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Keeping your pH up can be done in different ways, but only a few are "natural". In the ocean, and on a real reef, the photosynthesis of algae does the natural pH raising. And near the shore, the air bubbles (from waves) become a larger percentage of the total depth, and thus bring the pH up a bit too, although the bubbles are large and less effective (tiny bubbles are better).
Most people have aeration of some form or another, and tanks that have sumps below the tank will have more effective smaller bubbles when the overflow enters the sump. And of course skimmers, if used, will have a lot of small bubbles. But, these types of aeration are hard to increase beyond what is already occurring.
Photosynthesis is also already occurring on many types of tanks. All tanks will have a bit of it from the film algae that grows on the glass. Planted tanks will of course have a lot of photosynthesis. Saltwater tanks, especially established ones, will have a good bit from the periphyton on the rocks. And reef tanks will have some photosynthesis from the corals themselves. But like aeration, it is difficult to increase these types of photosynthesis beyond what is already occurring.
This is where growing algae comes in. Since you can grow as much algae as you want in an aquarium system, this type of pH increase is not limited. You just need to keep the growth in a controlled place. And unlike aeration, enough photosynthesis can super-saturate the water with oxygen, raising pH as high as you want. Also unlike aeration, photosynthesis does not need to have an air tubing run outside, the way some people do with enclosed homes in winter.
The easiest photosynthesis to understand and to DIY is a refugium. It can be as big as you want, all the way up to a display refugium (or bigger). Most saltwater people have tried one, and some freshwater people (who can't have plants in the display) are trying them too. Refugiums just take up a lot of space, and don't grow (photosynthesize) very fast. "Fast" would mean something like doubling in size in one day. Chaeto reactors are also possible, and are similar to a condensed refugium, but they only work in saltwater. And you can't feed the chaeto to your fish.
Algae scrubbers (algae turf scrubbers, ATS, turf scrubbers) are designed to maximize the conditions for fast algae growth in a small space. They can, in certain conditions before they fill up, double the growth in one day. This is a lot of photosynthesis in a small space. Some types of algae scrubbers can also grow and handle slime, which removes more nutrients from the water than other growths. The scrubber illumination is (or should be) contained inside, and if the growth is green hair algae, you can feed it to your fish.
Related:
Book: Dynamic Aquaria, third edition, by Walter Adey
http://algaescrubber.net/forums/showthread.php?3095-Periphyton-Your-natural-filter-and-food-producer
https://algaescrubber.net/forums/showthread.php?3807-Feeding-scrubber-growth-to-your-fish
https://algaescrubber.net/forums/showthread.php?3740-Slime-is-the-best-filter
Most people have aeration of some form or another, and tanks that have sumps below the tank will have more effective smaller bubbles when the overflow enters the sump. And of course skimmers, if used, will have a lot of small bubbles. But, these types of aeration are hard to increase beyond what is already occurring.
Photosynthesis is also already occurring on many types of tanks. All tanks will have a bit of it from the film algae that grows on the glass. Planted tanks will of course have a lot of photosynthesis. Saltwater tanks, especially established ones, will have a good bit from the periphyton on the rocks. And reef tanks will have some photosynthesis from the corals themselves. But like aeration, it is difficult to increase these types of photosynthesis beyond what is already occurring.
This is where growing algae comes in. Since you can grow as much algae as you want in an aquarium system, this type of pH increase is not limited. You just need to keep the growth in a controlled place. And unlike aeration, enough photosynthesis can super-saturate the water with oxygen, raising pH as high as you want. Also unlike aeration, photosynthesis does not need to have an air tubing run outside, the way some people do with enclosed homes in winter.
The easiest photosynthesis to understand and to DIY is a refugium. It can be as big as you want, all the way up to a display refugium (or bigger). Most saltwater people have tried one, and some freshwater people (who can't have plants in the display) are trying them too. Refugiums just take up a lot of space, and don't grow (photosynthesize) very fast. "Fast" would mean something like doubling in size in one day. Chaeto reactors are also possible, and are similar to a condensed refugium, but they only work in saltwater. And you can't feed the chaeto to your fish.
Algae scrubbers (algae turf scrubbers, ATS, turf scrubbers) are designed to maximize the conditions for fast algae growth in a small space. They can, in certain conditions before they fill up, double the growth in one day. This is a lot of photosynthesis in a small space. Some types of algae scrubbers can also grow and handle slime, which removes more nutrients from the water than other growths. The scrubber illumination is (or should be) contained inside, and if the growth is green hair algae, you can feed it to your fish.
Related:
Book: Dynamic Aquaria, third edition, by Walter Adey
http://algaescrubber.net/forums/showthread.php?3095-Periphyton-Your-natural-filter-and-food-producer
https://algaescrubber.net/forums/showthread.php?3807-Feeding-scrubber-growth-to-your-fish
https://algaescrubber.net/forums/showthread.php?3740-Slime-is-the-best-filter
