ph buffers

[leonel04]

can someone tell me the best ph buffer to use on a reef tank?
thanks

 

[gsellers1245]

i dont use a ph buffer at all....with the correct balance of calcium and alkalinity, the ph will basically control itself. those that are using calcium reactors are more prone to use buffers. a kalk drip at night will help with a dropping ph. Also excess co2 will drive the ph down.

 

[gh0st]

Ussually it's better just to use a good Alk buffer and make sure the Calcium is balanced, as gsellers said.

PH Buffers are better for fish only systems, but in reefs they tend to add too much Borate, which over time can cause problems.

Kalkwasser can help, as well as vigirous water flow at the surface of the tank to improve oxygen exchange. If all else fails, opening a nearby window can help if it's in a stuffy area.

 

[leonel04]

my problem is that the alk and calcium are at the right levels and the ph is at 7.8, is driving me nuts. thanks for your help...

 

[gsellers1245]

when are you testing the ph? lights on? lights off? at night? this is a huge factor to determine why the ph low

 

[gh0st]

What are your Alk and Calcium levels at?

Also, time of testing is important as gsellers mentioned. Test after the lights have been on for several hours as it is normal for PH to be low after they've been off all night.

Double check your test kit against another one that is known to be good. When I first started I was dosing Kalk like crazy trying to get PH up, and it turned out to be a bad test kit giving me false low readings.

F'd up my tank good and proper for quite a while.

 

[leonel04]

i test the ph several times a day with two different test kits just to make sure i get a correct reading. i will just keep dosing the alk buffer and see what happens in the next few days,. thank you so much guys for your help and support. glad to have RC community.....

 

[seapug]

Kalk will raise your Ph, but test your Alk/dkh first. If it's low just use plain baking soda. 1 teaspoon will raise 20 gallons about 3 dkh. You can mix it with topoff water or just plop it right in your sump to let it dissolve. Once you get your Alk in the 10-12 dkh range, test your Ph in the peak lighting phase in the afternoon/evening and again in the morning. If it's still running low then you probably have a Calcium/Magnesium issue going on or you have a detritus/dirty filter situation.

 

[Runfrumu]

My PH stays at 8.25, but i also change 5 gallons of water every 2 days on my 125. From what I've seen so far in my short time in the hobby, water changes pretty much can fix any water problem as long as your using an ro filter. The salt you add pretty much does everything else for you.

 

[dendro982]

Expensive way, but you can buy magnesium test kit and check Mg levels, they likely to be in 1100 mg/l instead of 1250mg/l.
Had to adjust the newly prepared water each time

Mg additive, containing Mg Chlorides, not only sulphates, is preferable. Mg:Ca ratio should be around 3:1.

The hint was found on Seachem Reef Buffer 8.3 label
Detail can be found by search on reef tank and magnesium.

 

[seapug]

Alkalinity is one of those things that can run low even with frequent water changes. I did 10gal water changes on my 90 2X/wk for 6 months. When I checked my water with a reef test kit, my magnesium was 900, calcium 520, and Alk 4 dkh. Baking soda brought the alk up to 12 and the calcium down to 460, but magnesium is still an issue. It takes a LOT of supplementing to raise it 500 points on a 90 gallon tank!

 

[dendro982]

It takes a LOT of supplementing to raise it 500 points on a 90 gallon tank!

And raising Mg in every batch of a new salt water
Still doing this, in 90g tank, my IO salt Mg levels before adjustment were ~1100mg/l, ~1250 - after.
Randy Holmes-Farley does this,

I use Instant Ocean for water changes ,although I boost it by 70 ppm calcium with Dowflake and 150 ppm magnesium with MAG flake. The magnesium probably overcorrects, but counters loses due to calcification in the tank.

link

You can imagine, how much of Mg supplement should be added to raise it to 1550-1600 ppm to fight bryopsis!

Not advocating this, but it can be the part of solution.
Or change the salt brand...