hi i hve this saltwater tank setup for a good 4 months...
nitrate 5ppm
nitrite 0
amonia 0
ph 7.8 to 8.3 varies
14 galon bio cube
13 lbs of lr
10 lbs of ls
small corals (mushroom,bubble,zoos,brain,plate,coco worm)...
2 shrimps,3 small hermits,4 small snails and two blk fal fishes clowns percula ..
i change water twice a week about 1 galon at a time to matain clean envouirement.
i been using dw and hve no algae probelm...
all my live stock is doing geat and growing....
But can never stablize ph..more likely its always at 7.8... i want it ti be at 8.1to 8.4
is there any thing i need to keep in mind besides using the buffer....
Full Version: how to stablize PH>>?
check your alkalinity & calcium and stop using buffer to chase the pH. If your Alk and Calc are in range, then you have an excess of carbon dioxide either in your home or tank if your pH is low.
^^^
7.6 -7.8 is fine for ph. Like you said, all your stuff is 'doing great and growing'.
buffer will just screw up your alk and calc levels and cause your stuff to go south. Balanced alk and calc will lead to stable ph which is the only important part about ph. (.2 to .3 variation for night and day ph is a good spot)
If you absolutely want 8.2 ph. Open all of your windows and you'll get it.
7.6 -7.8 is fine for ph. Like you said, all your stuff is 'doing great and growing'.
buffer will just screw up your alk and calc levels and cause your stuff to go south. Balanced alk and calc will lead to stable ph which is the only important part about ph. (.2 to .3 variation for night and day ph is a good spot)
If you absolutely want 8.2 ph. Open all of your windows and you'll get it.
QUOTE (Gwoardnog @ Nov 19 2009, 11:09 AM) 
^^^
7.6 -7.8 is fine for ph. Like you said, all your stuff is 'doing great and growing'.
buffer will just screw up your alk and calc levels and cause your stuff to go south. Balanced alk and calc will lead to stable ph which is the only important part about ph. (.2 to .3 variation for night and day ph is a good spot)
If you absolutely want 8.2 ph. Open all of your windows and you'll get it.
7.6 -7.8 is fine for ph. Like you said, all your stuff is 'doing great and growing'.
buffer will just screw up your alk and calc levels and cause your stuff to go south. Balanced alk and calc will lead to stable ph which is the only important part about ph. (.2 to .3 variation for night and day ph is a good spot)
If you absolutely want 8.2 ph. Open all of your windows and you'll get it.
I'm having the same problem in a 24G Nano. PH reads 7.8 until I add "A & B" which brings it up to 8.1. Are you saying "A & B" is bad or are you talking about straight buffer solution like I bought for my freshwater tank.
PH in it was going to 7.8 as well, with the buffer it's down to 7.35 and won't seem to go any further toward 7.0
Any ideas?
not a freshwater guy so not sure about that stuff.
PH buffer for saltwater is basically the A part of an a/b system. They both cause a temporary increase in PH, but you'll notice both go back down in a few hours. People get in trouble when they keep dosing the ph buffer causing your alk to get super high, and since it isn't balanced with calc your ph fluctuates very high to very low. As with all saltwater tanks, big things happening fast are very very bad. The large fluctuations coupled with very high alk, and very low calc make things turn south in a hurry.
A+B is fine, but you shouldn't use it as a ph problem solution (both get very high levels, things turn south). It is a calcium alkalinity level maintainer and should be used as such but with proper periodic level testing.
PH buffer for saltwater is basically the A part of an a/b system. They both cause a temporary increase in PH, but you'll notice both go back down in a few hours. People get in trouble when they keep dosing the ph buffer causing your alk to get super high, and since it isn't balanced with calc your ph fluctuates very high to very low. As with all saltwater tanks, big things happening fast are very very bad. The large fluctuations coupled with very high alk, and very low calc make things turn south in a hurry.
A+B is fine, but you shouldn't use it as a ph problem solution (both get very high levels, things turn south). It is a calcium alkalinity level maintainer and should be used as such but with proper periodic level testing.
QUOTE (Gwoardnog @ Nov 19 2009, 01:49 PM)
not a freshwater guy so not sure about that stuff.
PH buffer for saltwater is basically the A part of an a/b system. They both cause a temporary increase in PH, but you'll notice both go back down in a few hours. People get in trouble when they keep dosing the ph buffer causing your alk to get super high, and since it isn't balanced with calc your ph fluctuates very high to very low. As with all saltwater tanks, big things happening fast are very very bad. The large fluctuations coupled with very high alk, and very low calc make things turn south in a hurry.
A+B is fine, but you shouldn't use it as a ph problem solution (both get very high levels, things turn south). It is a calcium alkalinity level maintainer and should be used as such but with proper periodic level testing.
PH buffer for saltwater is basically the A part of an a/b system. They both cause a temporary increase in PH, but you'll notice both go back down in a few hours. People get in trouble when they keep dosing the ph buffer causing your alk to get super high, and since it isn't balanced with calc your ph fluctuates very high to very low. As with all saltwater tanks, big things happening fast are very very bad. The large fluctuations coupled with very high alk, and very low calc make things turn south in a hurry.
A+B is fine, but you shouldn't use it as a ph problem solution (both get very high levels, things turn south). It is a calcium alkalinity level maintainer and should be used as such but with proper periodic level testing.
How do i stabilize the PH to 8.1 + 8.3 then? I'm dosing liquid calcium daily. Tested yesterday 360 ppm should I take it to 400 ppm?
I'm not sure I understand the dif between Alkalinity and PH? Doesn't PH measure Alkalinity?
I don't understand how you can say A + B is fine but I should use it as a ph problem solution? what should I use? Or should I use anything?
Sorry just need a little clarification.
Thanks for the reply and I hope this helps further the discussion.
pH does not measure alkalinity. pH tells you how base or acidic your system is. Low pH means acidic and higher pH means base. Both extremes are bad. The animals we keep like a more base than acidic environment hence the desire to keep it between 8.2 and 8.6.
That said DO NOT CHASE PARAMETERS! Yes I am shouting. You will only get into trouble if you keep dumping stuff in the tank trying to get to that perfect pH range. Take a step back and take a more systemic approach. If you have corals that require calcium and calcium carbonate then you will want to be dosing with Calcium (Part A/2) and Calcium Carbonate (Part A/1).
You want your Ca (calcium) to be between 380 and 420 and your CaCO3 (calcium carbonate) to be between 8 and 10.
If you are seeing large pH swings it could be due to several things including:
Time of day
How long the lights have been on
How much O2 or CO2 is in the water/air around the tank
Temperature
Salinity
Buffering capacity of the water.
Odds are high though that its either the time of day you are testing or your Magnesium (Mg) is low.
If its early in the day, the lights haven't been on long, or there is allot of potential CO2 in the air because the room isn't well ventilated then your pH will be lower than later in the day/lights on longer/more airflow.
If its low Mg then pick up a Salifert Mg test kit (its a PITA but its the easiest of them to use for the cost) and some Mg solution. If your Mg is below 1250 then add Mg until it gets to between 1250 and 1450. You should see your Ca, CaCO3, and pH stabilize because Mg helps to raise the water's ability to buffer (hold on to and keep stable) the various ions you are adding.
That said DO NOT CHASE PARAMETERS! Yes I am shouting. You will only get into trouble if you keep dumping stuff in the tank trying to get to that perfect pH range. Take a step back and take a more systemic approach. If you have corals that require calcium and calcium carbonate then you will want to be dosing with Calcium (Part A/2) and Calcium Carbonate (Part A/1).
You want your Ca (calcium) to be between 380 and 420 and your CaCO3 (calcium carbonate) to be between 8 and 10.
If you are seeing large pH swings it could be due to several things including:
Time of day
How long the lights have been on
How much O2 or CO2 is in the water/air around the tank
Temperature
Salinity
Buffering capacity of the water.
Odds are high though that its either the time of day you are testing or your Magnesium (Mg) is low.
If its early in the day, the lights haven't been on long, or there is allot of potential CO2 in the air because the room isn't well ventilated then your pH will be lower than later in the day/lights on longer/more airflow.
If its low Mg then pick up a Salifert Mg test kit (its a PITA but its the easiest of them to use for the cost) and some Mg solution. If your Mg is below 1250 then add Mg until it gets to between 1250 and 1450. You should see your Ca, CaCO3, and pH stabilize because Mg helps to raise the water's ability to buffer (hold on to and keep stable) the various ions you are adding.
If you read what is being said, your chasing a number for no reason.
Your corals will tell you if something is up. Stop worrying about PH so much. My PH hovers around 7.8-7.9. My corals and fish are more than happy. If your alk and calcium are within good range then your tank is fine.
PH is very overrated. Relax and keep up with your water changes and your tank will be fine. If you obsess over PH you will wind up dosing something you shouldnt have and kick yourself later
damn, Urchinhead beat me to it
Your corals will tell you if something is up. Stop worrying about PH so much. My PH hovers around 7.8-7.9. My corals and fish are more than happy. If your alk and calcium are within good range then your tank is fine.
PH is very overrated. Relax and keep up with your water changes and your tank will be fine. If you obsess over PH you will wind up dosing something you shouldnt have and kick yourself later
damn, Urchinhead beat me to it
What test kit brand(s) are you using?
QUOTE (Urchinhead @ Nov 19 2009, 11:35 AM)
pH does not measure alkalinity. pH tells you how base or acidic your system is. Low pH means acidic and higher pH means base. Both extremes are bad. The animals we keep like a more base than acidic environment hence the desire to keep it between 8.2 and 8.6.
That said DO NOT CHASE PARAMETERS! Yes I am shouting. You will only get into trouble if you keep dumping stuff in the tank trying to get to that perfect pH range.
That said DO NOT CHASE PARAMETERS! Yes I am shouting. You will only get into trouble if you keep dumping stuff in the tank trying to get to that perfect pH range.
^^^ Best advice in here yet.
Let me share some experience... My 30g tank (before I tore it down and moved last year) I was having a very low pH issue. pH was 7.51 by night, and only 7.8 by day... I tested my alk and it was at 4.3 dKH!! Remember, normal is between 9-12 for our tanks (though the ocean is at 7-9, but there's a reason for keeping it higher in a tank). That said, I dosed the alk part of B-Ionic for a couple months, and eventually my pH was at around 7.9 by night and 8.2 by day. My alk also rose considerably of course and all was well.
Come right to right now, I've been worried for my pH peaking at 8.54 by day and down to 8.2 by night. Apparently 8.5-8.6 isn't at all bad for a daytime peak, so I'm good there. I ASSumed that if my pH is high, then my alk should be fine too, right? How WRONG I could be. I tested 2 nights ago and my alk is 5.44 dKH...
Ca is 560 and MG is around 1300. CO2 concentration in my house is VERY low, hence the high pH level. So basically in short, pH will not determine your alk or vice versa. They can just coincidentally reflect eachother at times.My advice is to check your alk ASAP. If it's low (which I'm guessing it probably is) then raise is using alk solution, or better yet use some kalkwasser. Monitor your alk level DAILY once you start dosing alk or kalk as well as your pH level of course. And also check your Mg and Ca levels too regularly as those DO go hand in hand with alk. Good luck!
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