Really high PH please help

OneMerissa · May 30, 2022

Hello all, I tried to read A bunch of the threads but nothing actually hits the mark. So I have high pH constantly I don’t know what to do. i’m testing with a Hana pH egg checker… confirming with a crappy API but hey what can you do??
32 gallon bio cube
Three months old
Two Clownfish, one Royal Gramma, One dart fire fish. A cleanup crew with various snails and a couple hermit crabs, a strawberry conch snail and a Crimson shrimp.
I have no coral yet as I’m waiting to really get my numbers on point.
Salinity 1.026
Ammonia 0.0 - api waiting for saltwateraquarium.com to send me the Hana
Nitrite 0.0
Nitrate 1.7 - Hana
Phosphate 1.1 Hana
Calcium 430 - Salifert
Magnesium 1380- Salifert - waiting on Saltwateraquarium for my pre-order of the Hana checker
Alkalinity 8.9 - Hana
PH- Mostly 8.5-8.6++++ - Hana checker. Currently using Fritz pH lower almost daily!!

Filtration is about 25 pounds of live rock, plus bioball (1lb) in the back. Running Chemipure elite as well. Filter floss and a filter polisher on the top row

EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal · May 30, 2022

Can you add CO2 to your tank?

vetteguy53081 · May 30, 2022

I suggest another ph test from another source or LFS that does NOT use api kits to confirm. pH is a simple measurement of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. In our case, the pH measures the acidity or alkalinity of our saltwater aquarium.
To lower PH, you can simply add GRADUALLY increasing Co2, or utilizing soda water which is essentially another method of adding CO2. Soda water is just carbonated water so adding soda water to your aquarium will release the carbon dioxide in the soda into your aquarium water.
Another method is to add distilled vinegar to your aquarium sump VERY SLOWLY as the acetic acid goes through a reaction that converts it to carbon dioxide and in turn lowers the pH. The formula suggested for adding distilled vinegar is 1 ml/gallon to reduce pH by 0.3. The vinegar should be added as far away from fish, corals, invertebrates as possible again added to your sump which will give it time to dilute before coming into contact with the inhabitants of your aquarium.
Note than adding vinegar does lower oxygen in the water so assure your protein skimmer or some other method of aeration is helping provide oxygen back into the water such as air stone.

Garf · May 30, 2022

Presumably you’ve got loads of algae growing and no method to aerate the water?

Spare time · May 30, 2022

I wouldn't worry. You have to remember the error ranges of these tests

dwest · May 30, 2022

I don’t believe the pH test kit(s) you are using. I’ve been doing this a long time and I wouldn’t worry about pH.

OneMerissa · May 30, 2022

Garf said:
Presumably you’ve got loads of algae growing and no method to aerate the water?

Actually not much algae at all a little bit of green dust algae on the glass every day that I’ve been cleaning other than that no. I’m aerating with my flow return pointed up making lots of bubbles, and also have a wave maker. I’ve had a small fan directed at the vents but I heard that’s no good?

Garf · May 30, 2022

OneMerissa said:
Actually not much algae at all a little bit of green dust algae on the glass every day that I’ve been cleaning other than that no. I’m aerating with my flow return pointed up making lots of bubbles, and also have a wave maker. I’ve had a small fan directed at the vents but I heard that’s no good?

It does sound likely, in that case, that the Hanna checker is telling porkies. Have you got some calibration fluid (I’ve never used the Hanna, so no idea how it calibrates, or even if you can).

907_Reefer · May 30, 2022

I would double check with a different pH test kit also before dosing. My Hanna reads high sometimes.. From what I've researched on here, testing procedure needs to be precise and consistent. Very light pressure on the reagent bottle for the smallest drops possible, ensure no fingerprints are on the vials, no bubbles, and put the vials in with the same rotation each step (for instance, with the 10 ml" label facing you). When I do this, my pH matches 8.2 with my Red Sea test kit. If I don't follow exactly, sometimes I get 8.2 and sometimes 8.6.