pH problem for over 1 yr... Help please

[jimsplace]

I still say your problem is not the ph. My guess is high alk numbers. I think I would try dosing instead of the ca reactor for awhile and see if you see an improvement. There have been numerous posts here where people have problems like yours (low ph / burnt tips) using a reactor. I have considered a reactor do to the amount of alk/cal I'm dosing, but based on my research, I don't trust the reactor route. I know I'll take a beating for this post, but just my 2 cents worth.

 

[jasonrp104]

Do you have to dose along with your kalk? As said above, it almost sounds more like your DKH is swinging. I've had that burn SPS more than any PH swing (I don't even worry about ph anymore)

 

[tmz]

FWIW
Personally, I use dose kalk 24/7 from a still reservoir and tweak up the alkalinity occasionaly with baking soda. I also use a salt high in calcium and magnesium. Dosing calcium chloride and bicarbonate in two part systems is fine though. I have not used my calcium reactor in 2 years and have had no stn during that period. Using buffers to increase ph is not a good stragegy since it raises alk and the ph increasing CO2 redction it may get is temporary as CO2 from the air and bio activity in the tank will raise it in a relatively brief period of time.

The soda lime is sold by AirGas. They are a national firm and their web site has a site locator It is used medically particularly when anesthesia is administered. It is also used in sucba rebreathing apparatuses. The product name is sofnolime. It sells in 5 gallon pails for about $90. A liter works for about 6 to 8 weeks on a skimmer that draws 1500 gallons of water through it per hour so long term it's relatively inexpensive.

Here are a couple of threads on CO2 scrubbers:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1889552&highlight=co+scrubber

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1714932&highlight=co+scrubber

 

[jabel]

jimsplace, jasonrp104: pretty sure my alk isn't swinging. I've checked it multiple times in a day and it doesn't move unless I adjust my ca reactor drip rate.

On that note I did cut my drip rate in half and right now my pH is looking slightly better, but I've got to let things adjust for a few days. I'll keep you all posted.

tmz: perfect, thanks. I'll look at these and see what's been done.

Jeff

 

[L8ndeb]

running your venturi outside wont do much to raise ph.

I have to disagree to a certain extent on that. If the house is well ventilated, or open windows are a norm, then yes. But in most of our houses, we keep them weatherstripped, caulked, gasketed, and everything else to prevent outside air exchange. As a results, an outside air intake for your skimmer can contribute to a higher Ph due to higher O2 levels.

 

[bertoni]

Some people report good results with a skimmer airline, and others don't. I suspect it depends on how sealed the house is, and how much air the skimmer injects in relation to the amount of water in the system.

 

[L8ndeb]

:beer: Yup

 

[jabel]

Yes, I agree. I just spent the last hour working on my skimmer. Cleaned both pumps and soaked in acid. Now they are clean and like new. I'd say the air intake alone doubled just from the cleaning. Now when I go outside I can hear the air getting sucked in when I couldn't before, at least for many months. So now I should be getting outside air in my tank. I'll tell you what happens over the next couple of days.
Jeff

 

[neoalchemist74]

Have you been buffering alk alot to combat this problem and if so how fast and what are you using?

 

[tmz]

If your house CO2 is high ,outside air will help. Running a line from the skimmer may ,however, if it is too long and/or narrow restrict airflow to the venturi.

 

[jabel]

neoalchemist74: no additions, only using kalk and ca reactor. On ocassion if the pH was really low I might add a bolus of kalk, but rarely.

tmz: I've hade my skimmer plummed for outside air for almost a yr and it seemed to make a difference initially, but over time that went away. I'm sure my extension lines are too small and long, but that's all I had at the moment. It could defenitely use an upgrade.

So far my pH has been pretty stable over night at 8.05, which is unusual. So let me see how this plays out over a few days.

Jeff

 

[L8ndeb]

Running a line from the skimmer may ,however, if it is too long and/or narrow restrict airflow to the venturi.

I agree. I had a long run on my last house. I went as far as adding an air pump to boost air pressure to the venturi. Worked well with a needle valve to control the flow rate.

 

[jabel]

So far there has been a defenite improvement from just cleaning the skimmer pumps really well. Skimmer is working better than it has since I got it. Pulling in lots of air. pH range is now 7.9 to 8.1 or so. Its only been a couple days so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I've been trying to reduce my alk level from 11 dkh to about 9-10 slowly, but still hanging around 11. Just lowering my ca reactor drip but that takes time. I'll give an update after the weekend. Still considering a co2 scrubber.
Amazing what a little pump maintinance can do.

Jeff

 

[neoalchemist74]

Is there a way to plumb your reactor effluant directly into your skimmer to out gas excess co2.

 

[jabel]

Effluent is exiting right next to the skimmer pump intake so its a close as I can get.

 

[jabel]

Thought I'd give an update. Since cleaning my skimmer my pH has been better. My range was 7.9 to 8.1. I upgraded my tubing connecting the skimmer air intake with the outside to a larger size and this increased my range a little more. Its been several weeks now with a more ideal pH. Unfortunately my sps continue to slowly die. I did some additional research last night and found similar experiences from others around high alk. I was trying to keep mine around 10-11, but this could be a problem. I'm on a mission to lower this to 8-9 and see if things get better.
Thanks for all of the feedback on this post and let me know if you have nay opinions on high alk.
Thanks,
Jeff

 

[bertoni]

Sounds like good progress.

 

[Percula9]

The high alk seems to be the problem. You should shut down the reactor for a month and just supplement and see if your sps recover. I think calcium reactors are more trouble than they are worth.

 

[jabel]

Yeah, that might be the case. Mine is almost turned off now. When my tank was full I could barely keep up with ca/alk, but because of my pH problem I was trying to bump up the alk to keep the pH high. So I'll se how it goes. Alk is down to 10 tonight and I'm hoping that kalk reactor will be enough to suppliment for a while. I'm kind of tired of dealing with this tank and just seeing death, not to mention the money wasted on coral.
Seems like most of the tanks with high alk problems dose some kind of carbon source and have low nutrients. I don't dose, but my phosphate almost always measures 0-0.02 by hanna so it might just be a case of low nutrients = need for lower alk. I'll give an update in a week or so.
Jeff

 

[tmz]

I'D also double check PO4 if corals are struggling.