Newbie needs some help

[Emma1234]

I'm new to the hobby and would appreciate any help. I bought a pinpoint ph monitor that says my tap water has a ph well over 8. We have hard well water where I live. I read that hard water causes high Ph. I bought a RO/DI Psarion water filtration system and tried to lower the ph using the RO/DI water. According to the monitor the ph from the RO/DI water was actually higher than the ph from the tap. The ph of the RO/DI water was over 9 according to the pinpoint monitor. I've read that monitors may not read the ph accurately in RO/DI water. But if that is correct how is it possible to find out the ph of RO/DI water? Also, I called the company I bought the filtration system from and they said that filtering can raise the ph in some water, although it is not common. So I don't know if the ph monitor is correct and the ph of the RO/DI water is actually over 9 or if the monitor is wrong in which case I don't know how to tell what the ph is in the RO/DI water. Does anyone have any thoughts on how I can tell what the ph is in my RO/DI water? Also does anyone have a suggestion on how I could get the ph down? Thanks!

 

[shifty51008]

Have you calibrated the pH meter with standards of 7.0 and 9.0? That would be the 1st thing i would check. The pH of rodi water should be around 7.0. Also i wouldnt use tap water in a saltwater tank, use only rodi water. To much harmful stuff in tap water.

 

[cmcoker]

You could try sticking your probe in some vinegar and see what is reads, should be low like 2.5, I think.. Try googling homemade pH standards. You may have something around the house that can give you an idea if the probe is off. If so, I would buy the commercial standards to calibrate.

 

[Emma1234]

Newbie needs some help

I calibrated the monitor a few weeks ago when I bought it. I just tested the monitor in vinegar. The ph of the vinegar was 2.6.

 

[cmcoker]

found this, hope it helps.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2168803

 

[thegrun]

I would not worry much about your pH. Alkalinity, salinity and if you keep hard corals calcium and magnesium are the parameter you need to be concerned with. Except in the extreme ranges, pH is of little concern.

 

[stingythingy45]

Agree,PH means very little in this hobby. I don't remember when the last time I checked it.
Concentrate on the big 3.
ALK
CA
MG

 

[cmcoker]

Hey I found this post that should help you regarding the pH http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2168803

I agree that pH is not a number you should chase after, or do anything to correct if it is in an acceptable range. However, I think saying, esp to someone new to the hobby, it doesn't matter and doesn't need to be monitored is oversimplifying it.
As you monitor the alkalinity and start to dose you should monitor the pH, kalk could nuke your tank, even two part could cause big swings with a large enough dose.
Also test your freshly mixed saltwater, a bad batch of salt can happen, such as the salt mix missing the alkalinity part. A low or high pH would alert you to something being off, before the water is in your tank.
I would recommend you read some of Randy Holmes-Farley's articles on pH and water chemistry.
Hope that helps

 

[Emma1234]

Newbie needs some help

I'm trying to cure some rock that I made. I have the rock in a creek right now. I moved it there from a tub of water. If I put the rock back in a tub with some RO/DI salt water mix that tests OK for ALK, CA and MG, and the water still tests OK for for ALK, CA and MG, after adding the rock am I safe to use the rock in my new tank?

 

[snorvich]

I would not worry much about your pH. Alkalinity, salinity and if you keep hard corals calcium and magnesium are the parameter you need to be concerned with. Except in the extreme ranges, pH is of little concern.

I agree. I never test it. Alkalinity (primary), Calcium and magnesium (secondary).

 

[snorvich]

I'm trying to cure some rock that I made. I have the rock in a creek right now. I moved it there from a tub of water. If I put the rock back in a tub with some RO/DI salt water mix that tests OK for ALK, CA and MG, and the water still tests OK for for ALK, CA and MG, after adding the rock am I safe to use the rock in my new tank?

In a creek????

 

[Emma1234]

I read that I needed to get the ph down before I could use the rocks. I had the rocks in a tub with a powerhead for over a month and the ph was staying above 10. I also read that if you put the rocks in a creek or stream it will speed up the curing process (gets the bad stuff out of the cement). So I movedthe rocks to a nearby creek.

 

[Xavibear]

I read that I needed to get the ph down before I could use the rocks. I had the rocks in a tub with a powerhead for over a month and the ph was staying above 10. I also read that if you put the rocks in a creek or stream it will speed up the curing process (gets the bad stuff out of the cement). So I movedthe rocks to a nearby creek.

Are you using cement or rock?

 

[Emma1234]

Cement.

 

[Xavibear]

Why not use real rock?

 

[Emma1234]

I might but I thought I would try to make my own first for a few reasons. I want a reef wall and I thought I could do that better if I made the rock from concrete rather than stacking rocks. Also I can avoid taking rocks from the actual reefs. Last I thought it would save money.