Rising PH w/ Cloudy Water

[Toob]

I posted this in the main forum but it quickly fell to the 4th page with no responses, maybe I will have better luck here!

I know there are a lot of cloudy water threads, and I think I understand the typical root causes. But I have mostly seen cloudy water anecdotes in combination with low/falling PH, and yet my PH has been climbing.

PH is now at 8.4, up from about 8.0 a week ago when this started. The water has become very cloudy/milky over the last week or so. I don't believe it is microbubbles - cloudiness did not go away during an hour long quiet pump period. I figured it was a bacterial bloom which is no big deal, but the climbing PH is puzzling. I think maybe some kind of precipitation issue? I admit I don't fully understand this or know how to solve it.

Relatively new to the hobby, but have done a lot of research and things have been going pretty well until this point. *I don't dose anything*, use filter floss, and added carbon to try and combat the cloudiness with no impact. Small skimmer, good pod population, small ball of chaeto. Details on the tank:

~4 months old, 2" sandbed, Reefer 170.
2 clowns, a BTA, a starry blenny, and a cleaner shrimp. various snails/hermits
several small/frag LPS including a goni, frogspawn, alveopora, and a couple SPS.

All inhabitants are doing great, in fact i daresay they look even better since this cloudiness has begun. Everyone full extended/open all day, shrimp doing his thing, fish are happy and the clowns are mostly bonded with the BTA.

Parameters:
Phos - 0.09
Nitrate - 9.5
Calcium - 530
Alk - 9.1
Mg - not tested
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Temp - 79 f
Salinity - 1.025
PH - 8.4 and climbing, after many, many stable weeks right at 8.0. Measured with Hydros probe

I change about 25% water every 2 weeks, including this last weekend which only made the cloudiness worse, if anything. Using Red Sea Coral Pro recently, though I started the tank with Aquaforest until I ran out. All params have been incredibly stable - I was testing daily until recently since it was kind of a waste, and now I test every 2-3 days. I noticed PH rising via my Hydros4 probe. Virtually no algae so far except I think the beginning of some coralline that I seeded a couple months ago.

Anyway - it's the rising PH that really seems strange. I don't mind waiting out a bacterial bloom or whatever, but have a feeling now that maybe it is something else...?


2 weeks ago:

Today:

Thanks for any insight!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

The rising pH may be test error. When did you last calibrate it?

when not dosing, the only thing that substantially raises pH is photosynthesis.

 

[Lavey29]

Your numbers seem fine. PH is not high. Do you have trochus snails? When they are mating they drop their junk in the water which clouds it up?

 

[Toob]

The rising pH may be test error. When did you last calibrate it?

when not dosing, the only thing that substantially raises pH is photosynthesis.

Calibrated 2 days ago with the fluid that came with the Hydros. I think regardless of the actual value (which is only marginally accurate, no doubt) it's the consistent, sudden, and sustained increase that is puzzling. But if photosynthesis is the only thing that will do it apart from dosing, perhaps it means the algae-bloom theory is correct?

Your numbers seem fine. PH is not high. Do you have trochus snails? When they are mating they drop their junk in the water which clouds it up?

Yeah, I'm not super worried about the level of the PH being high. Moreso that it's suddenly rising in conjunction with the cloudy water. The cloudy water is really what I want to get rid of! I just figure the PH may be related, but perhaps it's a coincidence. No Trochus snails. I have 2x Turbo snails, a handful of dwarf Ceriths, and 4 Nessarius snails.

Thank you both for the replies!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I'd suggest just keeping an eye on the pH. It is not likely causing the cloudiness.

 

[Toob]

I'd suggest just keeping an eye on the pH. It is not likely causing the cloudiness.

Will do - any thoughts on the cloudiness itself? In the case of bacterial and/or algae bloom, will they simply go away on their own or can I take some action? I'd rather not dose something but I don't wanna have a cloudy tank forever either!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Will do - any thoughts on the cloudiness itself? In the case of bacterial and/or algae bloom, will they simply go away on their own or can I take some action? I'd rather not dose something but I don't wanna have a cloudy tank forever either!

Bacterial blooms are probably the most common sudden and lasting cloudiness issue, and if its white rather than greenish, I'd vote for that.

Such cloudiness usually (but not always) goes away on its own.

 

[Toob]

Bacterial blooms are probably the most common sudden and lasting cloudiness issue, and if its white rather than greenish, I'd vote for that.

Such cloudiness usually (but not always) goes away on its own.

Alrighty, I will keep my fingers crossed. Appreciate the help!