No skimmer and low pH

[BestMomEver]

Ive always had pH issues. I’m now running a CO2 scrubber which typically keeps my pH around 7.8+/-. Now, my skimmer is broken and I’m waiting for a part. I have no intank oxygenation and no scrubber. This morning, the pH is 7.45. I don’t know how long my tank can survive that. Does anyone have suggestions until I can borrow a skimmer?

 

[RobZilla04]

Air stone, open the windows, Tom's Aqua Lifter pulling air through your CO2 scrubber?

 

[BestMomEver]

Air stone, open the windows, Tom's Aqua Lifter pulling air through your CO2 scrubber?

I’m not familiar with aqua lifter. What is it? And I thought open doors was only useful if you had a skimmer.

 

[redfishbluefish]

How are you measuring pH?

For pH to be that low, you're house must be very tight. If you can (temperature permitting), open a window in the fish room.

 

[BestMomEver]

How are you measuring pH?

For pH to be that low, you're house must be very tight. If you can (temperature permitting), open a window in the fish room.

My house is only 2 years old. So yes... tight. I’m using an apex probe but my readings have always been backed up by testing. I’m gonna retest today. I would toss some kalk in but my dkh is already high.

Something I wonder about though.... will high dkh result in low pH?

 

[redfishbluefish]

No....don't do that (add more kalk).

The likely culprit is carbon dioxide. But still thinking the pH you're seeing is off. When's the last time you calibrated the probe....need both pH 7 and 10 solutions to calibrate probe.

 

[RobZilla04]

I’m not familiar with aqua lifter. What is it? And I thought open doors was only useful if you had a skimmer.

Opening a window or two will decrease the CO2 concentration in the ambient air. You can point your powerheads up a little to increase surface agitation thus increasing CO2 exchange.

If you can run out to a fish store or PetCo, grab a cheap air stone to mimic what the skimmer provides with millions of bubbles. An Aqua Lifter just pulls air/water through it. You could modify the tubing to pull air through the CO2 scrubber and dump the air line into the sump just as you would do with the air stone line.

 

[beaslbob]

adding macro algaes or an algae turf scrubber will increase ph just before lights out.

You also might want to check alk and add baking soda if low.

my .02