Low PH

[rbursek]

My PH is running low 7.7 in the morning always, 7.8, 80, 8.2, at 430pm, MH on at 11am, have added a Tbls each day of Baked Baking Soda, got them it up from 7.8 to 8.2 yesterday today 8.0 those are the 430pm readings. I induce Kalk every 2 hours a day on a timed pump 1gal per day, should I move the timer on the Kalk to indroduce it more at night? I know about the C02 thing and PH, or is it just because it is winter here in WI forever! 120gal tank with over 200lb rock and a 30gal sump/fuge so I guess I have about 120 actual water gallons.
Bob

 

[rbursek]

Randy?????

 

[bertoni]

A lime drip will be more effective than the baked baking soda. I'd start with stronger limewater, if possible, after verifying the pH measurement. How is the alkalinity doing?

 

[rbursek]

10dk Elos

 

[rbursek]

Hana PH metter jUSTt cLB 53 toubled cecked with qaq frienedss Hanna

 

[bertoni]

Okay, I'd just experiment with the lime, personally, and see how that goes.

 

[rbursek]

Jon,
do I have this right increase Kalk dosing to increas PH?

 

[packer]

Kalk will increase ph for sure but it will also increase other things. I would hesitate to use it as simply a ph booster.

 

[rbursek]

Packer,
what other things?

 

[bertoni]

Kalk also adds calcium and alkalinity to the water. Increasing the strength might (or might not) make those parameters rise. I'd keep watching pH and alkalinity. Calcium will track alkalinity well enough that it need not be tested frequently.

 

[rbursek]

Got it, thanks

 

[packer]

Sorry, I was away but see you got it answered. Good luck. If your tank is near a window you can try running an airline thru a crack in it and to the skimmer or an airstone in the sump. That will help with wintertime house co2 conditions affecting the tanks ph.

 

[rbursek]

Sump/fuge is in the basement, may do that for a wekend project, I know all have been asking this Q, I just do not remember this problem last winter, and I moved in May to a leakier house.

 

[rbursek]

I did partial skimming, 12 hrs a day, worked fine, went back to 24 to oxynenate water more to drive off CO2, Ph still low.

 

[2fishy]

:wavehand: Now I'm bumping your thread!:lol: The statement below has peaked my interest.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11960901#post11960901 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by packer
Sorry, I was away but see you got it answered. Good luck. If your tank is near a window you can try running an airline thru a crack in it and to the skimmer or an airstone in the sump. That will help with wintertime house co2 conditions affecting the tanks ph.

I don't have a sump or a protein skimmer. But it makes sense with the airline from the outside. This would be a possibility if anyone knows if it could be done on my system. Would it be possible to run an airline into the HOB filter or a powerhead?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

You need to drive more outside air into the water than is coming from the house air. So while what you suggest may work somewhat, I would not expect a big benefit. The excess CO2 from the home air hitting the top of the water and elsewhere will likely overpower any benefit.

 

[2fishy]

So I may have to surround my tank with live plants in order to bring more oxygen into the home!:lol: Well, it's definately worth watching. I guess chemistry would have been one of those classes I should have taken in high school. I think it's benefit would have gone a lot further than I thought.

I think I will be doing a lot of catchup reading on Reef Keeping Magazine.

Very helpful sticky at the top, by the way. I thought I was going to have to resort to writing down the web addresses of all the Reef Keeping articles that I would like to read, just so that I could go back to them at work. But I saw the sticky yesterday, and see the articles I want to read had the links there already!