PH Issue

[Wrassefan78]

Good Day,

Just a quick question for all the experts. How can my PH go down when I have all the windows open, dosed 50ml of buffer, the sump doors are open, the lights are coming on, and I’m the only one in the house. Shouldn’t the PH go up after adding buffer? I also checked my versa pumps and they are working correctly no blockage. Is this a known apex 3 issue with regards to the PH probe. My Hannah checked seems to concur with its reading. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

PH 7.85

Anthony

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Buffers aren’t a good way to raise pH

What exactly did you add?

What is the alkalinity?

 

[Wrassefan78]

I use B-Ionic for my dosing. I wasn’t using the alk the supplement to raise my ph. I was just surprised that it went down after adding. I usually open up my windows and sliding glass door plus I have a fan that blows in fresh air in the morning. My alk hovers between 8-9. Although for some reason I had a major drop and and it went down to 6.6. I have been having a lot of coraline growth so that may be the reason. But for the last year with that one exception between 8-9.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Assuming you mean the original B-ionic, it fiddling not a use a pH drop. If you used B-ionic bicarbonate, that will drop pH a little.

If you used the original, the pH drop was either coincidence, a time of day effect, or a test error.

 

[Wrassefan78]

Assuming you mean the original B-ionic, it fiddling not a use a pH drop. If you used B-ionic bicarbonate, that will drop pH a little.

If you used the original, the pH drop was either coincidence, a time of day effect, or a test error.

It’s the original b-ionic with the alk and Calc additives. Must have been a double test error. Used a Hannah checker and my apex both read the same thing. Who knows though. I just thought it was weird.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

It’s the original b-ionic with the alk and Calc additives. Must have been a double test error. Used a Hannah checker and my apex both read the same thing. Who knows though. I just thought it was weird.

It certainly may have been coincident with some other event, such as a change in indoor CO2 levels.

 

[billydv]

I have a fish only tank and Im fighting to keep ph at 8. Skimmer gets its air from outside, only a few fish in a 125 gallon tank, nitrates very low maybe 0-5, phosphate approximately. 025. I have a ph controller and dose kalkwasser automatically with a dosing pump. Still with all house windows open, ph approximately 7.8. I wonder if the sulfur denitrator reactor isn't causing it. Also red cyanobacteria very problematic in my tank

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

A sulfur denitrator does lower pH and alk. I don’t think lower pH is an issue in a fish only, but I’d double check the alk and dose it as needed.

 

[billydv]

I actually didn't have an alkalinity test kit, needed gfo as I was out. Ordered both from BRS yesterday. Did a water change this morning, immediately raised ph to 8.35. I think I need to increase water change frequency to weekly. Also intend to start testing effluent of sulfur reactor to see whats happening

 

[billydv]

Okay so I tested for alkalinity today and reading was about 7.7. Slightly low than the recommended 8-12. But ph has been steady at about 8.2. Maybe the canister i installed a couple of days ago filled with aragonite is taking effect? It is being fed with effluent from the sulphur denitrator

 

[Batt]

Okay so I tested for alkalinity today and reading was about 7.7. Slightly low than the recommended 8-12. But ph has been steady at about 8.2. Maybe the canister i installed a couple of days ago filled with aragonite is taking effect? It is being fed with effluent from the sulphur denitrator

Alk is fine. Especially for a fish only tank. Why do you even have a Sulphur denitrator on your tank anyways. Like you said it's a fish only. Fish only tank Nitrate can be high like 25 to 35ppm. If you remove that your ph will go back to normal. What you need to worry about is phosphate that should be .01 to .05.

 

[billydv]

Nitrates were always high with a high population of fish. Now tank is understocked. Phosphate was higher than I wanted but gfo came in today, we'll see what the numbers read tomorrow. I have a feeling that maybe having increased the flow out if the denitrator and now running it through a reactor with aragonite may normalize everything. Im thinking that the low ph of the effluent from the denitrator is almost having the same effect as if I were injecting co2 to the reactor. Ph was steady at around 8.2 now without kalkwasser dosing so maybe all good