What’s the best pH raiser?

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

My pH is currently around 7.9 ish and I’d like to raise it to around 8.4! Any product recommendations? And I know slow and steady.

In terms of pH raising chemicals, ALL pH boosters are alkalinity supplements, so only dose them when you need alkalinity. There are three basic types, as well as mixtures of the three types.

Hydroxide is the most potent. Can be from kalkwasser or sodium hydroxide.

Sodium carbonate (washing soda or soda ash or baked baking soda) is second best, with half the pH boost per unit of alk added.

Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) is the worst. Despite seeming more basic (higher pH) than tank water, it LOWERS seawater pH when added.

Nearly all "buffers" are a mix of carbonate and bicarbonate, so they NEVER have a bigger pH boost than carbonate. Sometimes they have borate thrown in. I would not use those in a reef tank. You are replacing carbonate that corals use up, and if you add borate each time, it can accumulate and cause confusion in what an alk test is measuring.

 

[brahm]

Agree , not a matter of " Do Not raise", but rather do not chase if stable. I want 8.1 steady but due to location and running scrubber due to limited ventillation, I live with steady. Ph is important for coral growth, coral health, and metabolic processes hence the goal is alkalii and not acidic. While lime will increase PH, I want it at level naturally.

What if you could have your cake and eat it too? While I understand you may have some limitations as to why you can't raise your ph higher than 8.1 (some self-imposed), that won't be the case for everyone. If you could have steady PH at 8.3, would you not prefer that?

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

PH matters, I see a huge difference in my anemones and corals when my PH is hovering around the 8.3 range vs 8.1 and lower. Anemones and coral polyps are larger and much more full, have better coluration, better growth, and healthier corals overall. Our goal should not be eh it's surviving it should be to make our tanks thrive. Healthier corals can handle issues betters be it pests, or simple mistakes we make as people trying to take care of a glass box full of life. Think of optimal ph as a buffer that allows for a little more wiggle room when things go wrong.

We need to put an end to this "Don't chase ph or numbers in general" nonsense. It's one thing if your PH is 8.3 and someone is trying to get to 8.32. It's another if someone is on the far edge of the spectrum.

Secondly, the response is pretty snooty, the OP isn't coming here asking "If they should raise their ph" they are asking how don't be so quick to dismiss them.

The entire foundation of our hobby is to keep our water parameters within an acceptable range. The notion of "Don't chase numbers" is a direct contradiction to that. (END RANT)

I have a huge thread about my journey going from great PH to losing it to finally getting it back again. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/ph-on-the-drop-cant-seem-to-isolate-cause-any-suggestions.907767/ There are a lot of great suggestions from many people here. First thing first needs to figure out why it's low, how you are testing, and how you verified the tests are correct. Then need to understand what you currently have in place that may be lowering or raising your ph, if this is a new issue or something that has been persistent.

I’ve been called much worse. I’m very happy that you are having such amazing results. The op can correct me if I’m wrong but I think she’s just getting started in her journey. I wish her the very best, I really do. By all means, get a co2 scrubber for an all in one aquarium, get a erv fresh air ventilation system installed in your home, stay on top of dosing extra two part, and keep it there for the long haul as stability is key. Just trying to help a fellow reefer out. I’ve seen the data on faster coral growth, I have not seen any data on anemones doing any better, worse, or magically coloring up solely with elevated ph. I would venture to say that you are also dosing trace and aminos. I don’t believe 7.9 ph is negative in any way

 

[Dkmoo]

PH matters, I see a huge difference in my anemones and corals when my PH is hovering around the 8.3 range vs 8.1 and lower. Anemones and coral polyps are larger and much more full, have better coluration, better growth, and healthier corals overall. Our goal should not be eh it's surviving it should be to make our tanks thrive. Healthier corals can handle issues betters be it pests, or simple mistakes we make as people trying to take care of a glass box full of life. Think of optimal ph as a buffer that allows for a little more wiggle room when things go wrong.

We need to put an end to this "Don't chase ph or numbers in general" nonsense. It's one thing if your PH is 8.3 and someone is trying to get to 8.32. It's another if someone is on the far edge of the spectrum.

Secondly, the response is pretty snooty, the OP isn't coming here asking "If they should raise their ph" they are asking how don't be so quick to dismiss them.

The entire foundation of our hobby is to keep our water parameters within an acceptable range. The notion of "Don't chase numbers" is a direct contradiction to that. (END RANT)

I have a huge thread about my journey going from great PH to losing it to finally getting it back again. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/ph-on-the-drop-cant-seem-to-isolate-cause-any-suggestions.907767/ There are a lot of great suggestions from many people here. First thing first needs to figure out why it's low, how you are testing, and how you verified the tests are correct. Then need to understand what you currently have in place that may be lowering or raising your ph, if this is a new issue or something that has been persistent.

Glad to see im not the only one who thinks "pH is just as important as the big 3"

@AydenLincoln - what corals do you plan to keep mostly? If mostly softy +nem then 7.9 isn't bad. PH plays a huge role in calcification - so if you have LPS or SPS, then its better to raise it.

Keep in mind that pH scale is logarithmic, so that means each whole number (ie, between 7 and 8) is 10x difference. So, 7.8 vs 8.0 is not a ~1% difference. The carbonate ion (the good stuff that coral bone needs) concentration between 7.8 and 8.0 is something in the magnitude of 2x - 3x

Finally, pH has a daily swing, so is 7.9 ur highest or lowest? If it swings between 7.7 to 7.9 (assuming you have mostly LPS SPS) will be a lot more suboptimal than a swing between 7.9-8.1. To test, your highest pH is generally a few hours after your peak light. Lowest a few hours before light turns on.

EDIT: Typo last sentence

 

[Tiki_Reef]

CO2 scrubber or open some windows

This is the best way IMO my pH was at 8.1 stayed there during the day dropped to 8.0 at night, but after opening a window and scrubbing the air going into the skimmer it stays at 8.36 during the day and 8.2 at night measured via GHL Profilux 4

 

[shakacuz]

turn your skimmer into a recirculating co2 scrubber. it’ll raise your ph, but not much. this, coupled with an opposite schedule of a refugium running will balance your ph. looking over your build thread i do notice you don’t have a sump/refugium, so perhaps looking into this will help you

 

[AydenLincoln]

In terms of pH raising chemicals, ALL pH boosters are alkalinity supplements, so only dose them when you need alkalinity. There are three basic types, as well as mixtures of the three types.

Hydroxide is the most potent. Can be from kalkwasser or sodium hydroxide.

Sodium carbonate (washing soda or soda ash or baked baking soda) is second best, with half the pH boost per unit of alk added.

Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) is the worst. Despite seeming more basic (higher pH) than tank water, it LOWERS seawater pH when added.

Nearly all "buffers" are a mix of carbonate and bicarbonate, so they NEVER have a bigger pH boost than carbonate. Sometimes they have borate thrown in. I would not use those in a reef tank. You are replacing carbonate that corals use up, and if you add borate each time, it can accumulate and cause confusion in what an alk test is measuring.

Thanks!

 

[AydenLincoln]

turn your skimmer into a recirculating co2 scrubber. it’ll raise your ph, but not much. this, coupled with an opposite schedule of a refugium running will balance your ph. looking over your build thread i do notice you don’t have a sump/refugium, so perhaps looking into this will help you

I have a nano 20 gallon so I don’t have a skimmer but I’ve thought about getting one.

 

[shakacuz]

I have a nano 20 gallon so I don’t have a skimmer but I’ve thought about getting one.

there are plenty of HOB refugiums and skimmers! unsightly, but can be worked to accommodate for space or aesthetics!

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

What if you could have your cake and eat it too? While I understand you may have some limitations as to why you can't raise your ph higher than 8.1 (some self-imposed), that won't be the case for everyone. If you could have steady PH at 8.3, would you not prefer that?

I think most of us would. It does come at a cost. Maybe I’m crazy but I think it’s much more difficult to maintain perfect numbers in a smaller all in one aquarium, especially when you haven’t been in the hobby for a super long time. We’re asking the op to become the mad scientist as when you alter one you must alter another. If the op is up for the challenge then by all means go for it. Just know that in doing so, you will need to stay on top of things a lot more.

 

[brahm]

I’ve been called much worse. I’m very happy that you are having such amazing results. The op can correct me if I’m wrong but I think she’s just getting started in her journey. I wish her the very best, I really do. By all means, get a co2 scrubber for an all in one aquarium, get a erv fresh air ventilation system installed in your home, stay on top of dosing extra two part, and keep it there for the long haul as stability is key. Just trying to help a fellow reefer out. I’ve seen the data on faster coral growth, I have not seen any data on anemones doing any better, worse, or magically coloring up solely with elevated ph. I would venture to say that you are also dosing trace and aminos. I don’t believe 7.9 ph is negative in any way

Magically? Called much worse? I didn't call you anything. You can be dismissive all you want, you can do your own tests to see the difference, or you can put some trust into a long-term experienced reefer when they say they have seen firsthand the difference in how their inhabits do at different ph ranges.

Just recently My tank was running 8.3-8.5, then I ran into some issues and my tank was running 7.8-8.1 for the past 3-4 months. Did I lose any corals no, did stuff continue to grow yes, but growth slowed, colors didn't pop as much, extension was down, and my corals were less capable of coping with pests which in turn required a heavier hand to deal with; not optimal. As soon as I fixed the issue and my ph started to climb within hours I could see my anemones, and goni's looking much better and less anemic, with better PE from all my SPS. I'm sure within a few weeks I'll see a pattern of increased consumption. TBH to most any other person who walked in and saw my tank they would say it looked great but when you look at your tank every day you can tell when it's at its best or something is off.

 

[Spare time]

7.9 is pretty good, I wouldn't chase PH

How is 7.9 pretty good? 7.8 is the minemum

 

[Phuture]

Do you run a fuge on opposite light cycle? This helps balance PH out so there are no up and down swings.

But again like what everyone is saying hear i think a fluctuation throughout the day night cycle is normal

 

[brahm]

I think most of us would. It does come at a cost. Maybe I’m crazy but I think it’s much more difficult to maintain perfect numbers in a smaller all in one aquarium, especially when you haven’t been in the hobby for a super long time. We’re asking the op to become the mad scientist as when you alter one you must alter another. If the op is up for the challenge then by all means go for it. Just know that in doing so, you will need to stay on top of things a lot more.

It can be it depends on your situation. Nobody is asking the op to be a mad scientist nor to strive for perfection, this hobby can be overwhelming but if you break each task down it's all manageable. Let's say we get all the info we need from OP and are able to suggest a couple of simple solutions and they boost their PH from 7.9 to 8.1 it's not 8.3 but it's better than 7.9. No reason not to explore that.

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

Magically? Called much worse? I didn't call you anything. You can be dismissive all you want, you can do your own tests to see the difference, or you can put some trust into a long-term experienced reefer when they say they have seen firsthand the difference in how their inhabits do at different ph ranges.

Just recently My tank was running 8.3-8.5, then I ran into some issues and my tank was running 7.8-8.1 for the past 3-4 months. Did I lose any corals no, did stuff continue to grow yes, but growth slowed, colors didn't pop as much, extension was down, and my corals were less capable of coping with pests which in turn required a heavier hand to deal with; not optimal. As soon as I fixed the issue and my ph started to climb within hours I could see my anemones, and goni's looking much better and less anemic, with better PE from all my SPS. I'm sure within a few weeks I'll see a pattern of increased consumption. TBH to most any other person who walked in and saw my tank they would say it looked great but when you look at your tank every day you can tell when it's at its best or something is off.

Exactly my point! An experienced, veteran reefer and even then something happened and it required a quote heavy hand. When your ph dropped, your consumption went down, if you weren’t a veteran you wouldn’t have caught it and your alk would have spiked and you would have lost something. This is where my advice is coming from. The op is not a seasoned vet and probably…. No offense to the op…would not have caught and corrected the issue so quickly.

 

[brahm]

But again like what everyone is saying hear i think a fluctuation throughout the day night cycle is normal

That is correct. You can do things to try to minimize that but are unsure if the juice is worth the squeeze. However, I wouldn't know as I've never been successful in that attempt.

 

[ScubaFish802]

How is 7.9 pretty good? 7.8 is the minemum

7.9 is right in the acceptable range? OP is a new tank owner (less than 6 months in from other posts), advising chasing ph to raise .1-.3 ph seems unnecessary in my opinion. Posts like yours are a bit extreme sounding from my point of view. To each their own though

 

[vetteguy53081]

What if you could have your cake and eat it too? While I understand you may have some limitations as to why you can't raise your ph higher than 8.1 (some self-imposed), that won't be the case for everyone. If you could have steady PH at 8.3, would you not prefer that?

yes but refuse to do it chemically or with buffers. I let my fish and coral talk to me, and if it became a must, I would react accordingly

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

7.9 is right in the acceptable range? OP is a new tank owner (less than 6 months in from other posts), advising chasing ph to raise .1-.3 ph seems unnecessary in my opinion. Posts like yours are a bit extreme sounding from my point of view. To each their own though

Agreed

 

[Lavey29]

But again like what everyone is saying hear i think a fluctuation throughout the day night cycle is normal

Sure it is but stability is still most desired.