HELP low pH!
- Thread starter reefified
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marclwheeler
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reefified... looks like you have some more trial and error ahead of you... goodluck...
marclwheeler
New member
one thing is certain...I guess you won't be running a calcium reactor...that would prolly lower your ph more...
cagey-keep it on this thread, I am interested too. I have an auto topoff setup that is directly attached to my RO/DI in the basement. I don't want to change this because I have limited space in my stand and my wife will not allow me to have a bucket or other crude method sitting next to the system. Since my setup is small (60 gallons) I could add a kent doser in the stand with the limewater. Will this be sufficient? Setup?? Also, I had a phosban reactor that was running carbon and phosban at a 5:1 ratio. This has been running since setup. I took offline yesterday per marclwheelers recommendation. I hope this will allow my macro algea to grow now that they will have more nutrients, which should help consume the CO2. If I were to purchase one of the CO2 scrubbers (any recommendations) and add it to my new downdraft skimmer coming today, would I be ok to see how things go before adding the limewater drip? Will the scrubber have that much of an impact since I also have the tank open to the air and fairly well stirred at the surface? Right now, as mentioned, I add Seachem products to keep alk, mag and Ca in the upper limits of the recommended ranges. It seems to be working so I hate to abandon. Sorry about all the questions.
marclwheeler
New member
have checked ur other parameters l8ly ammonia, nitrites all that just 2 rule out kids/wifey messing w/ it!!!!LOL
marclwheeler
New member
chad did u mention that rusted clamp u just took off see if that could've caused any harm...
I would not agonize over very low pH if it is measured by a test kit as they are often inaccurate.
Double check it with a pH meter, IMO. That said, it could well be low. Low pH is common due to elevated home CO2 levels.
New homes are usually by far the worst with respect to CO2 build up since they are made more air tight to be energy efficient.
This has more on low pH:
Low pH: Causes and Cures
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/rhf/index.htm
Double check it with a pH meter, IMO. That said, it could well be low. Low pH is common due to elevated home CO2 levels.
New homes are usually by far the worst with respect to CO2 build up since they are made more air tight to be energy efficient.
This has more on low pH:
Low pH: Causes and Cures
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/rhf/index.htm
We have very little data on how the air scrubbers work, since they're expensive, but from what I've seen, it'd have an impact. I think the media for the scrubber can be bought at BulkReefSupply.com, but I don't know what kind of unit people have been using to hold it.
As far as using a small container for limewater inside the system, that'd work well, but it'd be higher maintenance than a unit attached to a RO/DI system. I always used a reservoir, but I could fit a couple of weeks of topoff into my setup.
As far as using a small container for limewater inside the system, that'd work well, but it'd be higher maintenance than a unit attached to a RO/DI system. I always used a reservoir, but I could fit a couple of weeks of topoff into my setup.
I could look into using the scrubber media in the pvc manifold I have built and attached to my skimmer if that would work. I am not sure how much contact it needs or what would be adequate but the ones I saw online look like any other type of reactor. I could also use the limewater at a higher concentration in a drip that is not necessarily my top off since I have that coming from the RO/DI in the basement. Is that possible? How do I determine the concentration and dosing regime? I assume that I would need to abandon my current 2 part method as well. It also sounds like I need to purchase the pH probe as well.
Well, the easiest approach is to use limewater for all topoff, which some people do with a kalk reactor, basically an automated stirring device. The tank might require two-part dosing in addition to the lime, since limewater is a dilute supplement. That's fairly common.
The only way to determine how well lime will supply calcium and alkalinity is to try it, but the commercial two-parts are something like 70 times more concentrated than saturated limewater, and the DIY two-part is something like 35 times more concentrated, as a rough first approximation. If the limewater boosts the pH, though, consumption might rise a lot.
A pH controller might be useful to prevent accidental overdoses of limewater, or you could create a more complicated setup
The only way to determine how well lime will supply calcium and alkalinity is to try it, but the commercial two-parts are something like 70 times more concentrated than saturated limewater, and the DIY two-part is something like 35 times more concentrated, as a rough first approximation. If the limewater boosts the pH, though, consumption might rise a lot.
A pH controller might be useful to prevent accidental overdoses of limewater, or you could create a more complicated setup
