Options to raise Ph and Alkalinity in smaller tank?

[Freakaccident]

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

This is my setup:
Innovative Marine 10g AIO
First chamber = UV light - I run this when I am not feeding the corals - filter floss on top to catch big stuff - UV is off for a few hours after phytoplankton feeding and then turned back on.
Second Chamber = 2"x2" MarinePure cubes x 4 - This is after the UV so the copepods live in here. Alagaebarn.com copepod jar to stock this and it will go wild fast.
Third chamber = mesh bag of carbon x 1 and mesh bag of phosphate remover beads x 1 + 1 MarinePure cube

The 2"x2" MarinePure cubes provide like 25,000 sq/ft of surface area. They obliterate any other bio media. Do this and you will be so stable.

Stop dosing. Do water changes. Use this salt and do 30% weekly water changes and you don't even have to do water tests.

In a nano everything gets replenished with the salt mix during the water change. Just use the right salt and do 30% weekly and you will see growth that you wish you hadn't wished for.

Water changes are a fine approach, but dosing is less expensive and gives better control. 30% weekly won’t keep up alk in a high demand system, unless the salt mix alk is much higher then the aquarium target.

 

[robmiller2]

I have a 75 gallon that consistently has Ph issues as well. 7.7 at night and sometimes 8.05 during the day. I have my skimmer with an outside air tube running through CO2 media. The only time I can get it to have higher numbers is when I can open my windows to the house, but since its getting hotter here now that isn't so much an option except early in the morning. Does skimmer size have any effect on Ph? Would a larger skimmer pulling in more outside air boost Ph or would it just be counterintuitive and strip out to much nutrients from the water?

 

[GARRIGA]

I have a 75 gallon that consistently has Ph issues as well. 7.7 at night and sometimes 8.05 during the day. I have my skimmer with an outside air tube running through CO2 media. The only time I can get it to have higher numbers is when I can open my windows to the house, but since its getting hotter here now that isn't so much an option except early in the morning. Does skimmer size have any effect on Ph? Would a larger skimmer pulling in more outside air boost Ph or would it just be counterintuitive and strip out to much nutrients from the water?

That's interesting. Never thought of that. Perhaps run the skimmer or similar strictly for enhancing air exchange based on size vs collecting gunk.

However, wouldn't that still equalize with room co2?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I have a 75 gallon that consistently has Ph issues as well. 7.7 at night and sometimes 8.05 during the day. I have my skimmer with an outside air tube running through CO2 media. The only time I can get it to have higher numbers is when I can open my windows to the house, but since its getting hotter here now that isn't so much an option except early in the morning. Does skimmer size have any effect on Ph? Would a larger skimmer pulling in more outside air boost Ph or would it just be counterintuitive and strip out to much nutrients from the water?

More aeration (more effective skimmer, for example) with outside air will drive pH toward equilibrium with that air, which can raise or lower pH depending on the alk, the water pH, and the air CO2 level.

Skimmers are not generally very effective at nitrate and phosphate reduction, so that’s not a concern.