Low PH

[justin_cutri]

So tank is on a bit of a downward swing, tested the PH this morning and it was 7.8 how do I go about raising is?

 

[northbay-reefer]

What about the other levels? Your alk might be on the low side

 

[Grant W]

Have you been doing your water changes and dosing at all?

 

[justin_cutri]

I thought alk was the same as PH, little behind on changes past few weeks and I haven't been dosing anything what should I be dosing for the PH?

 

[coralfarmer]

Your pH is not static it tends to be low when the lights go on and by the end of your photoperiod it tends to be a few points higher. This is due mainly to your corals and algae producing Oxygen through photosynthesis. O2 raises the pH. And at night the corals and algae resperate producing CO2 and lowers your pH. So I tend to take multiple reading to see the difference throughout the day. Your Alk is the buffering capacity of your water to maintain a stable pH. Imagine it as a big pile of stuff in your water and when the pH drops it pulls from this pile and raises the pH. Thiis is kind of a simplified version of the whole processes I hope it made sense. A good way to put your tank back in balance is a water change. Also check your water movement at the surface of your water make sure your getting a good flow across the surface this will help gas off CO2 and Maintain a higher pH. Plus the less CO2 the less algae.

 

[Grant W]

Justin, PH is the measure of how acidic or alkaline your water is

 

[crispyreef]

When I first got a pH probe I freaked out about the swings I was getting. It turned out that it was normal.

 

[justin_cutri]

Ahh gotcha that's what I thought so I should be dosing some kind of alkalinity buffer. It was in the morning before the lights came on that I tested it at 7.8 although that still seems low, guessing anything below 8.0 is bad. Big water change today and I'll do another in a few days. Ammonia nitrates and nitrates all barely registered but I don't think my test kits are super accurate.

 

[Grant W]

My ph goes from about 7.9 - 8.3 or so every day so you're in the range

 

[GiantBen]

James, good simplification of the alk/ph relationship. Hard to find simple "dumbed" down versions for a guy like me . How does CA play into all this, in laymans terms. My understanding is that the three are related, but I don't recall the details.

Justin, it sounds lime you are probably fine. If you've been missing waterchanges that could be the reason for a slight dip. What was your ph when you were keeping up on the changes? I'd not recommend any dosing from what I'm hearing.