PH spike after lights go off

[saintperez]

Am I the only one who has this issue? My normal PH during day and while lights are on is 8.23 - 8.35

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

It goes up? How high?

If the pH "spike" is sudden, it is electrical interference from the lights.

This is a common problem.

Try measuring the pH of some tank water in a cup away from the tank, both whent he lights are on,a nd after they go off.

 

[ASAP-Aquarium]

It goes up? How high?

If the pH "spike" is sudden, it is electrical interference from the lights.

This is a common problem.

Try measuring the pH of some tank water in a cup away from the tank, both whent he lights are on,a nd after they go off.

Agreed, but if it's not a sharp spike and it is just rising at night, this is pretty normal. Try installing a refugium to help stabilize pH.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT SELL REFUGIUMS OR REFUGIUM SUBSTRATE. THIS IS MERELY A SUGGESTION BASED ON PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.

 

[Reefing Madness]

PH swings are quite normal when you turn out the lights. Only way to stop it is to run a fuge full of macro algae and plants, running the lights opposite your DT lighting schedule.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Agreed, but if it's not a sharp spike and it is just rising at night, this is pretty normal. Try installing a refugium to help stabilize pH.
.

Assuming he meant down, yes. Normally, I think of spikes as upwards, and that is what I assumed and thought he probably already knew that pH normally drops slowly at night, but perhaps I read too much into it.

 

[saintperez]

Thanks guys. Yes, normal my PH is between 8.2 and 8.35 but at night after lights go up I get alert from seneye that PH past my set threshold of 8.5. I have an air tube going from outside strait to my skimmer. Could that be causing it? Does the atmospheric oxygen change at night? Trying to grow some cheto and dragons breath in the Refugio's now. Sump is 45 gallons on a 180 tank.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

pH wont rise after lights out (barring supplement additions and such), except continuing as it has during lights on for perhaps a few minutes after lights out, due to slow equilibraton of CO2.

A spike exactly when the lights change is electrical interference, and as I mentioned, is common.

Look for a similar spike as they come on, but perhaps in the opposite direction.