Can't keep my pH up! *Please Help*

[Mageau11]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the saltwater hobby and I'm looking for some different perspectives as to why my pH levels won't stay up.

Background on my tank:

*my tank turned 1 year old on 5/5/17*

•54 gallons Aqueon Corner Bowfront (no drilled for sump)
•Fluval 406 Canister Filter
•Aquamaxx HOB-1 Skimmer
•CPR Aquafuge2 HOB Refugium
•Radion G4 XR30 Pro LEDs
•Apex Controller (2016 model)
•Tunze Osmolator 3155 ATO with 5 gallon Trigger Systems Reservoir.
•EcoTech MP10
•Maxspect Gyre 230

Parameters upon last testing:

Salinity - 1.026
Temp - 78-79
pH - 7.79-7.91
Alk - 1,600+
Mag - 1,425
Cal - 465
Phosphates - 0.5
Nitrates - 50

I was using Kent Superbuffer dkH for about a month to bring my pH up to above 8.00 (I was trying for 8.10) but my Alk is unmeasurable with my Salifert kit as it's reading over 1,600.

I switched to BALANCE by Aquavitro (Seachem) and it will bring my pH up 0.10-0.20, but the next day it'll drop back down to below 7.80 setting my Apex alarms off.

I do weekly water changes (15 gallons), and I clean my canister weekly if not every other week (I haven't seen a huge difference in phosphates and nitrates if I only clean the canister every 2 weeks.

I've been dosing 6ml of NOPOX daily since my phosphates and nitrates are up.

I'm at a loss of what I need to do to get my pH levels up and to stay up without having to dose my tank daily.

My understanding is that pH levels will rise and fall throughout the day based on photosynthesis. I run my Radion from 12pm to 8pm ramping up from 0% intensity to 35% intensity and back down.

Any and all feedback and best practices would be much appreciated.

Thank you advance!

 

[brandon429]

ph is perfect and I recommend doing nothing to it at any time based on your age of tank, pics, and the numbers being just fine for home reef tanks. we have some 7.6 and 7.7'ers doing just fine too, they'd love your numbers. though I don't test for it ever, I suspect your ph beats mine since you are doing specific things to keep it elevated. given no CO2 issues verified in the home (outside bubble testing) id do nothing to ph even if I owned a larger aquarium. co2 and alk and ca would be my go to measures.