pH toooooo low!

[eraser2001]

No sorry, my sump/stand is so tight. The bottle is tucked behind the skimmer. Don't even know how I'd get a pic. lol

Ok
If my setup works, I will post a picture. [emoji16]

 

[2una]

Do you have pictures?

I have been following this discussion. I have low ph also in my tank and today I did the same thing with air stone. Tomorrow I will check my alk and see it is the same and track my Ph.

There was pictures in the totm link i posted above - at the end of the "problems" section it shows his container setup

 

[d2mini]

UPDATE:
pH seems to have bottomed out right at 7.80 this morning.

 

[Steved350]

Hey D2mini, I was in the same boat you were with low pH issues. I was running my calcium reactor with a steady stream driving my pH way down. So to get it back up I’ve changed to feeding my reactor with a parastaltic pump. That helped out a little on the pH but I wasn’t happy. I then went to a CO2 scrubber. It made a big difference but changing it out every 4 days was not effective. About two weeks ago I started dosing Kalk. My system is about 240 gallons. I put it on one of my DOS channels running 15ml every hour. Now the lowest my pH drops to at night is 8.1. I expected it to drive my alkalinity up but due to the pH increase my corals have been up-taking the extra that was added during the dose. I haven’t had to make any change to my reactor yet so maybe you can use that info to get your pH to increase more than you currently have.

 

[bubbaque]

Seems like your heading in the right direction, at this point I wouldn't even worry anymore and any high is just even better. Remember to check alk as it will go down as ph goes up.

 

[d2mini]

Hey D2mini, I was in the same boat you were with low pH issues. I was running my calcium reactor with a steady stream driving my pH way down. So to get it back up I’ve changed to feeding my reactor with a parastaltic pump. That helped out a little on the pH but I wasn’t happy. I then went to a CO2 scrubber. It made a big difference but changing it out every 4 days was not effective. About two weeks ago I started dosing Kalk. My system is about 240 gallons. I put it on one of my DOS channels running 15ml every hour. Now the lowest my pH drops to at night is 8.1. I expected it to drive my alkalinity up but due to the pH increase my corals have been up-taking the extra that was added during the dose. I haven’t had to make any change to my reactor yet so maybe you can use that info to get your pH to increase more than you currently have.

Thanks, Steve!
Kalk is my last resort. I was trying not to add the extra complication of mixing/dosing kalk, along with the CaRx.
But Ben Su was also suggesting this, says he doesn't run a CaRx without it.
Will see how this goes and then decide.

Seems like your heading in the right direction, at this point I wouldn't even worry anymore and any high is just even better. Remember to check alk as it will go down as ph goes up.

Yeah, if long term I can keep it from dropping below 7.8, and be able to break into the 8's in the afternoon, I'd be pretty happy.
I do still have to re-tweak my CaRx since I've now changed the drip rate so will have to see what happens there.

 

[bubbaque]

Did you slow the drip rate?

 

[d2mini]

Did you slow the drip rate?

Yep

 

[Want2BS8ed]

Meanwhile, the replumb on the skimmer intake is done. Hopefully the picture below makes sense.

It will take about 3 weeks to see if it made an appreciable difference in the life of the media, but I'm pleased with how it turned out.

M

I then went to a CO2 scrubber. It made a big difference but changing it out every 4 days was not effective.

An interim update; pulling humid air from the collection cup has already made a big difference. Usually a day or two after swapping out media, the R/O water in the bottom of the canister has evaporated and the first 1/2" or so of soda lime has already turned blue, even with the bypass valve in place. 3 days after the replumb, pH is rock solid at the setpoint for the bypass valve, media is still white and there is not only water in the bottom, but there is even some condensation on the sidewalls of the canister. Very promising start. I appreciate the suggestion. Thanks!

Thanks, Steve!
Kalk is my last resort. I was trying not to add the extra complication of mixing/dosing kalk, along with the CaRx.

Dennis, I know Randy is not a big fan of Kalk reactors, but I found this to be one of the more graceful and low maintenance implementations:

https://www.avastmarine.com/collections/avast-built/products/kalk-stirrer

Basically pour powder in and set your drip rate through your controller. Easy-peezy-lemon-squeezy. Test Alkalinity and adjust accordingly.

Only caution, make sure you periodically check the outflow for build-up. Trust me when I tell you saturated Kalkwasser is not easy to get out of carpets, although it does a pretty neat job of aging the concrete walls in your basement when it soaks through the floor! :-0

M

 

[d2mini]

Dennis, I know Randy is not a big fan of Kalk reactors, but I found this to be one of the more graceful and low maintenance implementations:

https://www.avastmarine.com/collections/avast-built/products/kalk-stirrer

Basically pour powder in and set your drip rate through your controller. Easy-peezy-lemon-squeezy. Test Alkalinity and adjust accordingly.

Only caution, make sure you periodically check the outflow for build-up. Trust me when I tell you saturated Kalkwasser is not easy to get out of carpets, although it does a pretty neat job of aging the concrete walls in your basement when it soaks through the floor! :-0

M

Yep, that's exactly what I would use. That reactor and my doser.
It's just one more thing to keep filled, make sure its the same saturation each time, and one more thing to go wrong. lol

 

[bubbaque]

Dennis, with slowing the drip rate how are you keeping it stable? I would like to slow mine down but I noticed when it become anything slower than a slight stream, I have to keep adjusting it.

 

[d2mini]

Dennis, with slowing the drip rate how are you keeping it stable? I would like to slow mine down but I noticed when it become anything slower than a slight stream, I have to keep adjusting it.

Ya, that's what I was saying earlier (post #235)... the feed pump was a sicce .5 and I'm thinking it may not have been powerful enough.
I upgraded it to a 1.5 in hopes it will keep a steady drip rate. Time will tell.

 

[bubbaque]

Ya, that's what I was saying earlier (post #235)... the feed pump was a sicce .5 and I'm thinking it may not have been powerful enough.
I upgraded it to a 1.5 in hopes it will keep a steady drip rate. Time will tell.

I have mine plugged into my return manifold where it for sure is powerful enough but some reason it doesn't stay steady unless I open it up pretty wide to allow a slight stream.

 

[GoVols]

I upgraded it to a 1.5 in hopes it will keep a steady drip rate. Time will tell.

Tagging to the above ....

 

[Steved350]

I had the same issue. I tried stead stream and adjusting to a drip but it’s either plugged up needle valves or depressed pH.

 

[Want2BS8ed]

Yep, that's exactly what I would use. That reactor and my doser.
It's just one more thing to keep filled, make sure its the same saturation each time, and one more thing to go wrong. lol

Not to sidetrack the thread more Dennis, but that was one of the pleasant surprises about the design. Kalkwasser decants off of the top of the reactor. Freshwater enters about 3/4's if the way down the reactor just above the Ca(OH)2.

There is a very slow moving stir bar on the bottom that keeps undissolved Ca(OH)2 moving - slow enough that undissolved powder never enters the water column of the reactor.

The solution decanting from the top is always saturated - guess in theory you could over drive the FW input, but the point is there is no mixing or formulas. It's always saturated. The only maintenance is keeping the output clean and dumping more Ca(OH)2 in when it gets low.

Even I managed to run it successfully for 3+ years now!

M

 

[d2mini]

Not to sidetrack the thread more Dennis, but that was one of the pleasant surprises about the design. Kalkwasser decants off of the top of the reactor. Freshwater enters about 3/4's if the way down the reactor just above the Ca(OH)2.

There is a very slow moving stir bar on the bottom that keeps undissolved Ca(OH)2 moving - slow enough that undissolved powder never enters the water column of the reactor.

The solution decanting from the top is always saturated - guess in theory you could over drive the FW input, but the point is there is no mixing or formulas. It's always saturated. The only maintenance is keeping the output clean and dumping more Ca(OH)2 in when it gets low.

Even I managed to run it successfully for 3+ years now!

M

Yep, I'm familiar with the stirring part of it.
But what I'm not clear on is at some point the kalk is used up and you have to add more. How much does it take to fully saturate and how do you know when it's not fully saturated any more?
And how is freshwater getting in there?

 

[Steved350]

My assumption would be that as long as there’s powder in the bottom of the container that the solution is still saturated but then again I’m sure there’s things in the powder that don’t ever dissolve so I would go off of an unusual pH change. You should see the pH go acidic when the Kalk is used up.
The water will enter the reactor from your dosing pump then exit out the side of the reactor. Does that sound right?

 

[Velcro]

Not to sidetrack the thread more Dennis, but that was one of the pleasant surprises about the design. Kalkwasser decants off of the top of the reactor. Freshwater enters about 3/4's if the way down the reactor just above the Ca(OH)2.

There is a very slow moving stir bar on the bottom that keeps undissolved Ca(OH)2 moving - slow enough that undissolved powder never enters the water column of the reactor.

The solution decanting from the top is always saturated - guess in theory you could over drive the FW input, but the point is there is no mixing or formulas. It's always saturated. The only maintenance is keeping the output clean and dumping more Ca(OH)2 in when it gets low.

Even I managed to run it successfully for 3+ years now!

M

FYI, I had that stirrer. I also have a lab grade portable conductivity meter. The concentration of kalkwasser is highest right when you first fill with water and add kalkwasser. The concentration of kalkwasser just keeps dropping and dropping after that, even with a bunch of excess kalk at the bottom of the reactor. The stirring isn't enough. It seems there is something going on that causes concentrated kalk to stay low.

Maybe @Randy Holmes-Farley has an idea what's going on, but I switched to a large bucket that I just add water and kalk to every week. I use an Avast dosing pump to dose a few liters a day. Kalk concentration in the bucket seats rock solid between fillings.

 

[Steved350]

FYI, I had that stirrer. I also have a lab grade portable conductivity meter. The concentration of kalkwasser is highest right when you first fill with water and add kalkwasser. The concentration of kalkwasser just keeps dropping and dropping after that, even with a bunch of excess kalk at the bottom of the reactor. The stirring isn't enough. It seems there is something going on that causes concentrated kalk to stay low.

Maybe @Randy Holmes-Farley has an idea what's going on, but I switched to a large bucket that I just add water and kalk to every week. I use an Avast dosing pump to dose a few liters a day. Kalk concentration in the bucket seats rock solid between fillings.

That’s the way I’m doing it. I put 5 tablespoons of Kalk in a 5 gallon container and mixed. There’s very little Kalk on the bottom of the container. Dosing 20ml an hour that 5 gallon container should last me a very long time.