Help!! Low PH and KH

[littlehermit0]

This thing drives me crazy, my pH never got higher than 8.0 and is always at 7.7!!, when I open windows it gets to like 7.9, and now I noticed my alk started dropping really fast, 7 DKH?????!!??!? How did it get here? Last time I got 8.5 and trust me it has nothing to do with the CO2 because I aerate the aquarium as much as possible even at night, I don't have baking soda but only chemical soda, that isn't reef safe, so I'll buffer very soon, but what's causing all that?

 

[Spare time]

The alk level is not influenced by carbon dioxide or aeration. pH is impacted by carbon dioxide and can be by aeration. A 1.5kh drop is common in a reef tank if you have coral or coralline algae.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

It is normal to need to dose alk on a reef tank.

How fast do you see it declining and can you post a picture of the tank so we can judge that demand?

 

[littlehermit0]

It is normal to need to dose alk on a reef tank.

How fast do you see it declining and can you post a picture of the tank so we can judge that demand?

I'll use Baking soda

 

[Garf]

Last time I got 8.5

How long ago was that?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

How much alk demand do you think it has?

FWIW, 7 dKH is perfectly fine.

If the real coralline is growing it can be using alk, as will rising nitrate.

If the sand is hardening, then that is from abiotic precipitation, which you'd want to nip in the bud before it gets worse.

 

[Patx]

@littlehermit0 your aptasia could become a bigger problem. ;)

 

[littlehermit0]

@littlehermit0 your aptasia could become a bigger problem. ;)

Not the time for them right now but I try to kill them sometimes

 

[littlehermit0]

How long ago was that?

Maybe 3 days ago or 2