low pH

[knorsk]

my pH is down to about 7.9 is this dangerous? Also what could have caused this...when i do a water change the water i add to my tank is 8.3. It's a 12 gallon nano with about 25lbs of live sand and 12lbs of live rock.

 

[tastingSalty]

I've been told by experienced reefmen on this site that 7.9 is fine because that's what my tank hangs out at regularly. They said that anything under 7.8 is something to worry about though.

 

[kevin2000]

PH has a pretty wide range of acceptable levels and 7.9 is usually considered OK.

In general ... so long as your have reasonable aeration (bit of surface water turbulence s/b OK) combined with a reasonable amt of alkalinity - PH controls itself.

Test your PH first thing in the morning and right before you turn off the lights at night. Ph should be its lowest in the AM and its highest right before you turn off your lights. (algae generates oxygen when lights are on .. and CO2 when lights are off).

 

[crvz]

I wouldnt worry about pH too much, especially if you're testing it with a test kit (a probe is the only reliable means of measurement, and only then if it's been regularly calibrated). The pH of the added water is likely not going to hurt anything as long as the temp and salinity is the same (during a water change, if it's top-off water than just the temp of course!). I struggle to get my pH above 8.0, and usually at night it can fall to the 7.75 range. It's never been an issue (over the last 18 months of my tank) and I tend not to worry about it.

 

[bbyatv]

Here is the best article on low pH you will find:

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/rhf/index.php

And here is the list of artices for all of your water chemistry questions:

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=102605

Bruce