new

[mangos reef]

hi im new this is my first year
my question is i dosse b ionic and my ph after i dosse rises to a 8.4 now at night arownd 10pm -1am its at a 8.2 in that down swoop do i dosse agian or more the first time or do i use kalkwasser to raise it back up?

 

[arking_mark]

You shouldn't dose anything based on pH measurements. Almost any pH product is a form of Alk dosing...pH is just a temporary side benefit.

If you are using b ionic 2 part, you should only be dosing based on your alkalinity consumption...which may be very little for a new tank.

Aquarium pH Distilled

I just wanted to share my understanding of reef pH which is mostly based on: Low pH: Causes and Cures by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com Many would agree that reef tanks can be successful with pH between 7.8 – 8.5 NBS and daily swings as great as 0.5 NBS. Natural pH levels in our ocean...

www.reef2reef.com

The 12 Commandments of Reef Keeping

Nothing good happens fast in a reef tank Triple-check before you believe any observations or make any changes to your tank Only make one change at a time in your reef tank Use the right tool for the right job Only dose what you can test for Don't chase #s, chase stability. When altering the...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

hi im new this is my first year
my question is i dosse b ionic and my ph after i dosse rises to a 8.4 now at night arownd 10pm -1am its at a 8.2 in that down swoop do i dosse agian or more the first time or do i use kalkwasser to raise it back up?

Why are you dosing it?

It should ONLY be used to raise/maintain calcium and alkalinity.

 

[mangos reef]

Why are you dosing it?

It should ONLY be used to raise/maintain calcium and alkalinity.

bc i have a reef tank like i live 10 min from reefbum my alk is 8 and calcium is 450 and i dos 30ml a day of 1 and 2 but im told the straiter the lines the better corals do so how do i straighten out my ph i just wondering when i would have to start a kalk setup or should i be looking more in to the co2 or is am ph of 8.1-8.2 and then i dosse it gose up to an 8.4 then lights go off and by am im back down i dont wanna dos any more but i have an apex and wanna straighten that line

 

[arking_mark]

Just be aware that higher steady pH may be of little benefit other than accelerated growth and some additional tank stability (which may be very valuable to coral farmers). Many hobbyists are successful with pH between 7.8 and 8.6 and large 0.4 day/night swings. As long as your tank is well aerated and in-home CO2 levels are healthy for humans, you don't really need to worry about pH.

But if your interested in chasing pH...

Lessons learned in trying to maintain pH stability

For those interested in maintaining pH stability around +/- 0.05 I have a couple of lessons learned. These are things that I found out on my journey to pH stability. Prior to seeking pH stability my tank pH was consistently around ~7.9. However, much of this journey went on before the tank was...

www.reef2reef.com

Tuning a Skimmer / CO2 Scrubber for pH Control

On my reefing journey, I found Kalkwasse + Skimmer + CO2 Scrubber to be very effective for bringing my pH from 7.8 - 7.9 to 8.26 - 8.36. I guess most people would just leave it at that. However, I wanted to be more efficient with the CO2 scrubbing material so I wanted to implement a...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[mangos reef]

You shouldn't dose anything based on pH measurements. Almost any pH product is a form of Alk dosing...pH is just a temporary side benefit.

If you are using b ionic 2 part, you should only be dosing based on your alkalinity consumption...which may be very little for a new tank.

Aquarium pH Distilled

I just wanted to share my understanding of reef pH which is mostly based on: Low pH: Causes and Cures by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com Many would agree that reef tanks can be successful with pH between 7.8 – 8.5 NBS and daily swings as great as 0.5 NBS. Natural pH levels in our ocean...

www.reef2reef.com

The 12 Commandments of Reef Keeping

Nothing good happens fast in a reef tank Triple-check before you believe any observations or make any changes to your tank Only make one change at a time in your reef tank Use the right tool for the right job Only dose what you can test for Don't chase #s, chase stability. When altering the...

www.reef2reef.com

thats weird about 7.8 bc they clam if the ocean hits 7.8 we losing a crap load of more corals to most if not all from my under standing so why would i starve my reef i wanna ride at an 8.3 to 8.4 used to do fresh water fish and rocked a 8.3 and everything was lit like even bread all type of cichlids got out for a few years and now back in but this is my first salt tank and with vid out there i cant really meet and talk to people....so figered you guys could help me understand this ph thing

 

[arking_mark]

thats weird about 7.8 bc they clam if the ocean hits 7.8 we losing a crap load of more corals to most if not all from my under standing so why would i starve my reef i wanna ride at an 8.3 to 8.4 used to do fresh water fish and rocked a 8.3 and everything was lit like even bread all type of cichlids got out for a few years and now back in but this is my first salt tank and with vid out there i cant really meet and talk to people....so figered you guys could help me understand this ph thing

If you read the threads I provided, you have all the tools needed to understand pH and get it high and stable.

However, there is a fundamental difference between saltwater tanks and freshwater tanks and while pH is important in our reef tanks, I would make sure the other more important components are in place as long as pH is above 7.8.

In terms of what I have found most useful (updated) besides the basics from most to least value:

1. Roller Mat
2. ATO
3. AWC
4. Alk controlled automation (Alk/Ca dosing)
5. Auto feeder
6. Refugium
7. Automated dosing of trace and other stuff
8. UV Sterilizer
9. Salinity controlled automation
10. pH Control

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

thats weird about 7.8 bc they clam if the ocean hits 7.8 we losing a crap load of more corals to most if not all from my under standing so why would i starve my reef i wanna ride at an 8.3 to 8.4 used to do fresh water fish and rocked a 8.3 and everything was lit like even bread all type of cichlids got out for a few years and now back in but this is my first salt tank and with vid out there i cant really meet and talk to people....so figered you guys could help me understand this ph thing

Almost no reef tanks have pH 7.8 steady. It's a nightly low they hit. Most are higher during the day.

We can certainly answer ANY pH question.

I discuss it is detail in a variety of articles, including this one:

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

 

[mangos reef]

If you read the threads I provided, you have all the tools needed to understand pH and get it high and stable.

However, there is a fundamental difference between saltwater tanks and freshwater tanks and while pH is important in our reef tanks, I would make sure the other more important components are in place as long as pH is above 7.8.

In terms of what I have found most useful (updated) besides the basics from most to least value:

1. Roller Mat
2. ATO
3. AWC
4. Alk controlled automation (Alk/Ca dosing)
5. Auto feeder
6. Refugium
7. Automated dosing of trace and other stuff
8. UV Sterilizer
9. Salinity controlled automation
10. pH Control

thank you that was actually really helpful and i do the above exept i dont know what 3 stands for or 5, number 9 i moniter my salinity..controlled automation idk and trying to learn 10

 

[arking_mark]

thank you that was actually really helpful and i do the above exept i dont know what 3 stands for or 5, number 9 i moniter my salinity..controlled automation idk and trying to learn 10

#3 is automatic water change (AWC) - with my setup, I am changing out 1% of my water daily and only add salt to a container weekly. Really reduces maintenance to just add salt and push a button.

A slightly different approach to AWC

Key takeaways if you don’t want to read the long post: 1. Very small footprint 2. Mechanical and electronic redundancy against water accidents 3. Only maintenance is adding salt once a week and pushing a button Makes this ultra low maintenance! In preparation for my upcoming build, I...

www.reef2reef.com

#5 is an automatic feeder for the fish and corals. I use a Plank feeder.

#9 automatically adjusts my salinity in conjunction with my ATO and AWC. When changing out water or topping off for evaporation, it will use RODI or fresh saltwater to ensure my tank stays at the appropriate salinity. One thing to note is that use must keep your salinity probe clean and calibrated.