High pH

[Privateye]

Just to chime in on the temperature thing, colder air is denser, so it would be expected that more gases are present at "low" altitudes in colder temperatures. Colder water can also hold more gases. Aquatic systems tend to run into oxygen issues more at elevated temperatures.

However, if your tank temp has dropped, you could be seeing a reduction in animal metabolism (for ectotherms) which would mean less CO2. This is speculation though - the drop in metabolic processes might be negligible. It sounds like the tank temp stayed stable though.

 

[Gatorpa]

My pH issues are directly related to indoor CO2 levels.
now that i’ve had the windows open the last 5 days here is my chart..
Typically I range 7.9-8.1 with a CO2 scrubber and outside air run through it and dosing kalk at night to help decrease the drop.
Doubt I’ll ever see 8.5 in my current house.

 

[mikem.dvm]

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.

Skimmer on 24/7 without a scrubber

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Just to chime in on the temperature thing, colder air is denser, so it would be expected that more gases are present at "low" altitudes in colder temperatures. Colder water can also hold more gases. Aquatic systems tend to run into oxygen issues more at elevated temperatures.

I don't agree that this is the explanation for a seasonal effect. You'd be claiming that the air pressure is higher in winter than summer, and that is a very small effect. Figure 1 in the article below shows the daily and seasonal variations in air pressure in texas.

The seasonal variation is about from 3020 to 2990, which is about a 1% change in pressure, which would equate to a 0.004 change in pH units for seawater equilibrated with it.

Relation of Atmospheric Pressure Changes and the Occurrences of Acute Myocardial Infarction and Stroke

Previous studies have demonstrated variation in vascular events with respect to season and time of day. Changes in barometric pressure display daily and seasonal variations and could modulate the occurrence of vascular events. The objective of this study was to determine whether a relation...

www.ajconline.org

It is certainly true that O2 is an issue in warmer water (not air above the water), but not detectably for warmer air at the same water temp.

Studies do show that larger temperature differences inside to out drive substantial air flow through typical homes, which bring in more fresh air by convection.

 

[Privateye]

I don't agree that this is the explanation for a seasonal effect. You'd be claiming that the air pressure is higher in winter than summer, and that is a very small effect.

Well, in a way yes I am claiming that. I realize it's minor but I was addressing the statement "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."

I think you're supporting my claim but saying it probably isn't the issue at play, and I agree with that. Warmer temps mean more rising air, which reduces barometric pressure. Now, humidity plays a role too of course, and barometric pressure also varies with weather, but if you assume those variables are constant you would see an increase in air density and barometric pressure at lower temperatures.

 

[TheReefDiary]

i must be lucky. i consistently hold above an 8.2 ph. id say for about 18hrs of the day its between 8.5-8.6 then it goes down at night once the lights are out. it used to stay up when i had an algae reactor running but i got rid of that. will maybe do that again in the future when the tank is more established.

honestly not sure how my ph remains so consistently high. i live in an apartment. only thing i can think of is that 2 of my windows are a bit drafty and allow a lot of oxygen exchange. guess will see as winter approaches and temperatures drop.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Well, in a way yes I am claiming that. I realize it's minor but I was addressing the statement "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."

I think you're supporting my claim but saying it probably isn't the issue at play, and I agree with that. Warmer temps mean more rising air, which reduces barometric pressure. Now, humidity plays a role too of course, and barometric pressure also varies with weather, but if you assume those variables are constant you would see an increase in air density and barometric pressure at lower temperatures.

Yes, I'm saying it is a real effect but of very low magnitude (unless you home is heated to the 800 deg C on that graph lol).

 

[coralbeauties]

I am experiencing high daytime ph. Today it hit 8.69. I use a calcium reactor so I would think it would be on the low side. My system is in my basement and there are only 2 of us in my home. I have replaced and recalibrated the probe. I also have a second system that also runs high in the 8.6 range. I tried the route of running an air stone and it didnt do any good at lowering it. My plan in to add a solenoid and adding in some co2 into my skimmer air intake letting apex to turn on and off the solenoid to try and maintain a lower ph. Any thoughts on this plan? Would the skimmer intake be a good point to add the co2 to the tank?
thanks for any advise
Jeff