Introduction, My Setup, and pH/dKH Question

dangles

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Hey all...

New to the reefing world. I wanted to post a brief intro, some photos of my setup, along with a question...

I started my build in October and took it pretty slowly this has allowed me to tweak things and get them (mostly) just how I want them before adding livestock. I decided on an IM Nuvo Pro AIO 50g for space reasons. I built a quarantine tank and water mixing station in the basement directly below the main tank, and drilled a hole in the floor for tubing/wires/etc. I have a 1" inside diameter tube running from the cabinet below the tank, through that hole, across the ceiling of my basement and to my basement slop sink. That way when I do large water changes or clean the sand bed, I can plug the syphon into that tube and send dirty water directly to the slop sink without having to haul buckets!

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(I'm still working on a better solution for a controller board to clean up the mess under the tank)

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I also installed an APEX Jr with the ATK, and a DOS for auto water changes (I'm RAPIDLY becoming an APEX Fanboi!).

Because of my work schedule my tank sat uncycled for more than a month. During that time my pH and dKH have trended down, I assume because of CO2 in the house. I'm using Tropic Marin Pro Reef salt, which should have a pH of around 8.0-8.4 and a dKH of 7. However after almost 2 months of sitting without livestock I'm down to a pH of between 7.7-7.8, and a dKH of 5.1! My calcium and mag are within expected limits for the TM Pro Reef salt mix.

When I started the cycle (a little over 2 weeks ago using the fishless method with Dr. Tim's bacteria and ammonium chloride) I noticed that each time I dosed the ammonium chloride, the pH dipped even lower (within an hour or two, as low as 7.5). As the nitrifying bacteria consumed the ammonia, the pH climbed back up. This was just an interesting observation :) (although I wonder if when I add a constant ammonia source - fish - the pH will start to trend down again and maybe stay down?). My cycle has completed and I'm theoretically ready to move my clowns out of QT and into the main tank! I'll be adding copepods a couple of weeks after, and starting a small CUC to hopefully minimize the ugly stage. Lights will remain off until I add corals in a few months at the earliest.

As far as my pH and dKH parameters, I figure I have 2 options to fix those numbers before I start adding livestock: massive water change(s), or dose something temporarily to get those parameters back in line. Thoughts on which of those is preferable? I am thinking I will eventually start dosing something for calcium and alkalinity anyway (likely Tropic Marin All-4-Reef using another DOS), as I'm wanting to do a bunch of LPS and maybe eventually an SPS or two.


Anyway, happy to be here and looking forward to continuing the learning process :)
 

chipmunkofdoom2

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Welcome!

pH is difficult to control, so I would recommend ignoring it for now. Once you start dosing regularly, there are several additives that will raise pH as well as alkalinity. Be careful to not think of these solutions as pH fixes though. The pH boost from alkalinity supplements is only temporary, while the alkalinity increase is not. So you're limit by how much alkalinity your tank consumes.

For now, you could dose some simple baking soda to increase alkalinity. There are calculators on the BRS site. I would recommend planning for your long-term dosing solution now though. If you're going to keep corals, you'll likely eventually need to dose, so now's probably a good a time as any to get your strategy and supplies together.
 

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