tiburone9162003
New member
hey guys,what can i use to make ph. higher, my ph. its 7.8
Ph. higher, lower
- Thread starter tiburone9162003
- Start date
dots
Premium Member
First.....7.8......thats pretty specific, and pretty close to the mark....how sure are you of that? You know those colors look diferent in diferent lighting, I don't trust the compare o color tests.....end point titrations are IMO a little more reliable, color perception is hard to judge.....if your sure.....what you need is a buffer........
There are a lot of em......they are usually in a powder and VERY VERY strong....a little dab will do you.....I have used the ProperPh8.2 for a while and like it.
The buffer(alkalinity) will hold your ph in place, much like a shock absorber controls the bounce on a car.....if you have low alkalinity...which I am guess since you tank is new and your alk has dropped alowing your ph to go lower........your ph will rise and fall very easily with low alk.....to high alk and it will be rock solid and won't move.
You can just add a little baking soda.....but lets test your alk and Ca before we start trying to fix it.....because if your alk is to high or low, your ph will just fall back down or won't move at all.
Your not in the danger zone yet, and if its stable its all good.
Test your alk and get back........
By the way, when did you test the ph.....Ph goes up and down with levels of CO2 produced throughout the day due to fish activity.......
Go the the chemistry forum and read the articles by Holmes-Farley on this subject and will enlighten you greatly.
There are a lot of em......they are usually in a powder and VERY VERY strong....a little dab will do you.....I have used the ProperPh8.2 for a while and like it.
The buffer(alkalinity) will hold your ph in place, much like a shock absorber controls the bounce on a car.....if you have low alkalinity...which I am guess since you tank is new and your alk has dropped alowing your ph to go lower........your ph will rise and fall very easily with low alk.....to high alk and it will be rock solid and won't move.
You can just add a little baking soda.....but lets test your alk and Ca before we start trying to fix it.....because if your alk is to high or low, your ph will just fall back down or won't move at all.
Your not in the danger zone yet, and if its stable its all good.
Test your alk and get back........
By the way, when did you test the ph.....Ph goes up and down with levels of CO2 produced throughout the day due to fish activity.......
Go the the chemistry forum and read the articles by Holmes-Farley on this subject and will enlighten you greatly.
tiburone9162003
New member
i test the ph few hours ago...i bough some powder stuff call PH 8.2...
dots
Premium Member
A pinch is all you will need......too much and you will overshoot your alkalinity........
Test your alk first, add some then test your alk again to see the direct correlation from adding the stuff and how potent it is.
7-11dkh is what you are shooting for.
In a small tank with the new salts, if you change out 5gals a week you will keep your alk and ca where they need to be......if you don't do that........which you should, you will need to dose 2-part B-ionic to keep up the levels.....how much would be determined by your stock level and your daily uptake of Alk and Ca.......But if your stock levels consume too much do to lots of corals, you would have to do that anyway....but you can get away with just water changes for a very long time.........Im not dosing on my cube...just water changes, but dose continually with an automatic doser on the 75g SPS tank......and going through about a gallon of B-ionic a month.
Do it the easy way and use a good quality salt high in alk and ca and change out 5 gals weekly.
Test your alk first, add some then test your alk again to see the direct correlation from adding the stuff and how potent it is.
7-11dkh is what you are shooting for.
In a small tank with the new salts, if you change out 5gals a week you will keep your alk and ca where they need to be......if you don't do that........which you should, you will need to dose 2-part B-ionic to keep up the levels.....how much would be determined by your stock level and your daily uptake of Alk and Ca.......But if your stock levels consume too much do to lots of corals, you would have to do that anyway....but you can get away with just water changes for a very long time.........Im not dosing on my cube...just water changes, but dose continually with an automatic doser on the 75g SPS tank......and going through about a gallon of B-ionic a month.
Do it the easy way and use a good quality salt high in alk and ca and change out 5 gals weekly.
Last edited:
tiburone9162003
New member
ok..ill test water tomorrow again...
As dots mentioned, check your alk level. You need to know what is causing your pH to be low. If your alk is low -then you can add baked baking soda (spread the baking soda on a tray and bake at 300F for 1 hour).
If you alk is normal - you always use limewater. BTW - anybody know if it's possible to get Mrs Wages Pickling lime locally?
BTW - do you know what is in PH 8.2? You don't want to blindly add it if you don't know what is causing your low pH.
On the same note: has anyone ever thought about aerating their tanks with oxygen (maybe 40% Nitrox) in order to keep the O2 level high in the tank during the winter month?
If you alk is normal - you always use limewater. BTW - anybody know if it's possible to get Mrs Wages Pickling lime locally?
BTW - do you know what is in PH 8.2? You don't want to blindly add it if you don't know what is causing your low pH.
On the same note: has anyone ever thought about aerating their tanks with oxygen (maybe 40% Nitrox) in order to keep the O2 level high in the tank during the winter month?
dots
Premium Member
I want to double check the accuracy of the Ph value first....I think the alk will be a better tell of that......I have heard a few tanks being low like that and the advice was always if they are stable then its not much to worry about.
ProperPh8.2: If you have seen them.....they are in 7.8, 8.0 and 8.2 versions.....I think for the recommended doses that they have are more concentrated or dilluted forms of a buffer for the different ph....
Looking at the bottle Yo no se........not printed on it and I threw the instructions away long ago....made by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals if you would like to research it.
O2: But since, its colder in the winter, and cool water has a capacity to hold more O2......why wouldn't it be higher than in the summer already?.....am I missing something?
ProperPh8.2: If you have seen them.....they are in 7.8, 8.0 and 8.2 versions.....I think for the recommended doses that they have are more concentrated or dilluted forms of a buffer for the different ph....
Looking at the bottle Yo no se........not printed on it and I threw the instructions away long ago....made by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals if you would like to research it.
O2: But since, its colder in the winter, and cool water has a capacity to hold more O2......why wouldn't it be higher than in the summer already?.....am I missing something?
MrMikeB
New member
I have been using SeaChem's Reef Builder to keep the Alkalinity constant, which has helped keep the PH at exactly 8.3 (according to Salifert test). Might be a bit more expensive approach, but for a beginner like moi, it has helped quite a bit as I work out the overfeeding, etc. that can cause the water to be more acidic.
tiburone9162003
New member
lastnight i got some of the properph 8.2 ...it says 1 pack per every 20g. i think..when mixing this thing ,just put the powder in tank and mix it in there or mix it separate?
funman1
Active member
I tried that stuff when my ph was that low, and yeah it worked it buffered it right upto 8.2
BUT!!, My Alk shot so far off the scales I had to stop using it.
Now I just use Pickeling lime. I get mine by the pound for a few bucks at a place in Roseville. The Roseville Tortilla Factory. They call it "Cal" there Been using it for a long time now and it works excellent. I just found the right amount to mix up for my top off water.
BUT!!, My Alk shot so far off the scales I had to stop using it.
Now I just use Pickeling lime. I get mine by the pound for a few bucks at a place in Roseville. The Roseville Tortilla Factory. They call it "Cal" there Been using it for a long time now and it works excellent. I just found the right amount to mix up for my top off water.
tiburone9162003
New member
ok,ill mix it tonight after work 
...ill do a water change and mix the stuff in the water im gonna pour in..
...ill do a water change and mix the stuff in the water im gonna pour in..tiburone9162003
New member
ok i just check my alk before adding anything to the water,it was normal,so right now im doing water change,adding salt and proper ph8.2 and mix it...
Reefugee: on the back of the pack it says 1 pack per every 20g. it only have few words for instructions lol...the marine lab test kit came with the buffer that i could try,but i dont trust that kit anymore since what happen last week...
Reefugee: on the back of the pack it says 1 pack per every 20g. it only have few words for instructions lol...the marine lab test kit came with the buffer that i could try,but i dont trust that kit anymore since what happen last week...
dots
Premium Member
DONT FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS ON THAT STUFF!!!!.....ITS WAY POTENT as mentioned.....you can always add more, but too much will crash your tank.
I used that stuff and thought I had to use one cup full per 5 gals as it said......needless to say I couldn't keep anything alive because my alkalinity was through the roof........
This was my BIGGEST long term mistake and pretty much the reason I started doing research on RC and wetwebmedia.
What is your alk?.........test it.......mix a pinch full of the buffer in some water and add it to your tank after the new water is in and stabilized, odds are you won't need it or a lot less because the new salts have higher alk usually......in an hour test your alk again, repeat if needed....when it is at 10dkh.....stop there. Test the next day and every couple days after that to ensure your alk is stable.......if its not, your not doing water changes soon enough.....if your alk is dropping a lot daily, you will need to switch to a two part supplementation schedule.
I used that stuff and thought I had to use one cup full per 5 gals as it said......needless to say I couldn't keep anything alive because my alkalinity was through the roof........
This was my BIGGEST long term mistake and pretty much the reason I started doing research on RC and wetwebmedia.
What is your alk?.........test it.......mix a pinch full of the buffer in some water and add it to your tank after the new water is in and stabilized, odds are you won't need it or a lot less because the new salts have higher alk usually......in an hour test your alk again, repeat if needed....when it is at 10dkh.....stop there. Test the next day and every couple days after that to ensure your alk is stable.......if its not, your not doing water changes soon enough.....if your alk is dropping a lot daily, you will need to switch to a two part supplementation schedule.
tiburone9162003
New member
ph when up to 8.4 ,alk normal,1.025,ammonia 0,n02,n03 0's
what i didnt like its that from 7.8 when up to 8.4...
what i didnt like its that from 7.8 when up to 8.4...
tiburone9162003
New member
now my tank its little cloudy...should i wait? what should i do?
Justin74
New member
Sweet. I was just about to ask this.
Well back to buffers, I was totally happy with how my tank buffed with kents till I was talking to californiadreamer about it and noticed that they use borate salt. Now its been sittin and wont be used again. I change my water probably every 3-4 weeks but top off with a gallon of kalkwasser usually everynight and keep a pretty consistant pH of 8.2.
-Justin
Similar threads
