PH Test - I can't determine level

[TheDeltaFlight]

I'm using the Red Sea Pro test kit for PH. The color (to my eye at least) isn't comparable to the color card. 

 

The color in the vial is almost like a grayish-blue. Does this mean my PH is about 8.1, since 8.0 is like a gray and 8.2 is blue/purple?

 

Thanks!

 

 

[HarryPotter]

Don’t worry about it... doesn’t matter. Anything between 7.6 and 8.4 is within the normal range. 

[markalot]

29 minutes ago, TheDeltaFlight said:

I'm using the Red Sea Pro test kit for PH. The color (to my eye at least) isn't comparable to the color card. 

 

The color in the vial is almost like a grayish-blue. Does this mean my PH is about 8.1, since 8.0 is like a gray and 8.2 is blue/purple?

 

Thanks!

 

 

Toss PH kit, be happy.  :)

[seabass]

15 hours ago, TheDeltaFlight said:

The color in the vial is almost like a grayish-blue. Does this mean my PH is about 8.1, since 8.0 is like a gray and 8.2 is blue/purple?

Most likely.

 

Just to elaborate on what the others were saying.  Most of us recommend not using pH buffers.  So we don't bother to test it, unless we are actively doing something that can affect it (like dosing something which can change pH, or using a calcium reactor).

 

Other than that, a pH test can sometimes detect CO2 problems (in the tank, and even in the room with your tank).  So the test isn't completely worthless.  But worrying about pH usually is.

[Clown79]

Don't chase ph. 

 

 

[A Little Blue]

I haven’t test my ph yet. 🤫

[Clown79]

7 hours ago, A Little Blue said:

I haven’t test my ph yet. 🤫

I never test mine

[Han Solo]

On 7/15/2018 at 3:00 AM, seabass said:

Most likely.

 

Just to elaborate on what the others were saying.  Most of us recommend not using pH buffers.  So we don't bother to test it, unless we are actively doing something that can affect it (like dosing something which can change pH, or using a calcium reactor).

 

Other than that, a pH test can sometimes detect CO2 problems (in the tank, and even in the room with your tank).  So the test isn't completely worthless.  But worrying about pH usually is.

I have the same problem the OP is having with his red sea test.

 

I've suspected excess CO2 before, due to a low ph sometimes. Enough to add some house plants in the room. How  do you mean a PH test can detect CO2 problems, seabass? 

[markalot]

PH tests are horribly inaccurate and the results are not that important.  Using a calibrated PH probe is the only reliable way and even then the results are not that important.

 

This is what a CO2 "problem" looks like.  My skimmer is sucking air in from indoors so is sensitive to the indoor CO2 level.  Guess when we went on vacation and when we came back.

 

 

 

In the middle of the summer heat, and in the middle of the winter cold, I tend to have issues I like to correct, but there is no need to do so.  I do not do any testing of my 40 gallon tank and nothing suffers as a result of whatever the PH is in that tank.

 

When did I hook the skimmer intake up to the outside?

 

 

My main corrective action in both tanks is to dose Kalk which raises PH slightly, but you can only do this if KH usage requires it.  For the longest time I manually dosed my 40 gallon and ran a chronically low KH and I assume PH as well, though I do not test for PH.   Your only choice to fix PH is to pull air in from outside via the skimmer or pull air through a CO2 absorbing media and pay monthly for that expense.  Any other option will alter KH, usually dramatically, and end up killing most corals.

 

Neither of my tanks have ever shown a PH related issue. So toss the kit, be happy.  :) 

 

 

 

[seabass]

16 minutes ago, Han Solo said:

How  do you mean a PH test can detect CO2 problems, seabass?

CO2 will lower pH.  So if alkalinity is stable and is in an acceptable range, but pH is still chronically low, you might have a CO2 problem.  This might be due to overcrowding, poor gas exchange, or even high CO2 levels in your house.  Once you determine the source, you can better decide whether or not to correct the issue.  Alkalinity stability is typically considered more important.

 

When testing, you should test at the same time each day, as pH tends to be the highest towards the end of a light cycle, and the lowest just before the lights come on (as markalot demonstrated).

[Han Solo]

My alkalinity has been very low and is why I'm concerned in the first place. It was like 4-5 dkh and I am now dosing 25ml/day of two little fishes 2-part on my 40b+20g sump. I'm now at like 6.5. Corals have never done great in my tank. Probably my cheap light too.

 

I think my pH is OK, but it was pretty much the same color as what OP is describing. 

[Clown79]

50 minutes ago, Han Solo said:

My alkalinity has been very low and is why I'm concerned in the first place. It was like 4-5 dkh and I am now dosing 25ml/day of two little fishes 2-part on my 40b+20g sump. I'm now at like 6.5. Corals have never done great in my tank. Probably my cheap light too.

 

I think my pH is OK, but it was pretty much the same color as what OP is describing. 

Have you tested your salt to see what its mixing at? Because if its mixing low, every water change you do will lower the levels of your tank, effectively being counter productive to your dosing.

 

I played that game with low mag while using RC. After dosing mag all week and getting it up, after doing a waterchange, it would drop.

 

It was my salt. Always mixed low mag so I had two options- start dosing the waterchange water or switch salts...I chose to switch salts.

Cost less, less testing, less work.

 

What salt are you using and do you stir the salt in the bucket(or roll the bucket) to evenly disperse the salt?

Have you tested magnesium because if its low, it can cause issues with alk and ca. 

 

If ph is low, try opening a window or opening the lid to the tank if it's not open top.

[A Little Blue]

You can use salt with elevated DKH/Ca& Mg such as Red Sea Pro (black bucket) to compensate for low Alk/Ca levels. 

I wouldn’t worry about ph as long as your Alk/Ca/Mg is in order. I like to keep my basic levels at 8.5-9.5DKH, 420-450 Ca and Mg at 1380-1420ish. 

No idea where my Nitrates, Phosphates and Ph parameters are. 🤗

[Han Solo]

Thanks for the replies... sorry to hijack the thread.

 

I am actually using Red Sea Coral Pro salt. I mix it well.

 

My protein skimmer air line also runs out the window and my tank is rimless.

 

I haven't tested magnesium in a little bit, I'll do that tonight and see what it is. 

[Clown79]

5 minutes ago, Han Solo said:

Thanks for the replies... sorry to hijack the thread.

 

I am actually using Red Sea Coral Pro salt. I mix it well.

 

My protein skimmer air line also runs out the window and my tank is rimless.

 

I haven't tested magnesium in a little bit, I'll do that tonight and see what it is. 

Your alk and ca is low with coral pro?

 

How do you mix it and how long do you store mixed sw? Coral pro has specific mixing instructions and storage allowance or it precipitates.

[A Little Blue]

12 minutes ago, Han Solo said:

Thanks for the replies... sorry to hijack the thread.

 

I am actually using Red Sea Coral Pro salt. I mix it well.

 

My protein skimmer air line also runs out the window and my tank is rimless.

 

I haven't tested magnesium in a little bit, I'll do that tonight and see what it is. 

DKH of RS Pro salt is very high so, I am really baffled with your low levels across the board. Something is wrong with your salt, refractometer, test kit or

all of the above. 

[Han Solo]

I mix it until there is absolutely no undissolved particles and it never sits for more than 6 hours or so. If I am mixing water it is to do a water change that day. 

 

I have been baffled for a long time. All my fish, mostly seahorses, have always been healthy.... but my coral has never worked well. I have a $120 marine orbit light, so nothing great, but I rarely see any growth. Only my bigger soft corals seem to grow... slowly. And maybe some of my gorgonians. But if I get zoas or mushrooms they never do very well, and are more likely to die off than multiply. 

 

I really can't pinpoint any other problem than low alkalinity. Calcium and magnesium have always been in relatively normal shape. (but I'll try testing mag again today, but I doubt that's going to give me any more clues) I also use the same Red Sea test brand for AK. Nitrates stay under 10ppm. Lots of macroalgae too. 

 

The link in my signature is the tank, but it's a while ago, and I'm going to update it soon. Cause there a lot of new stuff going on! 

 

 

[A Little Blue]

Light can be a big factor in growth of stony corals. If you keep your Alk at around 8, Ca at around 400 and Mg above 1300, you shouldn’t have any issues. My guess is that Mg isn’t an issue. 

What do you use to check your salinity? 

And test your salt batch after mixing (Salinity Ca and Alk). 

[seabass]

4 hours ago, Han Solo said:

It was like 4-5 dkh and I am now dosing 25ml/day of two little fishes 2-part on my 40b+20g sump. I'm now at like 6.5.

Not too much of a mystery why you are having problems.  However, it won't hurt to test magnesium (especially since you are dosing).  It might help explain the alkalinity crash.

 

Alkalinity of RSCP is around 12 dKH, so your alkalinity is still way low as a comparison.  However, personally, I like using a mix with a little lower alkalinity level.  Maybe something like the Red Sea (blue bucket) would be a good change.  Then I'd increase the volume and frequency of water changes to help balance your tank's water chemistry.

[Han Solo]

No stony corals in my tank (at least not the traditional SPS). My biggest issue seems to be with zoas and similar.

 

I use a normal refractometer and even have calibration fluid. I haven't tested it in a while though.. but my lack of growth and dying corals it couldn't just be that my salinity is off a few points ? I shoot for 1.024. 

 

I need to see if my 2-part will get my alk around to 8 like you said, and see if that makes a difference. 

 

 

[seabass]

With no stony corals, you shouldn't need to dose anything.  Water changes alone should be sufficient.  However, I believe that even soft corals can suffer from low/inconsistent alk levels.

 

I'd test a batch of your salt mix to see what it's mixing to (maybe you got a bad batch or it settled in shipping).  Again, without stony corals, there is no need for a mix that's 12 dKH.

[Clown79]

1 hour ago, Han Solo said:

I mix it until there is absolutely no undissolved particles and it never sits for more than 6 hours or so. If I am mixing water it is to do a water change that day. 

 

I have been baffled for a long time. All my fish, mostly seahorses, have always been healthy.... but my coral has never worked well. I have a $120 marine orbit light, so nothing great, but I rarely see any growth. Only my bigger soft corals seem to grow... slowly. And maybe some of my gorgonians. But if I get zoas or mushrooms they never do very well, and are more likely to die off than multiply. 

 

I really can't pinpoint any other problem than low alkalinity. Calcium and magnesium have always been in relatively normal shape. (but I'll try testing mag again today, but I doubt that's going to give me any more clues) I also use the same Red Sea test brand for AK. Nitrates stay under 10ppm. Lots of macroalgae too. 

 

The link in my signature is the tank, but it's a while ago, and I'm going to update it soon. Cause there a lot of new stuff going on! 

 

 

Coral pro per red sea mixing instructions.

 

Add salt slowly to water and stir well.

 

After 2 hrs a heater and powerhead can be added. They are not to be added before 2 hrs.

 

The salt is not to be mixed for more than 4hrs and can only be stored for a week.

 

If you are mixing the water with heater and powerhead right away, it can cause precipitation.

 

 

Coral pro often has alk of 11 -12.5.

 

Like we all suggest.

 

When there is issues with parameters, test a newly mixed batch of sw for alk, ca, and mag.

 

Red sea has batch numbers that you can look up to find out what the parameters should be vs what yours is mixing at.

 

 

 

[Han Solo]

I have a mix coming today in the mail actually. So that will be perfect to test for the next water changes. Unfortunately I can't test the old batch since I'm out. 

 

The only part I don't follow is adding a powerhead. I usually just let the bucket sit with the top off for a few hours after all the salts are dissolved. Sometimes less than 30 minutes though. My tank is ~74 F so no heating beforehand. RO/DI water is already within 1 degree. Hmm... hopefully it was a bad batch of salt, because it is particularly low in the recent past.

 

This is the first I've ever dosed on my tank, and I'm trying to use them specifically to deal with Alk and pH. 

[seabass]

 

[A Little Blue]

(Red Sea Blue Bucket) 

RO water with running pump, no heater> add enough salt to get salinity of 1.026> turn off circulation pump after an hour> add to tank after 3-4hrs. Never had any problems while doing exactly that.