pH Question

D

dward0487

I have a 30 gallon AIO tank that has just finished cycling to the point where I feel it is safe to add my first fish (ammonia and nitrite are at 0 ppm and nitrate is within the acceptable range).

My salinity is at 1.026, the temperature stays at a constant 79.5 degrees, and alkalinity is at 9.5 dKH. The only thing that concerns me is that my pH seems to sit at 7.6, regardless of the time of day during which I test it. I'm testing this with a Red Sea test kit, and the reagents seem to be within their expiration date. I recently did a 20% water change, and my new saltwater had a pH reading of around 8.3, but after adding it, the pH of the tank was still down at 7.6... I'd obviously like to have my water between 8.1 and 8.3...

I'm wondering if this could be due to the acidic byproducts of the recent cycle, as well as the fact that I don't have any photosynthetic inhabitants in the tank (the tank is completely empty except for the rock and sand -- no algae or anything). My display tank has an open top, and the return nozzle creates a nice ripple on the surface of the water, so gas exchange should be fine... I'm just not sure what the problem is.

I know that many people run their reefs without the need for any synthetic pH buffering, but maybe that's necessary for me... I just re-routed my skimmer intake outside the sump lid to try to take in some more oxygen, but I'm out of ideas at this point. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
 
You have to get your Cal and Mag in range to raise the pH, but don't chase pH. My tank does fine 7.8-8.2 range. It's always lower regardless of time of day because my wife and I both work from home. And with 2 dogs we expel more c02 which has a tendency to lower pH as well. When we're out of town for a period of time it always goes up to 8.2-8.4, but my parameters stay the same.

I use Red Sea for Cal and Alk and salfriet or ELOS for mag.
 
I performed a small test to confirm some suspicions of mine... I left the windows open overnight. This morning, my pH was up to 8. I guess the CO2 levels in my house are just high. I live in an apartment with my wife and 2 dogs, so that's probably it. I guess I'll leave 2 windows open from now on. I turned my heater down a bit to compensate for the rise in temperature. My tank is currently sitting at just a hair under 80 degrees, which I think is fine.
 
The water heater will also generate C02 if it is not vented properly....also where do you live that you need heat...its 90 degrees out side?
 
Once you start running your lights, that will help too.
 
I'm currently running the lights, because my GFO seems to be preventing any algae growth. My pH was up to 8.1 with the windows still open. I think I'm good now. Thanks guys!
 
rckrzy1, I like the idea, but my tank isn't in a good spot for it.

In other news, I've discovered that my pH stays between 8.1 and 8.3 without the windows open anymore, now that I have more photosynthesis going on in the tank. This is much more practical for me, as keeping the windows open makes it harder to keep a stable temperature, and could cause problems if it were to start raining when I'm not home. I'll probably open up the windows from time to time just to get some fresh oxygen into the apartment, but everything is looking good now!
 
@dward0487 wrote:
They're on the low end said:
You are assuming that the kit and or probe you have is 100% accurate. It's not. Don't over think things. Keeping steady levels is whets important. Maintain Ca and Alk and your ph will be fine. Keeping your window open just for "optimal" conditions is a waste of a/c when it 100 outside.
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