zippopunk1
New member
can i raise my ph by raising my alkalinity
ph
- Thread starter zippopunk1
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zippopunk1
New member
anyway i can raise it would help i just need to know what to add
jdieck
New member
Rising alkalinity will help rise PH but just a little bit and you should not exceed 4 mew/lt of alkalinity (11dKh or 200 ppm).
The main benefit of proper alkalinity level is PH stability.
The most comon cause of low PH is excess dissolved CO2 in the aquarium water. Tightly closed houses can build up CO2 inside which dissolves in the aquarium depleting the PH.
CO2 is also in part a result of respiration of the tank critters and excessive nitrification so low PH also could be caused by excess bioload
Try better ventilation in the house, if you have a skimmer, if you can hosing the skimmer air from the outside will help.
To see if CO2 is the problem, take a couple of cups of tank water, test PH and use an airstone and aereate it outside for several hours then test PH again, if PH increase then CO2 is the issue and rising alkalinity may only be a short term solution.
To increase alkalinity and increase PH momentarely you can use baked baking soda (Baking turns it into sodium carbonate) dissolved in some RO/DI or distilled water.
A more permanent solution is to replace the normal alkalinity consumption and replace tank evaporation by dripping lime water.
The chemistry calculation can help you determine how much supplement to add to make an adjustment.
http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chem_calc3.html
The main benefit of proper alkalinity level is PH stability.
The most comon cause of low PH is excess dissolved CO2 in the aquarium water. Tightly closed houses can build up CO2 inside which dissolves in the aquarium depleting the PH.
CO2 is also in part a result of respiration of the tank critters and excessive nitrification so low PH also could be caused by excess bioload
Try better ventilation in the house, if you have a skimmer, if you can hosing the skimmer air from the outside will help.
To see if CO2 is the problem, take a couple of cups of tank water, test PH and use an airstone and aereate it outside for several hours then test PH again, if PH increase then CO2 is the issue and rising alkalinity may only be a short term solution.
To increase alkalinity and increase PH momentarely you can use baked baking soda (Baking turns it into sodium carbonate) dissolved in some RO/DI or distilled water.
A more permanent solution is to replace the normal alkalinity consumption and replace tank evaporation by dripping lime water.
The chemistry calculation can help you determine how much supplement to add to make an adjustment.
http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chem_calc3.html
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