Zenia going down hill

[Kingpin]

my zenia use to be rocking, pumping so crazy.

 

now it is not pumping and is not healthing looking what could

be the problem?

some people say PH effects zenia this true?

 

tank specs are

 

72watt PC

PH-7.4

 

mushrooms

rics

leather

marco kelp

2 clowns

2 shrimps

[Puffy]

r u dosing anything?

[Kingpin]

no dosing. should i start? and with what?

[tinyreef]

some pH buffer would be good right now because your pH should read around 8.2~8.4 rather than 7.4!

 

quite frankly i'm surprised that everything isn't keeling over dead at that pH. (kidding, only a little tho)

 

AP's Proper pH 8.2 is very good. and a water change maybe. hth

[Kingpin]

ok i though ph was low but every other coral is full and health so i didnt wnt to mess thinks up.

 

getting Ph up tomrow

[tinyreef]

but every other coral is full and health so i didnt wnt to mess thinks up.

and you're thinking was right on! sometimes more thought and less action is what is needed (not just in reefing).

 

hmm, before you go and dose some buffers i'd double check that pH reading with another test kit. you don't want to fix something that ain't broke, other than a broken/defective/expired pH kit.

 

it could be that the xenia is irritated by a tankmate, wrong flow, too much of something in the water (e.g. coral slime, fish poo, etc.), or you may just 'need' some iodine like lugol's iodine. (see thread in Advanced forum)

[zzpw3x]

I have read in sevral places that peopl have noted that when the pH drops below 8.2, pulsing stops - and wil start up as the pH is increased to 8.3.

 

Also, I would not use pH up to increase it. Use a good buffer. pH up will only be a short term fix.

 

I think there is a article on xenia right now @ reefcentral.com.

[Kingpin]

im a good thinker!

 

so buffer, im guessing im going to need a doser not just pour it in rite?

 

i dont like the idea of dosing so i would want some that will fix prob for a long term, CC?

[Puffy]

yea CC or dead coral, get some CC though i would

[tinyreef]

go for aragonite sand. kramer had a very good post/explanation on the Gen Forum recently about calcite vs. aragonite. cc will likely form a calcite skin 'easier' than sand. sand may therefore make it to dissolution more easily and aid in your buffering.

 

it's true that Proper pH isn't a perfect solution long-term but imo it can more than adequately serve your purposes in an emergency. sand or cc or such won't give you as an immediate aid as a simple buffer.

 

kent's buffers are good but the simplicity of bicarb allows an almost dummy-proof method. the more 'advanced' buffers limit you on dosing as they can run up your entire alk (general hardness) very quickly and still not stabilize your pH. check your test kit and your water source for longer-term investigation. hth

[Kingpin]

today i bought some Kent superbuffer-dkh. says it raises ph alkinity or carbonate. i added 1/2 dose for a 20 to my 10. anyone use this stuff?

 

when can i expect my ph to change to 8.3 if its at 7.4 now?(too low hun?) the other stuff is just a plus im not going to measure for that.

 

if says after ph is reach, once a month dose. that sounds better than auto dosers/dripper to me.

 

BTW also dosed 20 gal just for jee pees. and moved mushroom corals from 10 to 20 and bought some silver tipped zenia for 10.

 

I dont care if you care but im turning my 20long into a seahorse tank with a breeding pair of banggi cardnials. so wish me luck.

[Tempest]

It could take awhile for the pH to rise to 8.2 Check the tank daily. You do NOT want a huge jump in pH all at once. The shock will hurt/kill just about everything in the tank.