Extremely low pH in new reef tank

Stingray122

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Hi everyone,

I set up a new system after moving, which is a 25-gallon Waterbox peninsula. The system has been cycling for about 2 months. I have two medium-sized clownfish and a royal gramma which were added to the tank after about a week of cycling. The lights have yet to be turned on. I recently purchased a new pH probe as I did not want to reuse a lot of the equipment from my old tank as it was needing to be replaced. I am getting readings of about 7.4 on average, but this morning awoke to find my tank at about 7. I tested the accuracy of the probe last night by following another forum about aerating the water outside for a while and reading the pH value with the probe. That test yielded a pH of about 7.9. I believe I have ample surface agitation as I have two max spec gyres running in the system, the return pump, and a reef glass nano protein skimmer. I think I am facing a CO2 issue in my home, which was built in 2017, and is constantly sealed up due to hot temperatures outside. I am trying to find out a way in which I can draw fresh air from outside, at least into the skimmer, but with the home's layout, it is not going to be easy. Would a CO2 scrubbing using the "beta" method be an option for the reef nano skimmer, or are there any other ways I could decrease my home's CO2 content without raising the energy bill/indoor temperature drastically? Will this extremely low pH be harmful to my cycle and fish in the system? I have attached the graph from my Apex, the large spike on the right from 5 to 8ish was during installation and calibration. The Apex was reading a pH of roughly 5 without a probe installed. Thanks for any input.

apex ph graph.JPG
 
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Stingray122

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Here's some more information. I am using RO/DI water. It is a BRS 150GPD water saver, with one sediment filter, two carbon blocks, BRS cation resin, BRS anion resin, and two BRS mixed resins. Pressure reads about 55 on the unit using a booster pump. I use Fritz RPM Pro salt. Salinity is roughly 1.026 using a hydrometer. Yes I know they are inaccurate, it was all I could find in my new town, currently have a new refractometer being shipped. I do not have reagent available for my hanna alk checker, a calcium test, or magnesium test yet, they are also being shipped.

Nitrate: ~2 (Salifert)
Nitrite: None (Salifert)
Ammonia: None (Salifert)
 

Mark Goode

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Following. While not as low as yours, mine swings wildly between day and night. I've tried telling the wife to stop breathing but she just says something that sounds like 'cough'.
 

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