Low PH, keep it consistent or try to raise it?

[SmolGoby]

Hi all,

I have a tank that’s been set up in my basement for just around a year now & ph has always stayed consistent at 7.7-7.8. I keep the water oxygenated with a skimmer & surface agitation, would use air from a window if there was a window in that room but there’s not. The tank does great & I’ve not seen any issues at all. My question is, am I heading towards a disaster or will everything continue to thrive? Has anyone noticed any real negative impacts from maintaining ph at 7.7 vs 8+?

 

[exnisstech]

If the tank looks good I would roll with it. I have 3 tanks running and couldn't tell you the pH of any. Many folks track pH using their controllers. I have no controllers.

 

[bubbgee]

slower SPS and LPS growth is the observed result in lower pH environments. Other than that, if corals are happy with lower pH, it's not a huge concern.

Lower pH, like in my case which hits 7.5 is a major concern. I'm trying to get my pH floor to 7.8 at this point.

 

[SnowyFox]

BRS Investigates did some basic experiments on pH, specifically on this situation about is it worth it to try to raise pH above 7.8. For long term health, raising pH would be ideal, but its up to you if you think the increased health and growth would be worth the effort to actually make the change to your aquarium to raise pH levels.