Ph 8.6 - How to decrease ph to 8.2?

R

reefgazer

[Guys,

My question is, How can you decrease PH from 8.6 ( too much super buffer added) to the noramal range?

Beside, adding too much buffer and dosing Kalwasser slowly when the light is ON that INCREASE PH. What else can cause PH to INCREASE?

I was told to use Baking soda to increase PH and Washing soda (?) to decrease PH. Has anyone got any experience to share? Also, Pickling lime to replace Kalwasser (dose slowly).

Thanks a million]
 
[Washing soda will increase PH and alk. I think you mix 1 part washing and 6 parts baking soda to DIY superbuffer.

Baking Soda will decrease ph but it will bounce right back, also increases alk. If you "bake" baking soda it will remove the CO2 and it will not lower the PH when added.

Kalk will raise calcium and alk in equal proportions, it will also raise you ph in the short term but again once you stop adding it your ph will decrease over time.

Pure white vinager will decrease PH, as it is an acid. I would use CAUTION when doing this. If you use too much you can crash your tank. I would start with a table spoon per 50 gallons per hour untill you get it where you want it.

IMO I would not add any more buffer or kalk for a few days and your tank will most likely drop into normal range.]
 
[I had a massive PH spike about a year ago and I just did 10-20% water changes every day for a week. I didn't want to start the whole "just throwing stuff in that might help" thing. Anthony at wetwebmedia helped me through that crisis and all worked well.]
 
[I so agree with Misty! The Best Mechanic in the world is 'Mr. Leaveitalone.'
I played the 'balance the pH game' a few months ago. Dang. It gets so that just a few drops of acid or a small quantity of baking soda will swing the pH up or down far more than you would think it would. Not a good game. It becomes the 'Red Queen's Race' - the closer you are the more difficult it becomes to get closer. Not a fun game. Especially when pH is such a moving target!
Misty has valid suggestion - going to do water change anyway so this is just a more thorough one, yes? Or you could just leave it alone and let the ph come on down naturally, as it should if you are running a reef tank...]



Edited By cpalmist on 1086622616
 
[I would not do anything other then wait, 8.6 is not dangerousy high. Test your Alkalinity. My guess is the super buffer you added raised your alkalinity quite a bit.

High alkalinity = 2 things...

1) if you add to much Ca you may get a snowstorm of precipitate

2) with a high Alk it will be VERY hard to drop your pH without crashing it.]
 
[I don't do any water changes in my tank. I just add 2 gallons of RO water everyday. Is that consider a water change?]
 
@tnn1567 wrote:
[I don't do any water changes in my tank. I just add 2 gallons of RO water everyday. Is that consider a water change?] said:
[No. A water change is when you remove 20% of the water and replace it with the same amount of new saltwater. IMO it is vital to the health of your tank but other have success doing none or a yearly (I think that was Marc).]
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[It really amazes me the tanks some people can keep for over a year and in some rare cases 4+ years without doing a water change. I think a lot of that is due to great husbandry, the right equipment, and having a huge volume of water, over 300 gallons.

I guess all you need to do this (all you need lol) is great nutrient export, circulation, and proper addition of major and minor elements back into the tank (If you don't test for it, don't add it IMO). Water changes is still the easiest and best way to deal with it though, they remove unwanted pollution and put back all needed elements.]
 
[I wasn't doing water changes for a long time, but Barry kept giving me a hard time so now I do one in each tank about once a month. 10g per tank, in one evening. :)]
 
[Marc,

Beside water change once a month, how often do you use your B ionic supplement? what else you add into your tank? how often?]
 
[B-Ionic daily, every night late at night.
Phytoplankton every other day.
Feeding every evening, plus whenever the fish look hungry and I'm not busy. (I can see David fainting!)]
 
[I did a 10% to 20% water changes and it killed a fish in my tank. Now, I just add water (it adds all the necessary nutrient back in the tank ) . I figure my protein skimmer will remove unwanted waste.

Having a good cleaning crew will help too, tons of live rock, 5 inch sand bed, a refugium with some green plants, all my fellon hermit sent to refugium for killing my snails, punishment is life in refugium. :cussing:

Marc, is it really necessary to do water changes. I figure at the beginning of a new setup, there will be a need to do a water changes. After everything has been settle, why would u want to do a water change?]
 
[
Marc said:
I'd prefer it if Barry or Brad would answer this, or Anthony or Glenn, or any number of water change lovers. I don't like doing them myself, but it all reality it is the best way to get water parameters in line and remove toxins from the tank.

Without water changes, there would be no way to remove nitrate from the system, other than Macros, DSB, & LR.

Water changes are relatively cheap compared to some products that we dose our tanks with. Many people simply do water change every week, never dosing a single thing and have beautiful reefs.

I've never never never lost a single livestock due to a water change. And I've changed so much water in a system that I almost siphoned out the substrate -- it was that low in the tank. Fish were way down in the crevices looking for a puddle of water while I was adding brand new water. I've only had to do that a few times in almost 7 years, but again nothing died.

ALWAYS match salinity exactly, and temperature should be within 1 degree Fahrenheit. I've heard some try to match pH, but I don't even know how that is done.

It is always recommended to premix saltwater the day before, and aerate it for 24 hours before using it. However, many of the 'experts' I chat with admit that they rarely have the patience for doing that and usually add the water to their tank as soon as it is mixed and matches the display's parms. I tend to let it mix for a few hours myself, but there have been times where I didn't wait 10 minutes.]
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[There are at least 71 necessary trace minerals in saltwater. If you want to try and test and add them routine basis, have at it. Water changes are your friend :) Sometimes my corals don't look very happy, I do a water change and the next day they look better than ever.]
 
@mmiller40 wrote:
[There are at least 71 necessary trace minerals in saltwater. If you want to try and test and add them routine basis said:
[Just wondering here as you mentioned 71 trace minerals be added to you tank when doing a water change.
Can you please tell me why these minerals or trace minerals are needing replaced?
Do they dissolve in the water over time?
Are they evaporated some how?
Something in the tank that uses these trace elements?

It is I can see adding kalk or calcium and a alk buffer (2 parts) and maybe some Magnesium every once in a while as the corals use these up. But for trace elements how do you know what is being used up and what is not?
I know some reefers say water changes are not needed to replace trace elements as they stay in the water. They only change water to remove Nitrates and Phosphates,

Thanks for any reply
Dave]
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