dont want to mess with my alk and cal.

Why would this happen? If you know how to do it will be easy and nothing gets messed up.. take it slow or only dose when low or at night.. I learned from Mike NY and MGM that take it slow was the key. Ask them how they did it with there basements
I also had mine tied into my apex so when PH was below 8 at night time I would slow drip with my ATO to get up. I also ran my frag light when display was off.
I now have a Precison marine Kalk reactor that is great!!

 

[duke62]

How do you use soda ash in the alk? But if my PH is dropping into the 7.5 range in the middle of the night isnt that going to effect the corals growth ?

 

[mbg75]

Soda ash will raise your alk. That is what BRS sells as their alk component. U dont need that with a cal reactor.

Don't chase the ph. If tank looks good leave it.


But. If you want. Search CO2 scrubber. Uses sodalime to filter incoming air.

 

[piranhapat]

Use as two part system. Google Randy Holmes on soda ash. Lots of information...

 

[duke62]

I used the soda lime before it also didnt do much and is wasted very quickly

 

[lnevo]

Based on what Boomer told me if your pH were really at 7.5 your coral would be melted. You probably have a bad probe. They do not last long. What is your alk. You can check the calculators linked in the chemistry forum to see what your PH should be based on your alk level. It will tell you what the CO2 level in your basement would be, but if your pH were really that low, you'd be getting Co2 Poisoning.

 

[charliethetuna88]

do u have a link to that calculator inevo? my all hardly ever reaches over 8.0 .kalk will also raise ur all and calcium wouldn't it jarred?

 

[lnevo]

Its the calculators that stickied in the chemistry forum, i'll see if you can link the individual ones that boomer referenced. But if you look in the chem forum you can find my low ph thread. I double checked with my api kit and i swear it was 7.6 but i didnt take a picture. Next test after posting and yeah it was fine but my controller still showed it going down.

It was definitely a bad probe in my situation. But if duke gives out his alk we can plug the numbers in and verify.

The other thing that may be useful is to take a cup of water out of the tank and put the probe in to eliminate any stray voltage issues. Next is to aerate the water with an air pump for a while and then test it. And finally if its still low take it outside and aerate it.

Thing is if your air is that bad with the window cracked and your skimmer output going outside, the co2 level in your basement has to be astronomical for the ph to be where it is. Not saying its not possible.

Although duke you are also using a calcium reactor...do you have a second chamber in it to help raise the ph of the effluent?

 

[lnevo]

Here's Boomer's response when I reported a 7.47 PH

I do not think that is real at all. Make a fresh batch of seawater and check it. You can not get a pH that low unless something is dead. Take some of that water and aerate the crap out if and retest and/ or it take sample to LFS for a test.

Here's the responses in the thread that explained better.
http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/chemistry/158902-low-ph.html#post1441674

The Calculators
Equilibrium Calculator

Marine CO2 Level Calculator

Also the rest of the calculators

 

[SirReefalot]

Just use some bionic 2 part works great for me my PH always at 8.3-8.4 since I started using it.

 

[charliethetuna88]

yes he does have a mtc mini cal reactor which he has off now i think its been off for a few weeks now ...on my system i have my skimmer intake on bought pumps grabbing air from outside ,i crack a window open also

 

[JARRETT SHARK]

Duke can you tell us what is your calcium and alk reading are?
Did you ever test your alk when you see the PH that low at 7.5 just make sure that the alk did not drop as well
Yes kalk does raise Alk, but when I dial it in I usually will not go over 8-9dkh and Ph is in the 8-8.4 range. I have everything off apex that helps a lot

 

[duke62]

8.4 ALK and 425 cal mag is at 1320

 

[Dan_P]

Here is a nice article about pH and alkalinity. If it is too much chemistry, jump to the graph that shows the relationship between pH and alkalinity. I assume the calculator on this site implements the same equations.

If you trust your pH and alkalinity test results AND they don't match the values on the graph, your CO2 content in the tank is off. Someone mentioned measure a water sample after vigorously bubbling air through it. This would give you the correct pH reading for the measured alkalinity. The question is why do you have excess CO2 in your system?

It sounds like your low pH issue started after you moved your sump and refugium. Is something going on there to produce CO2 or other acid? Is it by your furnace or water heater and are they leaking CO2? Or is there poor air circulation in the new location of the sump? Adding kalkwasser or sodium carbonate would help the pH situation but maybe not address the reason for the pH decline.

 

[duke62]

2 issues is yes its close to the boiler but i had a room built so the boiler is separated from where the fish room is and the other issue is the DT is in a small room and that is where the dog sleeps at night with the door closed.