HELP, Can’t maintain Ph over 8.0

[KhahnOkc]

I have a 90g aggressive/LPS tank with a 30g sump. Fuge lighting 16 hr/day, opposite the 12 hour tank lights and their 8hr full lighting period, algae growth is great, nitrate near 0 all the time. Using Kalk with ATK and Apex monitoring. Skimmer is on on a CO2 scrubber 100% of the flow because there are people in the house 24/7.

Ph runs 7.75 to 8.0 daily. Cannot get to maintain above 8.0. If I add anything to increase PH, within 2 days its back to the same.
Alk 9-10, Calcium 380-420, Mag 1300-1340, and all other parameters are great on my testing and ICP. LFS asks why I even have them check the water when I come in, because its always about the same.

How can I get the PH up to 8.0-8.2 daily?

 

[ycnibrc]

Try kalkwasser addition supplement to alk dosing. Kalk has a pH of 12 it will help your low ph problem.

 

[badfinger]

Have you calibrated your probe?

 

[BestMomEver]

Try kalkwasser addition supplement to alk dosing. Kalk has a pH of 12 it will help your low ph problem.

I think kalk is already running.

 

[hatfielj]

Hmm, have you recalibrated your probes?
Also, you shouldn’t maintain zero nutrients. That might actually be stunting growth which could be why your pH is lower than it should be. Try raising the nutrients

 

[Opus]

Am I the only person that hasn't tested PH in many years?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Am I the only person that hasn't tested PH in many years?

Nope.

 

[Tklb]

If you have a well insulated house and/or Gas stove, Water Heater etc. You will have Higher CO2 in your home. A CO2 Scrubber will help to some degree, but the tank water will always try to find balance with the home's ambient air... So High CO2 in the ambient air= Higher CO2 Content in your water, even with a CO2 Scrubber. Shouldn't be a big deal. Don't get caught up chasing a pH number. I have the same scenario. I got a cheap CO2 Monitor, and I run my skimmer intake to the outdoors, but my pH still stay between 7.85 and 8.1. It really doesn't seem to affect anything. It is a bare bottom SPS tank, and I have great color, growth and polyp extension. The only reason I ever even look at my pH is to see if it is way outside of normal range.

 

[Gary Inwood]

My tank stays between 7.8 8.0 ph and can not get it any higher, My windows in my flat are open 24/7 and only two people are in the flat at one time on a normal day.
My reef tank is doing fine and parameters are were they should be.

 

[hatfielj]

Though I agree that you shouldn't just chase numbers, sometimes pH can have negative effects on a tank if it's running too low. Calcification doesn't occur as easily at lower pH values. This is a well known fact and it's the major reason we hear so much about the dangers of ocean acidification these days when discussing climate change. When it comes to our tanks, there are more and more people finding that raising the pH to more natural levels can enhance growth in systems where all other things are equal. It's not a problem for everyone, but for some it can definitely make a difference.

 

[Tklb]

I think the number of people who have noticeably slower growth due to low pH is very small, and almost impossible to quantify. I personally believe a much bigger number of people run into issues because they are chasing numbers. Just my opinion. I think if someone is seeing an issue then it makes sense to do something about it, but chasing a specific pH range because it is well known that low pH can cause slower growth is where people can get into trouble. It can be an unnecessary waste of money, or worse, many people change the chemistry of their tanks, just to get to the "Correct" pH (Adding Kalk, etc). After all, slow growth compared to what? Is the fastest growth truly the best thing for your corals? Is fastest growth the #1 Goal? Again, I feel that if your corals are growing, have good color, and have good polyp extension, and your water parameters are consistent, you are in good shape. Having said that, if your pH never gets above 7.6 or so, I would do something to get it closer to 8 but if your tank is getting up near 8 during the light period, I wouldn't stress that it never hits 8.3.

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

I think the number of people who have noticeably slower growth due to low pH is very small, and almost impossible to quantify. I personally believe a much bigger number of people run into issues because they are chasing numbers. Just my opinion. I think if someone is seeing an issue then it makes sense to do something about it, but chasing a specific pH range because it is well known that low pH can cause slower growth is where people can get into trouble.

In general, controlling a tank's parameters too tightly can be problematic, and the level of problems can vary with how difficult the parameter is to control. I also agree that people make a big deal out of pH being too low.

I don't think, however, it's impossible to quantify if pH is increasing coral calcification. Difficult, yes, but not impossible. I also don't think it's fair to imply that controlling tank parameters is so perilous. Some tanks, such as heavily-stocked SPS tanks, would not be possible if alkalinity wasn't controlled very tightly, often within 0.5 dKh daily. While pH is often not worth chasing, pH can actually drop so low that corals being to dissolve to buffer the water. @KhahnOkc is not in this category, so I probably would recommend that they not control pH. But aside from inhibiting growth, low pH can actually dissolve and kill corals. Plus, there are benefits to maintaining a higher pH. So while it's easy to say not to worry about pH and that low pH is usually not a problem, there are legitimate reasons that one might want to control it and boost it.

I wouldn't recommend against controlling pH simply because it's difficult or because some reefers don't have the patience or resources to do it right. I would mention these things up front, as well as question whether it's actually necessary. I would leave the end decision up to the individual aquarist after giving them the best information available.

 

[Tklb]

In general, controlling a tank's parameters too tightly can be problematic, and the level of problems can vary with how difficult the parameter is to control. I also agree that people make a big deal out of pH being too low.

I don't think, however, it's impossible to quantify if pH is increasing coral calcification. Difficult, yes, but not impossible. I also don't think it's fair to imply that controlling tank parameters is so perilous. Some tanks, such as heavily-stocked SPS tanks, would not be possible if alkalinity wasn't controlled very tightly, often within 0.5 dKh daily. While pH is often not worth chasing, pH can actually drop so low that corals being to dissolve to buffer the water. @KhahnOkc is not in this category, so I probably would recommend that they not control pH. But aside from inhibiting growth, low pH can actually dissolve and kill corals. Plus, there are benefits to maintaining a higher pH. So while it's easy to say not to worry about pH and that low pH is usually not a problem, there are legitimate reasons that one might want to control it and boost it.

I wouldn't recommend against controlling pH simply because it's difficult or because some reefers don't have the patience or resources to do it right. I would mention these things up front, as well as question whether it's actually necessary. I would leave the end decision up to the individual aquarist after giving them the best information available.

I think you miss-understood my post.

 

[KhahnOkc]

Thank you, all.