Need help with PH dropping

[tlnlanky]

Hi everyone,

Well, I have a problem going on with my PH level. Tank had been holding a good ph level of 8.4, then last week I broke the electrode on ph meter. I've replaced electrode and recalibrated the meter. My first read with new electrode was PH7.9, temp 77.3F, 1.023sg, 3.2meq/l alk, cal was 500mg/l and magnesium was low at 1160. I added some magnesium to tank and 24 hours later tested again, tank then tested at PH7.9, temp 77.1, 1.023sg, 2.6-2.8 meq/l ALK, CAL at 500mg/l and Mag up to 1200.

Last night I added balanced two part cal/alk supplement hoping to bring my alk and ph up. Tested today and my PH has fallen to 7.6. Temp at 77.1, 1.023sg, 3.0meq/l ALK and CAL 450-500mg/l. Why would PH and CAL fall after addition of 2 part dosing. I should mention that Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates are all at 0ppm and have been for a couple of weeks. I've also been doing 10% wk water changes.

Am going to dose a bit heavier and see what effect it has on CAL and PH.

Any ideas are welcome - need some guidance to get PH back up!

Craig

 

[TylerHaworth]

It's summer and I'd assume you're running a lot of a/c... Try opening some doors/windows to get some good fresh air in... Apparently this is a common issue during the summer... Also make sure your tank is getting enough surface agitation

 

[TylerHaworth]

I say this because co2 levels in the air have a direct effect on water parameters, and higher co2 concentrations are a byproduct of a/c.

 

[reeferman]

i would suggest getting another ph reading from a different probe.maybe lfs could test for you.8.4 down to 7.9 in a week leads me to believe either a false high reading before probe replacement or false reading now.it could happen,but thats a BIG swing in ph.if nothing else has changed except slightly low mag and the new probe,i would suspect bad reading.

 

[tlnlanky]

It's summer and I'd assume you're running a lot of a/c... Try opening some doors/windows to get some good fresh air in... Apparently this is a common issue during the summer... Also make sure your tank is getting enough surface agitation[/QUOTE

Tank is getting very good surface aggitation from powerhead return, protein skimmer is working etc.

This is very true - the house is closed up tight and A/C runs all the time, however, it has been running the full time the tank has been set up. Do Co2levels accumulate from air in room - in otherwords, can they build up in tank beyond whats in room?

Not sure what to do about potential problem - it's hard to open door/window for fresh air when it's 115 outside :evileye:

 

[TylerHaworth]

Co2 will accumulate in your home and tank over time, especially if you've got it blasting while it's 115 out.

 

[TylerHaworth]

And yes, I would also recommend getting another source of testing... If the problems just arose upon the addition of a new probe, that's also a very likely culprit

 

[tlnlanky]

gareefmman - I've thought of that also. I'm going to try to soak new electrode in cleaning solution and re-calibrate again. IF I get same reading then I'll take a sample to LFS for a check.

 

[offshore357]

+1 on the closed up house and A/C thing.

Take a cup of tank water outside and run an airstone for an hour or so and see if the PH goes up. Then u will know for sure.

Can u run the skimmer air lines to pull outside air? If not Kalk would help. the only other thing I could think of is a scrubber.

 

[yvr]

I try to stay away from dkH buffers as most people tend to use it too aggressively and end up making changes in the water chemistry in their tanks too quickly (in my opinion). I generally like to a change in the water chemistry happen very slowly over time. Usually a tank that has a lower dkH than desired took some time to get down there, it usually didn’t happen overnight. Conversely, it’s also not optimum to have it raised to the desired level over night. You can try stronger aeration in the aquarium water to degass excess carbon dioxide. For a permanent fix, I dose my tank with Tropic Marin Bio-Calcium which will very slowly, over time, raise the dkH to the desired level which prevents pH swings in the long term. Using a salt with a naturally higher buffering capacity may also help too.

 

[som3 reef3r]

same thing happened to me in the summer my pH dropped. what worked for me was having a fan blow over the top of the water. even if the powerhead is creating agitation it just moving the water under or on the surface. a fan will help bring in fresh air over your tank and agitate the surface and air above it. water changes helped a bit too

 

[mos90]

same thing happened to me in the summer my pH dropped. what worked for me was having a fan blow over the top of the water. even if the powerhead is creating agitation it just moving the water under or on the surface. a fan will help bring in fresh air over your tank and agitate the surface and air above it. water changes helped a bit too

im having the same problem too. but my magnisium is a bit low at 1150ppm. im slowly bringing it up. 2 different ph meters tested exactly the same at 7.9 during lighting period. 7.7 in the morning. the funny thing is my api saltwater test show a ph of 8.1 in the day and 7.9 in the morning. im sure the ph meter is more accurate.

i opened up a window near the tank to see if that helps too(a/c on all the time). also raised the filter nossles towards the surface to aggitate water a little more.

as long as the ph doesnt drop much lower then 7.7 im not too worried but id like to see it a little higher. the inverts may not like it that low. but they may adjust.

parameters are
ammo-0
nitrite-0
nitrate-0
cal-430
mag-1150
kh-11
phos-0

i might bump the kh up a little.