14g nano tank, Ph drop?

[Aeiyr]

So I've got a 14g IM nuvo peninsula. Recently mt cycle completed, and the only thing alive in the tank is the bacteria, and a light start to diatoms so no livestock are in any danger.

But today I placed an order for my first livestock. Two clowns and couple snails to get things started. I did a water change to normalize a small mistake I made in salinity and to flush out nitrates before they get here, did a quick round of of tests today one day after that change (about 50% wc)

And then I noticed it. My Ph dropped pretty hard. Before the change it was sitting pretty well around 8. Tested the water I was going to put in before the WC and that batch of water was a solid 8.2

Now it's between 7.4 and 7.6, somewhere in there. What happened? Is this normal? The only thing I can think of is maybe because we're having a bit of a heatwave this week, I've got my office windows closed and my floor unit AC on so I can work comfortably through the day, and so the water temp doesn't shoot up (nothing in the tank as I said, but It's nice to know I can control the room enough that it won't be a problem when I add them)

Could having the windows closed for a few days or even 24 hours cause such a drop? Can I invest in a small reactor setup to balance it out when it's too hot to have windows open with a fan bringing in outside air?

Sorry for the lengthy post, just very confused and I can't find any solutions that aren't for large scale tanks costing a few hundred bucks in equiptment.

 

[glb]

So I've got a 14g IM nuvo peninsula. Recently mt cycle completed, and the only thing alive in the tank is the bacteria, and a light start to diatoms so no livestock are in any danger.

But today I placed an order for my first livestock. Two clowns and couple snails to get things started. I did a water change to normalize a small mistake I made in salinity and to flush out nitrates before they get here, did a quick round of of tests today one day after that change (about 50% wc)

And then I noticed it. My Ph dropped pretty hard. Before the change it was sitting pretty well around 8. Tested the water I was going to put in before the WC and that batch of water was a solid 8.2

Now it's between 7.4 and 7.6, somewhere in there. What happened? Is this normal? The only thing I can think of is maybe because we're having a bit of a heatwave this week, I've got my office windows closed and my floor unit AC on so I can work comfortably through the day, and so the water temp doesn't shoot up (nothing in the tank as I said, but It's nice to know I can control the room enough that it won't be a problem when I add them)

Could having the windows closed for a few days or even 24 hours cause such a drop? Can I invest in a small reactor setup to balance it out when it's too hot to have windows open with a fan bringing in outside air?

Sorry for the lengthy post, just very confused and I can't find any solutions that aren't for large scale tanks costing a few hundred bucks in equiptment.

Yes, closed windows could definitely cause a drop like that. With fish it’s not a big deal. You could install a CO2 reactor to bring it up. Some people have made one out of a soda bottle that holds the media. It doesn’t have to be expensive at all. OTOH, that pH drop isn’t really that bad. If you have corals at some point, they grow slower at a lower ph. Hope this helps!

 

[gblaszczuk]

I would recommend start dosing kalk in your ATO. I found that it's by far the best way to increase PH (and keep it at a higher range) on a nano tank.

The reason why your PH likely dropped is due to the AC recycling the inside air and no fresh air coming in from the outside. The co2 buildup in your house is being absorbed by the tank and causing the ph to drop. Getting more fresh air in the house will definitely help.

 

[Aeiyr]

I would recommend start dosing kalk in your ATO. I found that it's by far the best way to increase PH (and keep it at a higher range) on a nano tank.

The reason why your PH likely dropped is due to the AC recycling the inside air and no fresh air coming in from the outside. The co2 buildup in your house is being absorbed by the tank and causing the ph to drop. Getting more fresh air in the house will definitely help.

Was hoping to stay away from dosing as I have no experience with it and with such a small volume, I worry I'd screw it up. Is it relatively simple?

 

[gblaszczuk]

Dosing Kalk is dead simple. See the brs website for dosing instructions https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/kalkwasser-calcium-hydroxide-bulk-reef-supply.html.

 

[Aeiyr]

I have looked into a nano sized skimmer and running a BRS universal co2 scrubber can with it. The problem is, the second chamber is largely blocked by the monster clamp on my AI RMS arm holding my lights. Picture included. Ugh..

Do smaller HoB skimmers exist? The chamber is 7.9" deep, 4" long and 2.9" wide.

 

[glb]

Fwiw, your pH drop isn’t that bad. If you’re going to be opening and closing the windows weather permitting, I’d just leave the tank alone. Chasing ph can drive up alk and get things out of balance. Alk and Ca are the two parameters I watch most closely.

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

I would recommend start dosing kalk in your ATO. I found that it's by far the best way to increase PH (and keep it at a higher range) on a nano tank.

The reason why your PH likely dropped is due to the AC recycling the inside air and no fresh air coming in from the outside. The co2 buildup in your house is being absorbed by the tank and causing the ph to drop. Getting more fresh air in the house will definitely help.

Dosing kalk is the last thing he needs to worry about at this stage. There is nothing in his tank to use cal or alk. Heck, chasing PH is probably second to last.


Also, ph swings throughout the day and yes it could stand to be stabilized. Fresh air is the answer. Another reasonable answer would be macro algae. Or maybe even simpler yet, keep an eye on nutrients (nitrate and ammonia) let ph do what it may, for quite a while.

 

[Aeiyr]

Dosing kalk is the last thing he needs to worry about at this stage. There is nothing in his tank to use cal or alk. Heck, chasing PH is probably second to last.


Also, ph swings throughout the day and yes it could stand to be stabilized. Fresh air is the answer. Another reasonable answer would be macro algae. Or maybe even simpler yet, keep an eye on nutrients (nitrate and ammonia) let ph do what it may, for quite a while.

Fwiw, your pH drop isn’t that bad. If you’re going to be opening and closing the windows weather permitting, I’d just leave the tank alone. Chasing ph can drive up alk and get things out of balance. Alk and Ca are the two parameters I watch most closely.

After a lot more reading that's what I've decided, to just let it be. It will be months before I get my first corals, and I'm only doing softies and lps, no sps. And if I can keep corals alive 6 or so months after I get them, I'll get a clam as well.

I've found a solution that will allow me to hang my lights and free up the middle chamber for a skimmer if/when I need it and the oxygenation im sure will help stabilize things a little. I don't think I'll touch dosing with my volume. Honestly it's just more than I wanna chew in my first year or two and with this small volume if I encounter it as a need I'll just dial back on corals/demand.

Thanks for all the feedback, I was just worried I had done something wrong with the drop happening.

 

[glb]

After a lot more reading that's what I've decided, to just let it be. It will be months before I get my first corals, and I'm only doing softies and lps, no sps. And if I can keep corals alive 6 or so months after I get them, I'll get a clam as well.

I've found a solution that will allow me to hang my lights and free up the middle chamber for a skimmer if/when I need it and the oxygenation im sure will help stabilize things a little. I don't think I'll touch dosing with my volume. Honestly it's just more than I wanna chew in my first year or two and with this small volume if I encounter it as a need I'll just dial back on corals/demand.

Thanks for all the feedback, I was just worried I had done something wrong with the drop happening.

Sounds like a good plan!

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

After a lot more reading that's what I've decided, to just let it be. It will be months before I get my first corals, and I'm only doing softies and lps, no sps. And if I can keep corals alive 6 or so months after I get them, I'll get a clam as well.

I've found a solution that will allow me to hang my lights and free up the middle chamber for a skimmer if/when I need it and the oxygenation im sure will help stabilize things a little. I don't think I'll touch dosing with my volume. Honestly it's just more than I wanna chew in my first year or two and with this small volume if I encounter it as a need I'll just dial back on corals/demand.

Thanks for all the feedback, I was just worried I had done something wrong with the drop happening.

Very reasonable.