High pH

[mikem.dvm]

Over the past week my pH has started running 8.3-8.55. usually runs 8.19-8.34.
Calibrated probe and double checked with hanna pH so I don't think its a faulty reading.

Everything in the tank seems to be doing well. only change recently is lower temps where I live but house is kept pretty constant.

have 200 volume mixed reef. Dosing BRS soda ash ~80mls/day BRS cal~70mls/ day. Alk is 8.2 and Ca is 482

Run a pax bellum with offset lighting schedule. Turned the pax bellum off for a few days but didn't see a drop in pH.
Skimmer on 24/7 without a scrubber and draws air form my living room.

Not too concerned now but want a plan in case I start to see changes in the tank or if it creeps higher. I read other posts that say high pH is never a problem uness dosing high pH solutions but would soda ash count in this category?

Has anyone dosed CO2 like the fluval kits for planted freshwater tanks?

Would an aerating the sump more help?

 

[Tuan’s Reef]

There's nothing wrong running it that high. I run mine even higher and growth is crazy.

 

[billyocean]

Could be more fresh air inside?

 

[Gatorpa]

Could be more fresh air inside?

That’s my first thought for a pH bump given no other changes.

 

[mikem.dvm]

That’s my first thought for a pH bump given no other changes.

Nothing major or done with any sort of purpose.

 

[Tuan’s Reef]

Kalk, soda ash, Co2 scrubber . Recalibrated PH probe many times so the numbers is accurate. zero issues with insane growth. Its averaging lower now that my house is sealed up for winter ... Its blizzard cold here in North Dakota.

 

[doubleshot00]

That PH is awesome why would you be concerned? Mine goes from 8.1-8.4 on some days. And every once in a while it will hit 8.5. My corals look better when its higher.

 

[ColoredRock]

Not too concerned now but want a plan in case I start to see changes in the tank or if it creeps higher.

Pro active thinking.

 

[Tuan’s Reef]

Pro active thinking.

Translate: if it's not broke fix it until it's broken lol

 

[wtdenk]

I'm experiencing similar situation with the only change being drops in outdoor temp. I assumed there might be less co2 in the air naturally during winter, but Google says it's the opposite, so I remain confused as to why.

 

[ChiCity]

you really don’t need to worry
unless you go over 8.6…

8.1-8.5 is the range with 8.3 being the sweet spot

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

7.6-8.22 max

 

[ColoredRock]

Translate: if it's not broke fix it until it's broken lol

Huh...

Its coming up with a plan if it becomes a problem.. that is what they are asking ...no where did they state that it was to high and wanted to lower it...

...Not too concerned now but want a plan in case I start to see changes in the tank or if it creeps higher

Its a nice "problem" to have...but also forward thinking and not waiting to address if it does become one.

 

[Gtinnel]

If your pH would increase to a level higher than you want (I suspect it won’t be a problem) you can switch from using soda ash to baking soda for your alk supplement. I don’t think you’ll see much of a difference but it should help a little bit. Just make sure to read Randy’s article to figure out how much to dose, I don’t think it’s 1:1.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Over the past week my pH has started running 8.3-8.55. usually runs 8.19-8.34.
Calibrated probe and double checked with hanna pH so I don't think its a faulty reading.

Everything in the tank seems to be doing well. only change recently is lower temps where I live but house is kept pretty constant.

have 200 volume mixed reef. Dosing BRS soda ash ~80mls/day BRS cal~70mls/ day. Alk is 8.2 and Ca is 482

Run a pax bellum with offset lighting schedule. Turned the pax bellum off for a few days but didn't see a drop in pH.
Skimmer on 24/7 without a scrubber and draws air form my living room.

Not too concerned now but want a plan in case I start to see changes in the tank or if it creeps higher. I read other posts that say high pH is never a problem uness dosing high pH solutions but would soda ash count in this category?

Has anyone dosed CO2 like the fluval kits for planted freshwater tanks?

Would an aerating the sump more help?

pH never gets too high in a reef tank without dosing very high pH alk additives. I'm not sure if your values are accurate now or not, but those values are fine. I ran my tank at thse values for many years.

If you want it lower, switching to baking soda will help.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Huh...

Its coming up with a plan if it becomes a problem.. that is what they are asking ...no where did they state that it was to high and wanted to lower it...



Its a nice "problem" to have...but also forward thinking and not waiting to address if it does become one.

It is rare for pH to be too high without excessive dosing of high pH alk additives, But for folks who have high ph concerns, this article details the plan:

pH and the Reef Aquarium - REEFEDITION

by Randy Holmes-Farley For many aquarists, pH is not something that they have much experience with aside from their aquarium. For many, pH is almost a black box measurement: something to be considered, but whose physical meaning makes little sense to them. This article will Read more here...

www.reefedition.com

Solutions to High pH Problems

Some solutions to pH problems are peculiar to a specific cause, such as adding vinegar directly to limewater, or using less limewater than normal. Some general solutions, however, are frequently effective. Water changes are generally not an effective long-term solution to any pH problems. My recommendations on how to deal with high pH problems are detailed below.

Adding a buffer is a very poor way to control high pH. The best option in this regard is to add straight baking soda, but it lowers pH only slightly and provides a large boost to alkalinity. I showed experimentally in a previous article that adding enough baking soda to lower artificial seawater’s pH by 0.04 pH units raises alkalinity by 1.4 dKH (0.5 meq/L).

The most benign way to reduce high pH is to aerate the water more. Whether the aquarium looks well-aerated or not, and regardless of its oxygen level, if its pH is above 8.5 and its alkalinity is below 11 dKH (4 meq/L), then the aquarium is not fully equilibrated with carbon dioxide in the air (if its alkalinity is much higher than 11 dKH, then that may also require correction). Equilibrating carbon dioxide can be much more difficult than equilibrating oxygen. Air contains very little carbon dioxide (about 350 ppm) relative to oxygen (210,000 ppm). Consequently, a lot more air needs to be driven through the water to introduce the same amount of carbon dioxide as oxygen. Perfect aeration will solve nearly any high pH problem, and will rarely cause any problem of its own.

That said, sufficient aeration is not always easily accomplished, and other methods can be useful. These other methods are:

1. Direct addition of carbon dioxide: Bottled soda water (seltzer) can be used to instantly reduce an aquarium’s pH. Be sure to select unflavored soda water, and check its ingredients to be sure it doesn’t contain anything that should be avoided (phosphate, etc.). Many manufacturers list water and carbon dioxide as the only ingredients.
I recommend adding 6 mL of soda water per gallon of tank water to reduce pH by about 0.3 units. Add it to a high flow area away from organisms (such as in a sump). The local pH where it first is added will be very low. Going about this procedure slowly is better than proceeding too fast. If you do not have a sump, add it especially slowly. Some soda water may have more or less carbon dioxide in it than others, and the lower the aquarium’s alkalinity, the more the pH will drop. Also, the higher the pH, the less the pH will drop, because seawater’s buffering capability declines steadily as the pH drops from about 9 to 7.5.

2. Direct addition of vinegar: Commercial distilled white vinegar (typically 5% acetic acid or “5% acidity”) can be used to instantly reduce an aquarium’s pH. Do not use wine vinegars because they may contain undesirable organics in addition to the acetic acid.

I recommend adding 1 mL of distilled white vinegar per gallon of tank water to initially reduce pH by about 0.3 units. Once again, add it to a high flow area away from organisms (such as in a sump). The local pH where it first is added will be very low. Going about this procedure slowly is better than proceeding too fast. If you do not have a sump, add it especially slowly. The lower the aquarium’s alkalinity, the more the pH will drop. Also, the higher the pH, the less the pH will drop, because seawater’s buffering capability declines steadily as the pH drops from about 9 to 7.5. Remember, there may be an additional later drop in pH as the aquarium’s organisms metabolize the vinegar to carbon dioxide.

3. Addition of vinegar via limewater: Commercial distilled white vinegar can be used to reduce a tank’s pH by adding it to limewater that is subsequently added to the aquarium (instead of using limewater alone). Do not use wine vinegars because they may contain undesirable organics in addition to the acetic acid. A reasonable dose to start with is 45 ml of vinegar per gallon of limewater.

 

[GARRIGA]

Wish I had these problems

 

[mikem.dvm]

It is rare for pH to be too high without excessive dosing of high pH alk additives

just for my knowledge would soda ash be considered a high pH additive? its all relative. higher than baking soda but not as high as kalk?

 

[Gtinnel]

higher than baking soda but not as high as kalk?

This is correct. It’s higher but not the highest.

 

[Semisonyx]

Just turn the co2 scrubber off if it gets too high, but I doubt it will. If you wanted to get ridiculously anal about it, you could setup a solenoid to open a bypass line for the co2 scrubber if pH gets above a certain point programmed via apex or whatever controller you use.