What could cause ph to lower

[jcs11236]

So my tank parameters have been steady. No fish , just corals. This weekend I transfered my fish into tank. I put in my tomato clown, watchman goby and a cleaner shrimp. Now my ph seems to have dropped and staying at a steady 7.7/7.8. All other levels haven't changed. What could have caused ph drop. How could I raise it back up. I checked ph in the morning, afternoon and right before lights go out and still constant. I have a mini refugium in the back of my jbj. I have a ball of chaeto. It's running 12 hours on opposite time of display tank. My current parameters are:
alk 8
calcium 420
nitrate 0
temp 80.5

 

[DrHarryLopez]

I had ordered the fight the other night and had 20 guys in the office and the pH dipped to 8.3! High levels of CO2!

 

[chuck116]

It could be the fish but not sure. IMO your alk and calcium are too low.What is your mag level at. ? It seems like you dont have enough buffer in your water. Do you add 2 part to your tank ? if you want to get it back up you could airrate the water with a powerhead to disperse the co2.

Good Luck chuck & Anna Maria

 

[KathyC]

It could be the fish but not sure. IMO your alk and calcium are too low.What is your mag level at. ? It seems like you dont have enough buffer in your water. Do you add 2 part to your tank ? if you want to get it back up you could airrate the water with a powerhead to disperse the co2.

Good Luck chuck & Anna Maria

The OP's alk & ca seem perfect to me, not sure why you think they are low?

Lots of folks had their homes closed up for a couple of days this week due to the weather - throw open a window tomorrow and see if it comes back up.
You might also try increasing the surface agitation to increase gas exchange.

Both of these methods will slowy raise it back up, you do NOT want to increase it quickly!

Your other option is a water change, but might be best in the long run to see if either of the 2 suggestions help with your issue first in identifying the cause.

 

[ming]

Probably because a lot of people have their alk really high and people start to think that's where it should be.
seawater is actually 2.5 meq/L = 7dKH
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-04/rhf/feature/
I personally aim for around 8dKH

 

[jcs11236]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I hve a mp10 running in the tank. I also hve the two stock pumps running on the the stock wavemaker. Both pump nozzles are aimed to the the tank surface so I believe I have alot of surface water movement. :-/. I'm a lol bummed beacuse I think this is the cause why my tomato clown seems to not be adjusting to tank. The watchman and all corals seem to be opening up as normal. Let me bust this window open today an see if it goes up some. As for my levels- I think they are fine. I have always kept them steady. I do not dose anything in tank. I use esv salt mix

 

[tomtoothdoc]

I had ordered the fight the other night and had 20 guys in the office and the pH dipped to 8.3! High levels of CO2!

agreed with doc and kathy.
the recently added fish added co2 to the tank and dropped the ph. what are you using to test/monitor the ph?
is the tank one of those all in one with the hood/lid over it? if it is, crack the lid and aim a fan at it see if that improve. or you can add a small air pump to one of the back sections to help infuse o2 into the water.

 

[jcs11236]

Thanks Tom,
I am using API and salifert test kits. My system is a all in on so I will try cracking the top open. The ph has gone up to 8.0. I raised the two pumps a lil higher. And I try to keep window in room open. I like the air pump idea in back Chamber but was curious in knowing if you think it will cause the pumps to suck up air bubbles

 

[tomtoothdoc]

when you get a chance, get a digital ph meter(search the threads...i remember reading about a cheap ph meter from ebay that works pretty well....like under 20 bucks). the color titration method is inconsistent.
i don't know how the back compartments are divided. try controlling the air with a valve and put it in the compartment furthest away from the return pump to limit the air bubbles from entering the display.

Thanks Tom,
I am using API and salifert test kits. My system is a all in on so I will try cracking the top open. The ph has gone up to 8.0. I raised the two pumps a lil higher. And I try to keep window in room open. I like the air pump idea in back Chamber but was curious in knowing if you think it will cause the pumps to suck up air bubbles

 

[jcs11236]

Thanks again. I totally hate the sali test kits! There expenisve and annoying! I'm about to put them on marketplace. I prefer the cheap API. I compared the results on both kits and they are both the same. Me rushing to buy the sali kits bought them at lfs and I got raped. I paid 91 bucks for ph,calcium,and alk

 

[kaOzGrUnT]

91 DOLLARS............. G D............. ( that was my out loud thought )

 

[jcs11236]

Lolol yep fishtown USA. I was super paranoid bout ph being off. I thought it was my API ph kit that was off. So I raced to the lfs and dropped the cash for ph and jus bought the others as well. Just wanted to make sure all my levels were accurate. I'm a nut job. Lol