Vinegar

[Holyreefer]

So im starting to notice my ph is taking crazy swings from like 7.8-8.5
I would like to get it more stable.
Im currently using kalk as ato and i was wondering if i can use a timer to dose pure white distilled vinegar to the tank to lower the ph until it reaches its desired level.

I also understand that vinegar is a source of carbon so...

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Is that swing a day to night swing, or something that happens due to the limewater dosed rapidly?

Do you dose limewater 24/7?

 

[bertoni]

I agree that understanding the pH shift is the first step. If that's a night-to-day swing, it's large, but acceptable, IMO. More aeration might be appropriate, for example, but we need a bit more data to help much.

 

[Holyreefer]

Yes i dose limewater throughout the day with ATO
That swing is from the time i check it in the am to the time i get home after work.
What can i do to keep it dead on 7.8?

 

[bertoni]

Not much, really. Some swing is fairly inevitable in our systems. If you want to consider dosing carbon dioxide with a pH controller, that could keep the pH down, but it seems fairly expensive. You could consider using limewater as autotopoff only at night, which might be more practical, to reduce the night-time low, but, again, it'd take a decent controller.

 

[Holyreefer]

i have a aqua controller. i wanted to setup a single dosing pump to come on when ph reaches higher than my desired level to bring it back down.
Let me ask this...
What are the cons? Should i expect algae bloom?
I also run GFO/Lignite Aquarium Carbon in a GEO reactor time to time whenever i feel like the tank needs a polished look and also whenever Phosphates pop up on my test kits (Salfiert)

 

[TheH]

That is a massive ph swing; are you dosing a limewater slurry?

 

[bertoni]

What do you intend to dose to drop the pH? Vinegar can cause bacterial blooms. I would be cautious about that.

 

[Genetics]

Why do you want to keep your pH at 7.8?

You could reduce the flux by either adding less kalk to your top-off or by neutralizing it with vinegar. Also, you could change when the ATO is on. By running it at night only you could counteract the drop in pH.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I agree, why keep it at pH 7.8? I think that would be worse than what you have now.

 

[Holyreefer]

i thought that a more stable PH would be better for my corals. So a natural PH swing as long as its in acceptable levels is considered to be fine?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Low ph stresses hard corals and makes them grow more slowly. I have not seen similar data for pH variation, but I do not think the variation itself is a concern, while the extremes of the variation are the concern.

 

[Pcrain]

that's a huge swing of ph! maybe consider going to a 2 part for dosing and just top off with ro/di.. I think some people do add vinger to kalk to even out the ph you could do that. are you using an over-sized skimmer?. do you have a fuge running on an opposite lighting schedule?

just close the gap on the ph swing; 7.8 is not a good ph to shoot for.

 

[Holyreefer]

I am currently dosing 2 part and kalk as ato...
I don't have a fuge sump only with no light over it at all.
My skimmer is an octopus extreme 300 so yes i am overskimming