mag0070 Posted January 25, 2004 Share Posted January 25, 2004 zzz Ok my nano has been up and runnin for count em 3 days and I decided to do the water parameter tests, here is how they turned out: ammonia: 1.0 ppm nitrite: 0 nitrate: 0 SG: 1.026 ph: 7.6 temp: 80F Why is the ph so low? The salt mix I used, instant ocean, said that it would maintain the ph at optimal levels. Is there anything that would cause my ph to be so low that I should know about? Oh, by the way here is the specs on my set up: 10g AGA 110w JEBO: 55w 10000k 55w actinic blue 5 Moonlights (just rigged these up yesterday) PH Powersweep 214 (145gph max, I think) HOB NoName at about 100gph 25lbs of LR 20lbs of LS So far I'm running the lights at 13hrs on 11hrs off what could be causing my ph problems, maybe its my ph meter? Link to comment
Reefer_Buddha Posted January 25, 2004 Share Posted January 25, 2004 sir fiss aggg jih tay shun?? Do you have that? Here's a quick test to see if your tank is holding in too much C02. Take out your water, let it sit for an hour or 2 then test it. If there's a major difference in the reading then your tank need more surface agitation. Also remember to test before and after your lighting cycle. Link to comment
onthefly Posted January 25, 2004 Share Posted January 25, 2004 Your tank is cycling!!! NH3/NH4+ is slightly acidic......patience grasshopper! Link to comment
faust9 Posted January 25, 2004 Share Posted January 25, 2004 Originally posted by onthefly Your tank is cycling!!! NH3/NH4+ is slightly acidic......patience grasshopper! I don't know. I disagree with this statement: the balance for ammonia/ammonium in water is as follows: NH3(g) + H2O(l) <=> NH4+(aq) + OH-(aq) OH(-) is known as a hydroxide ion and is what loosely defines a substance as a base. If the chemical in question produced H3O (also notated as H+) then the substance would be an acid. In this case, ammonia doesn't produce the H+. Scroll all the way down for a slightly more indepth explanation. http://library.thinkquest.org/3659/acidbas...oxidebases.html If your using a pH meter, how often do you standardize it, and what procedure are you using? The only true way to set the cal on a pH meter is by doing a two point cal (pH 4, and 10) using the appropriate standardization kit (usually two bottles of buffer: one acid, and one base). Link to comment
onthefly Posted January 25, 2004 Share Posted January 25, 2004 Ah....don't mess with a biochemist! First off faust...you equilibrium equation is DEAD ON! But is that what is really happening in life? Do higher organism #### out highly toxic ammonia?.....the answer is NO! I over simplified the explaination because we are in the beginners forum. Organisms secrete excess nitrogen in complex molecules, with Urea and Uric acid being the most prevalent. After several round of degradation, those metabolites will end up as ammonia/ammonium, but usually the inital effluent is acidic. Low pH is a common problem for many during cycling.....that woudn't be caused by excess hydroxide ions would it? Also, I failed to notice that mag was using a pH meter. You are very correct in questioning the calibration of the meter, however, given that the read "zone" that we are looking for is >7 and <10.....I wouldn't calibrate using the pH 4 buffer and pH 10 buffer....the spread is too big and you run the risk of getting out of the linear scale and encountering a larger percent error. Most pH meters come with 3 standards (4, 7, and 10)...use the 7 and 10 for a more accurate reading. Good to know I'm not the only science geek around! So Mag, your tank is cycling......the excess nitrogenous compunds are acidifying your water slightly.....don't worry, don't dose...it will pass. Link to comment
faust9 Posted January 25, 2004 Share Posted January 25, 2004 I'll agree with your second post in that you described the process of excretion using the example of uric acid. But, I still stand by my disagreement of your original post which stated ammonia/ammonium is acidic. Link to comment
Pigup Posted January 26, 2004 Share Posted January 26, 2004 whew...i see we all remeber our chemistry, that's nice. Link to comment
mag0070 Posted January 26, 2004 Author Share Posted January 26, 2004 My ph is slowly rising it's at 7.8 now, oh, and I did use a ph meter, it came with 3 buffer solutions for calibrations. I used the 7 and the 10 buffers to calibrate it, that being said it sounds logical that the ammonia is offsetting the reading since it is acidic. thanx for all the info guys I really appreciate it. Link to comment
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