Raising PH Level

[ped the great]

My PH level is about 7.8 how do i raise the level the tank has been set up for 3 days now. i am just running the eheim filter and a power head for circulation salt level is perfect and ammoni is zero.

 

[wwest]

there are two ways. you can get kh buffer which well raise the ph as well as the kh or you can get ph buffer. if that doesnt work you will have to get a pump and creat bubbles like i had to do. the bubbles work well and are alot cheaper in the long run...

 

[fish_is_my_name]

I use baking soda and add 1 tsp for every 80 gal of water to raise my ph to 8.3. And it's dirt cheap

 

[fishfreak2407]

baking soda, does it raise just the ph or does it help the alkalinity to?

 

[fishfreak2407]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7348162#post7348162 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by wwest
there are two ways. you can get kh buffer which well raise the ph as well as the kh or you can get ph buffer. if that doesnt work you will have to get a pump and creat bubbles like i had to do. the bubbles work well and are alot cheaper in the long run...

are you saying a bubble bar raises and or keeps your ph up?

 

[wwest]

the bubble bar raises the ph. i ran a tank for about 3 weeks and the ph wasnt moving, i tried ph buffer and kh buffer nothing worked. so i interduced the bubbles(which i hate bubble in a tank) and it raised the ph. the ph has been ok since then. the bubbles help release the carbon or something. i am sure if you had enuff bubble and left them going for long enuff it would raise the ph to high but dont quote me.. so far i have only ran the bubble when i need to..

 

[salreus]

This also depends on what kind of tank you are setting up. If a reef tank. You won't have to worry about it. If you use kalk, you will be trying to get your ph lower.

but if your tank is only 3 days old. give it some time and measure again. before you add anything to buffer it.

You said what your PH was but didn't say what your KH was. 7.8 or 8.4 it won't matter much if you dont have a high enough KH level.

 

[wwest]

As far as i know 9 times out of ten if the ph is up the kh is up. I know alot of people that have had tanks for as far back as i can remember and they dont worry about kh. i dont worry it either. i could be wrong thats just my experience.

Also using baking soda is at your own risk IMO. alot of local people here have had bad experiences with B.S.

 

[salreus]

I agree with you but didn't want to make that assumption. However to make a point, my R/O water's PH is 9 and i assure it has no buffering.

below are some good readings if you have the time.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/may2002/chem.htm
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2002/chemistry.htm

 

[wwest]

thanks for the readings salreus

and ped the great i hope we helped ya

 

[bertoni]

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/rhf/index.php

That article discusses low pH problems in detail. We'd need to know the alkalinity level of the tank to help much. The article describes an aeration test which might be interesting, too.

 

[reefnetworth]

if you have enough carbon dioxide in your house to be pulled into the pump, it goes into the tank, raising the Ph. do you keep windows open frequently? or do you keep your house closed most of the time? how well is it insulated? these factors can produce elevated PH. remove the bubbles/pump. and forget the buffer. the recipe for lower Ph is vinegar, one ml per gallon H2o will drop Ph 0.3 units immeadiatly. add very slow in high flow area. allow it to circulate before additional dosage. it will drop more, so test in about an hour. repeat if needed. REEF-ON!!!

 

[bertoni]

CO2 lowers the pH, so high indoor CO2 is often an issue. Vinegar will lower pH temporarily, and bind up alkalinity. Before dosing that, I'd suggest doing the aeration test and double-checking the pH test equipment. Test kits often seem to have problems.