Water parameters

[taki123]

Hi Guys,

I have a Red Sea 425XL tank with marine fish and SPS corals.

I tested the water parameters today and noted the following:
Salt = 1.026SG or 35ppt
calcium - 580ppm (this seems too high)
Alkalinity - 7.6dKH (ok)
pH - 7.8 (too low)

It seems that my calcium is too high and my alkalinity is maybe reasonable?

I am running a skimmer with a CO2 scrubber yet still can't seem to get my pH up to 8.1-8.4 range.

What do you think of my readings and will increasing my alkalinity help the pH or should I leave it as it is?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi Guys,

I have a Red Sea 425XL tank with marine fish and SPS corals.

I tested the water parameters today and noted the following:
Salt = 1.026SG or 35ppt
calcium - 580ppm (this seems too high)
Alkalinity - 7.6dKH (ok)
pH - 7.8 (too low)

It seems that my calcium is too high and my alkalinity is maybe reasonable?

I am running a skimmer with a CO2 scrubber yet still can't seem to get my pH up to 8.1-8.4 range.

What do you think of my readings and will increasing my alkalinity help the pH or should I leave it as it is?

Bring alkalinity gradually to 9 and along the way calcium should fall

 

[taki123]

Bring alkalinity gradually to 9 and along the way calcium should fall

Sounds good.

will the alkalinity increase to 9 also increase my pH a fair amount you reckon? Or is it not much impact- as I do need to increase my pH it’s too low

 

[Tiki_Reef]

First what products are you using to dose Alk and Cal? As far as CO2 scrubbers go I run my skimmer line outside and then through a CO2 scrubber back to my skimmer and I have a HRV to provide fresh air to the house. I doubt any hobby grade skimmer out there has a turn over rate to cycle CO2 faster than it is produce.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Sounds good.

will the alkalinity increase to 9 also increase my pH a fair amount you reckon? Or is it not much impact- as I do need to increase my pH it’s too low

It should. Slk and calcium balance with each other and in turn affects ph
Let’s get @Randy Holmes-Farley to touch on this

 

[Tiki_Reef]

Sounds good.

will the alkalinity increase to 9 also increase my pH a fair amount you reckon? Or is it not much impact- as I do need to increase my pH it’s too low

It will increase it but not by a lot, initially it might provide a nice increase but once it is stabilized at 9 it will level off at least it did for me it's the reason I ran the intake line outside and have a HRV.

 

[Jekyl]

Randy has an alk dosing recipe out there that boosts Ph also.

 

[taki123]

First what products are you using to dose Alk and Cal? As far as CO2 scrubbers go I run my skimmer line outside and then through a CO2 scrubber back to my skimmer and I have a HRV to provide fresh air to the house. I doubt any hobby grade skimmer out there has a turn over rate to cycle CO2 faster than it is produce.

I’ve not actually been dosing those elements as I was working on increasing salt level from 31.5ppt to 35ppt over the last week or two. So those readings are from today now that I have achieved the 35ppt.

oh good idea on the tube to scrubber and to skimmer. I’ve attached a photo of my setup are you able to guide me on how to make the line run from outside into scrubber and skimmer?

the white tube at the bottom of that air inlet prior to the scrubber part is where the tube is connecting to skimmer.
Would it be an air tube I connect to where the valve is from outside?

 

[taki123]

Randy has an alk dosing recipe out there that boosts Ph also.

Just worried that my alk will go too high trying to get pH up. From what I understand my alk is already at a decent level

 

[Jekyl]

Just worried that my alk will go too high trying to get pH up. From what I understand my alk is already at a decent level

Randy would be better to chime in on this than me. Most Ph boosters also raise alk though I think. Using soda ash to maintain your alkalinity though will also increase Ph at the same time. Other options are more surface agitation, running an outside line to your skimmer, chaeto in a refugium on an opposite light schedule from the tank.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

If you want to raise pH and not alk, you need to look to ways to reduce CO2 in the aquarium, such as fresher air to the room, growing macroalgae, CO2 scrubber, etc.

 

[taki123]

If you want to raise pH and not alk, you need to look to ways to reduce CO2 in the aquarium, such as fresher air to the room, growing macroalgae, CO2 scrubber, etc.

Do you think I should raise my alk from 7.6 to a higher level to start with? I keep seeing a very wide range of what people do not sure what’s best for Sps

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Do you think I should raise my alk from 7.6 to a higher level to start with? I keep seeing a very wide range of what people do not sure what’s best for Sps

I recommend 7-11 dKH, but I would not raise it just out of pH concerns since the pH effect of slightly higher alk is not that large. If you raised alk to 9 dKH, the expected rise would only be 0.07 pH units.

 

[Jekyl]

I recommend 7-11 dKH, but I would not raise it just out of pH concerns since the pH effect of slightly higher alk is not that large. If you raised alk to 9 dKH, the expected rise would only be 0.07 pH units.

Does using soda ash as a regular means of dosing still barely raise the Ph like that?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Does using soda ash as a regular means of dosing still barely raise the Ph like that?

Every dose of carbonate boosts pH temporarily, and every dose of hydroxide boosts pH twice as much (but still temporary).

Above, I was just determining the permanent absolute effect of higher alk, regardless of how you got there.

 

[Tiki_Reef]

I’ve not actually been dosing those elements as I was working on increasing salt level from 31.5ppt to 35ppt over the last week or two. So those readings are from today now that I have achieved the 35ppt.

oh good idea on the tube to scrubber and to skimmer. I’ve attached a photo of my setup are you able to guide me on how to make the line run from outside into scrubber and skimmer?

the white tube at the bottom of that air inlet prior to the scrubber part is where the tube is connecting to skimmer.
Would it be an air tube I connect to where the valve is from outside?

Personally to get the intake line outside I drilled a hole through my wall to the outside (make sure the hole is big enough to accommodate the proper size tubing) I have a BRS Media reactor outside with carbon inside to filter the air coming in then I just attached that tube to the CO2 scrubber and run the line off of the CO2 scrubber to the venturi on my skimmer. Personally I didn't see a big increase in pH even doing that with the skimmer, but when I had the HRV installed it was a huge difference.