Chasing Ph, the unicorn at the end of the rainbow.

[Scorpius]

Okay, I don't have a co2 meter but I do have a co2 problem. Open the house up ph above 8.1

If I run inside air to my skimmer I get low ph
If I run my skimmer with an airline that's ran outside I get slightly higher ph with the house shut up
If I run my skimmer with a co2 scrubber recirculating air through the skimmer cup I get the same ph as using fresh air from outside.
If I run my skimmer with a co2 scrubber WITH an airline ran outdoors. Fresh air> co2 scrubber>skimmer I get the same result as just using either JUST fresh air from outside OR using a co2 scrubber recirculating from the skimmer cup.

Moral of the story is that if you want higher ph open the house up. Guess what? Summer and winter in Indiana is brutal. Guess what? I'm back to square one of running my skimmer with a fresh air line ran outside and not worrying anymore.

Bye bye unicorn. I'm done with ya.

 

[ahiggins]

I’ve never seen the appeal of chasing ph. Granted I don’t run high end sps but still...it fluctuates by the light schedule anyway.

 

[Scorpius]

I’ve never seen the appeal of chasing ph. Granted I don’t run high end sps but still...it fluctuates by the light schedule anyway.

My ph runs around 7.6-7.9 with the house closed up and I thought I could get it higher. I was wrong. Stability is preferable to inconsistency due to depleted co2 media

 

[ahiggins]

Totally agree lol I’ve seen a lot of people go batsh*t trying to find that perfect number. If nothing else, it was a great learning experience

 

[Billdogg]

What is this pH to which you refer????

Haven't checked mine in 25 or more years. Chased it the first couple years and ended up with the important parameters so out of whack it took me months to recover.

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

Moral of the story is that if you want higher ph open the house up.

I don't think this would be my takeaway from your experience. The "moral of the story" with pH in seawater is that its relationship with CO2 is inverted: low CO2 = high pH, high CO2 = low pH. Opening the windows is far from the only way to control CO2 levels in your home.

HVAC accessories like HRVs or ERVs will pull in fresh air from outside to keep CO2 levels down. They'll also exchange most of the heat in the process to keep heating/cooling costs down. Running an airline from the outdoors to your skimmer will can also help to reduce CO2, which can elevate pH. Hydroxide-based additives like limewater or sodium hydroxide will also reduce the CO2 in your tank.

Perhaps a better "moral of the story" is that controlling CO2 to elevate pH is nontrivial; though there are definite benefits, one should consider carefully whether it is worth the time and effort before endeavoring to do so.

 

[Scorpius]

I don't think this would be my takeaway from your experience. The "moral of the story" with pH in seawater is that its relationship with CO2 is inverted: low CO2 = high pH, high CO2 = low pH. Opening the windows is far from the only way to control CO2 levels in your home.

HVAC accessories like HRVs or ERVs will pull in fresh air from outside to keep CO2 levels down. They'll also exchange most of the heat in the process to keep heating/cooling costs down. Running an airline from the outdoors to your skimmer will can also help to reduce CO2, which can elevate pH. Hydroxide-based additives like limewater or sodium hydroxide will also reduce the CO2 in your tank.

Perhaps a better "moral of the story" is that controlling CO2 to elevate pH is nontrivial; though there are definite benefits, one should consider carefully whether it is worth the time and effort before endeavoring to do so.

From the little research I've done HRV/ERV's don't do that well in my climate and cost a fortune.

 

[UCF Alum]

Just run your skimmer intake from outside 24/7/365.
I do and get better growth from my acros. I still never hit 8.3 since my house is like a vacuumed sealed steak since it’s only a few years old.
I just tell the kids and wife to quit breathing a few times per day.

 

[Scorpius]

Just run your skimmer intake from outside 24/7/365.
I do and get better growth from my acros. I still never hit 8.3 since my house is like a vacuumed sealed steak since it’s only a few years old.
I just tell the kids and wife to quit breathing a few times per day.

I'm back to doing this. Then there is the age old question as to how accurate my Milwaukee ph meter. Here is the one I use.https://milwaukeeinstruments.com/milwaukee-MW102-pro-ph-meter-with-temperature-probe/

I routinely check for calibration.

 

[UCF Alum]

Don’t chase pH.
Chase alkalinity if you have stony corals.

 

[X-37B]

Don’t chase pH.
Chase alkalinity if you have stony corals.

Dont chase anything.
Just keep it all stable and within your established range and your golden imo.

 

[eag]

I raised this question in the chemistry forum a little while ago, and the conclusion was that you really don't want to be below 7.7 for extended periods of time. I definitely saw happier corals at higher pH.

Why is my pH chronically low, and what (if anything) should I do about it?

My pH has been low for a very long time - hovering around 7.7. I've read that 7.8 is the lower bound of "fine" so I've been wanting to raise it for some time. I've also had low alk for a long time... In the range of 5.7-6.5 or so. I read Randy's article on low pH which named low alk as a...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Scorpius]

Don’t chase pH.
Chase alkalinity if you have stony corals.

Agreed. With my current system I've had really good success with keeping my alkalinty between 7 6-8.0 dkh.

 

[eag]

I definitely saw happier corals at higher pH.

I should clarify - at pH levels higher than ~7.8.