Feel stupid asking this but...

[xpcgamer]

Well some of you gave me the idea that something was not quite right. I do regular water changes and top off with RO. My Flame Angel floated too close to my MP and got sucked in and killed. I tested the water and turns out my PH was 7.6. I checked that my Chaeto was not OVERLY packed and it was fine. I think the fact that the tank is a Nano and I am topping off with RO that is around 7.2. Should I be buffering the water I top off with? I realize topping off with 5 gallons on a 125 gallon tank does not affect PH much especially with a DSB but I think it is affecting mine. I add around a 1/2 a gallon a week. It will go up once I go topless. Do you have to assure your RO water is close to 8.0 before topping your tank off?
Here is my Flame Angel death thread.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2423715

 

[billsreef]

7.6 is defiantly low enough to cause health issues with marine fish. RO water doesn't really have pH, so it adding it doesn't lower your tanks pH. However, you an certainly mix some buffer in with it before addition to your tank to help buffer your tank and maintain the pH.

 

[Bernie21]

buffer your tank separately from your Ro. buffer also raises alk, so you run the risk of shooting up your alk every time you add Ro, it accumulates faster than your water evaporates or faster than your alk gets used up. Ph will eventually level off but your alk can keep raising.

 

[Daimyo68]

The pH of the RO/DI will have no real effect on the DT's pH.

If your having trouble keeping the DT pH up, you can add a small amount of Kalkwasser to your top-off water. Search the forums here, there are many articles on how to start using Kalk.

Your pH will also go up a little once the tank is topless.

 

[xpcgamer]

Ok. I have some Kalkwasser I'll start looking at adding it. So you think I "don't" have to add buffer to my RO? I just tested the Alkalinity and got a value of 8. I added some buffer last night around 5:30 so I will check today after the lights have been on for a few hours.

 

[billsreef]

Correct, you don't "have" to add buffer to RO water. If you do use some buffer in the RO, only for the sake of adding buffer to the tank, be sure and only do small amounts at a time and measure. Don't want to be overshooting the mark

You can use jdieck's reef calculator to figure out how much buffer and/or kalk you need to correct your levels.

 

[Bernie21]

Ok. I have some Kalkwasser I'll start looking at adding it. So you think I "don't" have to add buffer to my RO? I just tested the Alkalinity and got a value of 8. I added some buffer last night around 5:30 so I will check today after the lights have been on for a few hours.

correct, Use Ro to mix w buffer, to have like a buffer solution, but this doesn't quite mean add buffer to your Ro. what can happen is eventually you'll reach a good Ph (8.2, 8.3) & itll level off, but you'll still have to top off your tank w Ro for make up for the evaporation & you'll continue to increase the Alk. So although your Alk is currently at 8, next time it might be at 10, the at 11, until you cross the healthy line & end up at 15, 16 etc. So buffer & Ro should be separate.

 

[xpcgamer]

correct, Use Ro to mix w buffer, to have like a buffer solution, but this doesn't quite mean add buffer to your Ro. what can happen is eventually you'll reach a good Ph (8.2, 8.3) & itll level off, but you'll still have to top off your tank w Ro for make up for the evaporation & you'll continue to increase the Alk. So although your Alk is currently at 8, next time it might be at 10, the at 11, until you cross the healthy line & end up at 15, 16 etc. So buffer & Ro should be separate.

Ahh! I see.

 

[ERivera65]

If youre having ph issues, open the windows in your home to let fresh air in, you can also if possible run your skimmer airline outside to suck in fresh air to oxygenate you water, and of course kalk in your top off will definitely bump up your ph and help aid in calcium and alkalinity.

 

[AquamanE]

"buffers"?? = :uzi:

 

[DgenR8]

If you top off all at once, each day, adding Kalk to your top off may not be a good idea. PH of Kalkwasser is crazy high and dumping a day's top off into a nano at one time could cause a dramatic increase in PH, enough to be damaging, even fatal to your animals.

 

[sjfishguy]

If youre having ph issues, open the windows in your home to let fresh air in, you can also if possible run your skimmer airline outside to suck in fresh air to oxygenate you water, and of course kalk in your top off will definitely bump up your ph and help aid in calcium and alkalinity.

This is your answer. High CO2 in the house because all the windows are closed. I wouldn't start messing with anything other than getting more fresh air.