My pH

[kappa]

I have a nice pH of 8.5-8.7, any comments?

This isn't a joke, as it has been like this for 2 months. Live stalk seems to be doing okay.

 

Calcium is 400

Nitrate 0

Nitrite 0

 

What other info do you need?

[EtOH_is_good]

alk levels? how's the coralline algae doing? mine also seems to run high. i've reduced the time that the mh is on, to reduce oxygen production which increases pH. btw, stalk should be stock.

[kappa]

Everytime I test the water paremeters for alkalinity, nitrate, nirite, and calcium, everything seems be right. I will be testing the water soon, and post the paremeters. My MH is on 10am-8pm, should I reduce the MH time, and up the actinic time when the MH goes off? I did noticed that my pH started to rise when I upgraded to MH.

[EtOH_is_good]

my 250w mh is now only on for 9 hrs or less. i haven't checked pH for two weeks, so don't know if it is at the right levels. sps corals growth is good, and coralline algae is coming back. the tank is still pretty ugly because when coralline algae faded a lot of the lr started looking gray.

[kappa]

One more thing that may be a factor in high pH. I have a 5.5g fuge that is lit with a 20 watt 50/50 for about 12+1 hrs every night. In the fuge is new Chemipure I bought three days ago, sandwhich bag of cheato, 5lbs live sand, and 5lbs live rocks.

 

What is your lighting schedule etoh?

mine is:

9am-12pm 6pm-9pm 14w 03 actinic

10am-8pm 150w 10k MH

 

My coralline is doing okay. Some of it gets eatting away by that purple sea urchin though. I like the holes the urchin makes in the rock works. More holes for my psudochromis to swim through.

[kappa]

Both tests with salfert test kits

calcium 400

dKH 11.2 Alkalinty 4.00

pH@11:12am 8.5

new light schedule

 

9am-12pm 6pm-10pm actinic 03

11am-8pm

[apophis924]

Kappa If you tank is doing good and your animals are alive and thriving Dont worry about the Ph. There is no ph meter in the ocean. Strive more for stability rather than text book numbers. My ph runs around 8.4 to 8.6 at the peak of my lighting cylcle and until my tank tells me different / or i start having massive precipitation events I let it ride.

[kappa]

Once I read an opinion in which a guy stated that 8.3 is good pH, and 8.5 is dangerous. He did not state anything else though, and ever since I was worried about my high pH. 8.5 is not the peek of my pH, it is 8.7, that is why I am scared.

[apophis924]

the true test is how is your tank doing? Coarls can adapt to a wide range of conditions. Rather than try and change your tanks base line parameters you might want to think about adding animals that naturaly prefer such conditons. example..If your tank temp runs high then stock it with tropical animals that prefer high temps. If you cannot run a skimmer then stock it with filter feeders and animals that thrive in nutirent rich enviroments. Thast the route i went, Easier to change the animal than constantly manipulate my water parameters.

[EtOH_is_good]

finally checked.

mh 11am-8pm

a03 10:30am-9pm

 

although corals can adapt, a little physical stress may inhibit growth, which is generally bad. i say if the problem is correctable over time, may as well make it right.

 

kappa, your numbers don't look off. any idea what your pH is after light out? dosing anything?

[kappa]

I am dosing DT's phytoplankton.

When lgihts are off, pH is 8.5-8.6

Highest recorded pH last week: 8.8

Dosing Salifert Coral Calcium 1-2 drops every 3 days.

 

photo period

10am-12pm 6pm-9pm actinic 03

11am-8pm MH 150w 10k

[EtOH_is_good]

wow, even at night it runs that high. how do you measure pH? test may be bad. or may need recalibration.

[apophis924]

Sounds like your MH lighting might be contributing the problem. When i ran MH my Ph stayed in the high 8's. MH light is so intense that even microscopic algeas photosynthezie at such a high rate that it will contriubte signifcantly to a rise in PH. I finnally got my PH under control when i "upgraded" from 250 MH to 300 VHO lighting.

[kappa]

I will check with a Fastest pH test. The colors are light pink to darker pink, however my test comes out purple. I also test with a Smart pH tester (Milwaukee), and I think I should go buy the 7.0 nutral fluid for recalibration just to be sure.

[kappa]

I forgot to metion fuge light schedule.

 

photo period

10am-12pm 6pm-9pm actinic 03

11am-8pm MH 150w 10k

8pm-11am 20w 50/50 pc (15 hours reverse day light) I have the fuge light pluged into the same timer as the MH, and when the MH is off, the fuge light is on.

[kappa]

Will reducing the MH lighting to 8 hrs help?

[Smokin-Reefer]

Well, I'd assume that since animals are photosynthesizing(sp?) faster with the halide, that reducing the amount the light is on would help.

 

Another riskier thing to do is, if you use a skimmer, run it like 3 or 4 days out of the week, as Nutrients and crap can impeede a high PH.

 

I wish i had your problem though. My ph is 7.8-8.2! Inhabitants seem fine for the most part.

 

I also concur that stability is probably better than a large swing everyday.

[kappa]

I also run Chemipure carbon and a sandwhich bag full of cheato in the fuge. Also in the fuge is about 5lbs of LR & LS. Currently I am not running a skimmer, my UTR skimmer is not working right now.

[Smokin-Reefer]

oh thats right, submerged injector isn't it? Sorry to trainwreck your thread bud. Maybe email Crew@wetwebmedia.com and see what they think. They know alot.

[kappa]

Yeah you are right, flooded injector. I appreciate your help, and thank you for the e-mail address.

 

My new light schedule is now:

11am-1pm 6pm-9pm 14w T5 actinic 03 (4 hours total)

12am-8pm MH 150w 10k (8 hours total)

8pm-11am 20w 50/50 pc (16 hours reverse day light)

[kappa]

Even with the light schedule above, my pH has still remained very high, and is still at 8.8 with lights on. The lowest pH i have seen yet is 8.5.

[kappa]

I recalibrated my Milwaukee pH reader with the 7.01 fluid, and lowered my photo period for 2 weeks, and now the pH has droped. I am glad. I dumped to much coral calcium into the tank (about 7 drops), and now my pH is at 7.8 (lights off) and my calcium is 500. Atleast I know my pH can be lowered.

[kappa]

With lights on pH is 8.0. I added 4ml of Kent marine pH buffer today, and now the pH is 8.1.

[EtOH_is_good]

so what do you think was the main culprit for high pH? lights? pH meter?

[kappa]

I think it was mostly the milwaukee pH reader because it was reading incorrectly, and needed recalibration . I didn't follow the maintenance directions on the box instructing to always keep electrode moist with a few drops of 7.01 fluid, and also I did not immerse the pH reader in the pH 7 buffer solution for 2 hours to activate the electrode before.

 

I like the new light schedule, it saves electricity, and seems to be sufficiant enough.

 

I have a red Linkia starfish which will not tolerate poor water and pH conditions. The Linkia seems to be doing fine, so I am relieved.

 

Thanks for helping me out EtOH!