High pH - New tank - No idea why??

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pezcubano

New member
My 75G is about 2 months old, fully cycled, with only snails and hermits in it.
I have a 20G sump with a skimmer and a fuge.
All parameters are nice ( SG is 1.025, Nitrates/Nitrites/Ammonia are 0 and temperature is now being controlled by a chiller.

Haven't checked alk (will do tomorrow) but there is very little in the tank. For the first month the pH was stable around 8.4, but now its been hovering around 8.8 for weeks. What could it be?
I just did a water change of 20G and I'm hoping it helps?
Any ideas??
 
Unless a lot of limewater is being dosed, or there's a lot of photosynthesis occurring, I agree that measurement error is the first guess. I'd double-check the measurement in any case.
 
How do I check the validity of my test kit? Buy another test kit??

I don't think photosynthesis is the issue, my tank is fairly new and there is very little life in it.

I had read the article yesterday and I also read some other threads where people had problems with the vinegar solution (organic elements causing problems in the sump...). The soda water will get the pH down, but it seems like a quick fix. I don't feel like it attacks the root problem of why the pH is high.

I think my water is pretty well airated (skimmer, movement in the sump) but I'm going to try putting fan in the canopy and see what happens. Is there anything else I should have taken away from the article that I missed?
 
If your using tap water this water often has high PH to begin with. Use R/O from your local fish store. Try seachems PH buffer to 8.3 this should buffer your PH back to normal. Using soda water puts CO2 into the water. CO2 in high levels is an anasthetic. It wil narc the fish and possibly cause death. I dont recomend this.
 
I don't recommend using any pH buffer. It will not lower high pH and will just raise your alkalinity with continued use.
 
pH buffers generally just cause problems. They are not appropriate for this situation, especially, since the pH is high. Adding some seltzer water is a fine way to drop the pH. Reasonable doses won't harm fish.
 
THanks for all the advice!!
Here's the plan:
1) Add seltzer water for the time being, and closely monitor pH levels.
2) Slowly add livestock (which I think should help keep the pH down)

I don't know what other option I have cause everyone refers back to the same article on high pH.
Any experience on how often I'll have to add seltzer?
 
Adding selter water may temporarily lower ph. This is not treating the root cause of the problem. High PH is primarily caused by a higher ratio of OH ions versus H+ ions. More H+ ions makes the water more acidic. More OH ions make the water more basic thus raising your PH. Buffers prevent your PH from going to high or to low. If you don't want to add buffers as I suggested just perform normal water changes, and don't add any supplements. Measure with a good PH test kit and see if this helps. I also suggest checking the PH of the R/O water out of curiosity. If the live stock are not being harmed by the high PH I wouldn't worry about it to much. I'm still against the soda water idea.
 
CO2 in high levels is an anaesthetic. It wil narc the fish and possibly cause death. I dont recomend this.

You will NEVER see this. pH is a function of Alk and CO2. If you know the Alk and pH you can calculate the CO2.

This is done to some animals, an anaesthetic, such as lobsters and some fish for shipping to keep them alive and under very special conditions.

. High PH is primarily caused by a higher ratio of OH ions versus H+ ions.

High pH is caused by high HCO3- and CO3-- and more so on the higher CO3--. You are talking about the pH scale and are interpreting things wrong

seachems PH buffer to 8.3 this should buffer your

I hope you do not mean their Marine Buffer.
 
Last edited:
Here's what I did:
Saturday afternoon - 20% water change (took out 20 gallons and replaced with 5G natural seawater + 15G RODI
Sunday morning - NO CHANGE IN pH = 8.8
Monday Morning - 600mL of Seltzer water and added a fan in canopy for more areation
Monday afternoon - SLIGHT decrease from 8.8 to maybe 8.6

I don't know what else I to do. The water change did nothing and the seltzer water helped but only temporarily.
Should I buy an electronic pH tester?
Remember I don't have any livestock in the tank yet besides hermits and snails.
WHAT ELSE CAN I DO?????
 
Yes, I am not convinced that the pH reading is correct. A pH meter might be useful. I use an Oakton pHTestr 30 from LabSafety.com that works nicely, and the PinPoint unit also gets good reviews.
 
I would agree also and this has been brought up a couple of times and know I'm even more sure of it. Who's test kit are you using anyway pezcubano just for the sake of it.
 
Bertoni - Thanks for the tips, I will be looking into those this afternoon. Is there an all-in-one (marine and reef parameters) electronic tester you would recommend?
Right now I'm using an API Marine test kit (Ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates, and pH).
Don't people usually use these kits to confirm that an electronic tester is accurate? Or is it vice-versa as well?
 
Some people like the aquarium controllers, but I just use individual meters.

Cross-checking with multiple testers is often useful. :) Either way works.
 
Take a sample of that water to the LFS and have them check with a different kit or a meter if they have one and bring your kit with you.
 
I agree that taking the sample to the LFS may put this issue to rest. I'm assuming they'll swap out the test kit for me if it is indeed faulty.
I've definitely learned my lesson after this one. I've been going through so much trying to fix this pH issue. We'll see what the LFS says tonight...
 
Although I consider API's pH kit one of the better titration kits, taking tank water to an lfs to test pH is (to me) useless.

Like Boomer said, take your pH kit to your lfs and test their water. See if it reads what they get.

When I first started out, one of the most important investments I made for my tank was a Pinpoint pH monitor. The calibration fluids are top shelf and, properly maintained, will give you real time data on your tanks pH.

I can actually see the affects of closing the house up when the weather gets too hot outside. When I open the house up, my pH rises a full .2 units. :)

BTW - My API test kit matches my Pinpoint monitor to the tee.
 
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