Effect of open windows on pH

[KillaB]

Hello,
I have a 110 gallons in my basement. And I heard about the effects of opening windows on reducing CO2 and therefor increasing pH.
But after few months of testing, I am very impressed with the results and I wanted to share them with the community.

The first picture below is before opening the basement's window at all.
The second is when I started opening it few hours in the morning. Notice the slow drop in pH around August 18. We went camping that night and no one was home breathing.
The third picture shows the first 3 days where the window was open all day but close at night. The last 4 days the window has been open 24h a day.



I find those results drastic and considering I want to start getting acropora, I really like the consistency of the 8.1 to 8.2 pH.
But I live in Calgary Canada, where the winter will bring a -25C (-13F) temperature and opening my windows will not be an option anymore (even 30 minutes a day).
I tried the bathroom fan in the basement with really insignificant result, and my house has this air exchanger running 24/7. If I stop this air exchange, the pH would drop even further down.
So I am looking for alternative and I am thinking about CO2 scrubber. But I wanted to have the community feedback on what you would suggest.
I use All for Reef in my ATO and it maintain a constant Alkalinity (9) very well, I don't have space for refugium, I don't really want to use Kalkwasser as it is going to plug the ATO pump. and bringing outside air to the Protein skimmer is not really an option (cold winters) and my wife would not enjoy that ugly line going out the window.
So the CO2 scrubber seems to be my only option?

 

[KillaB]

Does anyone else has a tank in the basement and experience low pH as a result?

 

[jamesb07]

Does anyone else has a tank in the basement and experience low pH as a result?

Me here! It never is dangerously low, but I’ll never see 8.2-8.3 no matter what I do

 

[TBSB2019]

I have low ph naturally and run a co2 scrubber recirculated. It helped a bit. 7.8 to 8.2+ and I also dose soda ash to stabilize alk which helps ph also.

 

[Reefer Matt]

Does anyone else has a tank in the basement and experience low pH as a result?

I do this as well. I have two tanks full of sps coral. When I open the window, the ph goes up by about .2. Also the alkalinity consumption goes up, which tells me the coral grow faster with higher ph. When I close the window, the ph drops and alk consumption drops as well.

 

[KillaB]

Me here! It never is dangerously low, but I’ll never see 8.2-8.3 no matter what I do

May I ask you what you tried and what pH you reached as a result?

 

[robottaway]

Bakersfield CA here. Well over 100 degree Fahrenheit last 3 months, just recently being able to open windows overnight. Currently trending 8.15-8.35, few weeks ago was 8-8.2. It certainly does help.

 

[jamesb07]

May I ask you what you tried and what pH you reached as a result?

Tried wavemakers at the top, tried buffers, nothing will maintain it there. Never tried a co2 scrubber tho as it stays at 8.0 stable with some bubblers in the tank. No bubblers? 7.8. (This is for my 75 gal) now that being said, my 20 gallon tank stays at 8.3 and me or anyone else can’t figure out why. It is essentially the same setup, same water source, same salt, etc. I’ve been recommended to try crushed coral as well, but 8.0 is good enough for me.

 

[KillaB]

Bakersfield CA here. Well over 100 degree Fahrenheit last 3 months, just recently being able to open windows overnight. Currently trending 8.15-8.35, few weeks ago was 8-8.2. It certainly does help.

Do you use a CO2 scrubber?

 

[Solo McReefer]

Which alkalinity are you using?

Sodium Carbonate will get you a higher pH than Sodium Bicarbonate

 

[Spare time]

You could also consider an external algae turf scrubber

 

[PharmrJohn]

When I get my tank up and running it'll have a line from the outside so I'm constantly providing fresh air to the skimmer. It makes a pretty big difference.

 

[danlechem]

When I get my tank up and running it'll have a line from the outside so I'm constantly providing fresh air to the skimmer. It makes a pretty big difference.

Don't know how much difference? My tanks in the cellar, ph 7.98. I'm considering running a hose out of the window with my ato lines.

 

[PharmrJohn]

Don't know how much difference? My tanks in the cellar, ph 7.98. I'm considering running a hose out of the window with my ato lines.

May as well. It'll save on a CO2 Scrubber certainly. I had planned on buying one when I grew a brain and realized the tank was gonna be against an outside wall. That saves a few hundred bucks.

 

[KillaB]

Which alkalinity are you using?

Sodium Carbonate will get you a higher pH than Sodium Bicarbonate

I am staying around 9 dkh. and I use All for Reef

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Hello,
I have a 110 gallons in my basement. And I heard about the effects of opening windows on reducing CO2 and therefor increasing pH.
But after few months of testing, I am very impressed with the results and I wanted to share them with the community.

The first picture below is before opening the basement's window at all.
The second is when I started opening it few hours in the morning. Notice the slow drop in pH around August 18. We went camping that night and no one was home breathing.
The third picture shows the first 3 days where the window was open all day but close at night. The last 4 days the window has been open 24h a day.



I find those results drastic and considering I want to start getting acropora, I really like the consistency of the 8.1 to 8.2 pH.
But I live in Calgary Canada, where the winter will bring a -25C (-13F) temperature and opening my windows will not be an option anymore (even 30 minutes a day).
I tried the bathroom fan in the basement with really insignificant result, and my house has this air exchanger running 24/7. If I stop this air exchange, the pH would drop even further down.
So I am looking for alternative and I am thinking about CO2 scrubber. But I wanted to have the community feedback on what you would suggest.
I use All for Reef in my ATO and it maintain a constant Alkalinity (9) very well, I don't have space for refugium, I don't really want to use Kalkwasser as it is going to plug the ATO pump. and bringing outside air to the Protein skimmer is not really an option (cold winters) and my wife would not enjoy that ugly line going out the window.
So the CO2 scrubber seems to be my only option?

Thanks for the info. :)

 

[ShoreReefer]

Having the windows open in my house the last few weeks has definitely shown an increase in PH and all consumption in my tank. I’m thinking of running a CO2 scrubber when closing the windows or throwing kalk into the ATO.

 

[robottaway]

Do you use a CO2 scrubber?

I do not, but it may be worth looking into for next summer.

 

[CHSUB]

pH, imo, is a very important and underrated parameter. I have observed negative effects of low pH. While these are hobby observations, I have no other explanation for negative coral responses to low pH.

 

[PharmrJohn]

pH, imo, is a very important and underrated parameter. I have observed negative effects of low pH. While these are hobby observations, I have no other explanation for negative coral responses to low pH.

I'm pretty sure the mechanism is as follows. Corals utilize carbonate and bicarbonate from the water column. Carbonate they can use directly, but bicarbonate has an extra hydrogen attached. In order to use bicarbonate, it needs to shed a hydrogen ion back into the water column. At lower pH, there are more hydrogen ions surrounding the corals, making it more difficult to shed said ion. At higher pH, the hydrogen ions in solution are less, making it easier to shed hydrogen and thus use the bicarbonate for skeletal structure formation. I'm not sure if this is active transport or passive transport, but if I were to make a bet, it would be passive.