Ph help

[Lainwolf]

I've been researching a solution to this problem and I keep coming up with answers I fully don't understand.

Situation:
My tank has been cycling about one month already and has 1 turbo, 2 nass snails and is completed with hitchhikers from my LR (starfish, two tube worms and micro brittle starfish). The tank has been at 7.7-8.0 pH range and I've been wanting to increase the pH to 8.1. The reason being is that my mexican turbo snail has just died and I'm concerned for the pH balance slowing down my snails.

I have a 55gal tank with 30lbs of crushed coral substrate and 45 lbs of LR

I've been wondering about using "Proper pH 8.2", "Kalkwasser" or even lemonjuice/vinegar to raise the pH. Or maybe I should add more crushed coral to increase the buffering capacity of the water? I'm really confused on how to go about this problem.

The dKH last night was 9

[Jeremy0322]

Alot of people use kalkwasser as their tap off water in the right amounts to keep a constant ph, i dont know what the right amount would be but I know its done alot.

Do you have good gas exchange in the tank. I know poor gas exchange can lead to pH issues via co2 amount in the water. (I think, this is soo not my area of expertise) haha

[Lainwolf]

I have a power head creating top surface water agitation right now, and my return flow is just above the water making some turbulence. Should I add an airstone? I heard those weren't reliable enough/ bad for the tank.

[daddio]

How often are you doing water changes? When your tank is cycling, your water is contaminated with all sorts of dissolved solids as the fauna in your rock are reestablishing a balance. Test the water you are putting in to make sure that the pH is correct beforehand. You should also be shooting for an even higher pH (8.2-8.4), in my opinion. If you are doing water changes now, it doesn't hurt to step up the frequency.

Snails are tough creatures and it may not be the pH that is causing their demise. Once your tank is cycled and you reach a balance, it will be easier to fine tune your pH levels. I add Reef Buffer alternating with Kalkwasser on a slow drip weekly to maintain Calcium/Alkalinity levels and ultimately the pH. If your Alkalinity and Calcium levels are correct, it seems to me that the pH should be spot on at 8.3-8.5.

Also, are you running a skimmer to remove waste?

[Lainwolf]

Can't afford a skimmer right now, I'm a poor college student :'(. I'm aiming to do 20% changes every two weeks and since I can't also afford a RO/DI unit i'm running off tap water with additive Tetra Aquasafe.

A question on that too, how do you raise the pH for water changes?

[cbrownfish]

The first thing to recognize is that you have a very new set up and parameters can swing wildly in a new tank. Dead animals and rotting organics can lower your pH, so pull out anything dead right away. It is more likely that unstable conditions or purchasing a damaged animal caused the death. Chasing a specific pH number is a trap that most fall into early in the hobby. Successful reef tanks have been kept from a pH of 7.7-8.5. Don't be overly concerned about your specific pH level, unless it consistenly stays below 7.8. The key to pH is consistency and stability (minimal swing - daily high/low).

Stay away from pH buffers. They are an assumptive product that simply boosts Alkalinity (dKH) as a method of raising pH. Unless a low dKH/Alk is causing your low pH, then you are wasting your money. When you dose a pH buffer your pH will often fall after a brief increase, as dissolved CO2 levels typically control the pH in our tanks. Our homes have a higher CO2 level than the outside air, so it is very common to have modest pH levels without kalk, a fresh air source or a reverse daylight system. Continued use will spike your Alkalinity and cause other issues because of the big/sudden pH swings (can cause sudden deaths).

If you would like to boost pH a bit in a closed environment like our homes, get fresh air to your system. It can be as simple as opening a window near the tank, using a fan to pull air from a less populated part of your home. You can also generate fresh air by running a long airline from your skimmers air intake to a window when you get one. Be patient and read good articles like this one.......

The “How To” Guide to Reef Aquarium Chemistry for Beginners Part 3: pH by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com