Having problem holding Ph level

rako1

rako1

Premium member
I have a 40g breeder with a 20g sump system has been running 2 months now and my ph keeps dropping below 8.0 down to about 7.7 - 7.8 i buff to bring it back up but it keeps on dropping HK allways seems high around 11 -12
anyone have any ideas. I have fiji and bali rock no lava or sand. All other levels hold great.
 
It's the O2 level in your tank. High CO2, and low O2 will lower pH. This is more common in the winter months when your house is shut up and the heat on. Two things you can do, I use the later with great results of stable pH in the 8.1-8.4 range.
1. Run your airline for your skimmer outside
2. Hook your airline for your skimmer to a CO2 scrubber

I built my CO2 scrubber with a DI canister, tubing, connector parts, and the CO2 absorbent media (enough for 7 refills) all from BRS for about ~$65
 
Do what Eric said. Stop chasing your pH with chemical or you'll crash your tank. Your alk is already a bit high, buffers will only raise it even more. Also, is your calcium/mag levels okay? alk/mag/calc/CO2 all can affect the pH.
 
As you mentioned, you have no sandbed which can lead to pH instability. Couple that with high CO2 in you're home and it's no surprise your low. One thing I'd like to point out is that you don't need to worry about dropping below 8.0. The 7.7 is on the low side and steps should be taken to keep it from going that low. However, tanks can run in the 7.8 to 8.5 range and still be healthy.

This is a good article to read...
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/rhf/index.php
 
Yes, ETR is right. The only reason for pH to be at 8.x is because that is when stony corals can easiestly pull the calcium from the water to build their skeletons. A constant lower pH is result in slow coral growth.
 
Thanks for the info every one as soon as i get my CO2 scrubber up and running I'll let you know how it is going, its nice to be able to get help like this thanks. Also I have taken my readings at different times of the day but mostly at night after the lights have been off because thats when ph is always the lowest
 
Well I have my co2 scrubber up and running and my ph seems to have stabilized but still a little low should i buff or will it come up by it self I water change every 2 weeks about 20% to 25% all othet levels are holding great. any sugestions?
 
it's been running about 10 days and at night it goes down to about 7.9 and during the day up to about 8.05 max. I understand thats not bad but shouldn't it run a little higher around 8.2 for best results
 
Natural seawater ranges from 8.0 - 8.3.
You do not need to worry about chasing your pH for an "optimal" #, it will drive you crazy. As long as you're not dropping below 8.9 at your low point, you'll be okay.

Buffers are not generally a good method as they raise pH little, and result in excessive alkalinity.
 
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