impur Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 I'm still experiencing pH problems in my tank. At night its getting down to 7.7 and 8.2ish daytime high. Thats a big swing, and the low point is too low IMO. It all started 3 or 4 months ago when i put my CA reactor online. Coupled with low pH from the salt i was using, my pH was down to 7.3 at that time. I lost a lot of corals to say the least. So i switched salts and took the reactor offline. New salt (IO) was mixing up to 8.3ph which was great. But i've gone thru half that bucket of salt and now its mixing up at 7.9. I donno how the same salt can do that, but it is and i've triple checked the results. I'm switching salts yet again this weekend. Things i've tried: -changing salts -pH 8.0 buffer -kalk in topoff -skimmer venturi bringing in outside air -opening my house up -kalk slurry (works but only temporary) -added airstone -longer photo period -fans -buffer RO water before WC to 10pH using kalk -buffer RO water before WC to 8.0 with pH 8.0 buffer -added kent dkh superbuffer to WC water -added baking soda to WC water I've also tried the aerate a bowl of water outside for a few hours to see how it affects the pH and it doesn't. The only thing I can think of thats left to try is a fuge with macro algae on a reverse photo period. But would that really give me a +.3 or more change? How much macro do I need on a ~90gal system? How big does the fuge need to be? If anybody, ANYBODY, can help me out my reef and I would be immensely grateful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyles Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 What your process for mixing kalk in TO these days? Remember what I was saying, reprogram your kalk timer to the OSC command it WILL make a difference, how much kalk are you using per gallon of TO? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted October 4, 2007 Author Share Posted October 4, 2007 Yah i'll implement that program tonight. But the last 2 days i've been running the kalk stir pump 24/7 as well as the venturi taking outside air and this morning my pH was 7.69. I'm using 2+ teaspoons kalk per gallon. Once the topoff is low, i add 20-25 teaspoons kalk to the 10gal topoff container, then pour in the RO water and any kalk left floating around i mix in with a chopstick and point the mixing pump toward the surface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyles Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 you don't want to break the calcium surface, the air exchange POSSIBLY breaks down the "good" kalk. I just use a mj1200 in a 15 gallon TO tub. It stirs only 60 seconds per 90 min IF the PH is less than 8.0 This has kept my kalk above 7.98 at 2 TSP of kalk per gallon, it seems that the less I stir the kalk the more effective it is. However it took a week for the tank to get the ph up and stay up after I emplimented the command in my AC jr. Keep in mind what has been talked about in the past about airstones, its not the air that raises the ph but the water movement, as per Anthony Calfo (oxygen exchange in the reef tank) Also I don't think a fuge will help. Not at this level of influx. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted October 4, 2007 Author Share Posted October 4, 2007 No i don't break the surface after its been mixed. Just when i first add the kalk and RO. I also do not think a fuge will help. I can't be the first person in this hobby to go thru this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyles Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 have you taken a reading on your kalk TO? it should be around 12 PH saturated if Im not mistaken....??? I will get a reading on mine tonight and let you know what it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted October 4, 2007 Author Share Posted October 4, 2007 Yah i've tested that with the ph monitor, read 12.3 I'm gonna put this up on RC, hopefully i'll get a few more suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted October 5, 2007 Author Share Posted October 5, 2007 I tested my topoff pH last night and got 12.3 again. I tested alk and calcium too: alk = 7.7dKH calcium = 380ppm I buffered alk last night, calcium this morning. Ph when i left the house this morning was 7.9 Hey Nyles you have a Mg test kit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siskiou Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 You've checked that your pH probe is not giving you wrong readings, right? It just seems so strange that the same salt now mixes up at a much lower pH! Do you have anything on your water line (softeners?) that could be doing something to the water supply? But that doesn't sound possible either, since the salt did mix at 8.3 at one point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowman Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 Miles, I put a light over my sump and run it opposite of the tank. Equalled my ph out pretty well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted October 5, 2007 Author Share Posted October 5, 2007 Susanne - I have recently calibrated both probes. The results are the same on my AC Jr as well as my Pinpoint PH monitor. Salifert tests also backup the results as does a Red Sea PH test kit. I think softeners or anything else in the water would be stripped out by the RO/DI unit. Bob - interesting. I've got my old fuge light, i'm gonna give that a shot this weekend. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks for the suggestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted October 7, 2007 Author Share Posted October 7, 2007 On thursday i tested my alk/calcium. alk = 7.7dKH calcium 380ppm I buffered alk that night, and calcium in the morning. Saturday morning my pH was 7.9 and 8.2 daytime. This morning pH read 8.02 at lowest, 8.32 at lights out. Perhaps i need to keep slightly higher alk/calcium levels to keep my pH up? I'm doing a WC tomorrow and we'll see where things are at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drock59 Posted October 8, 2007 Share Posted October 8, 2007 Interesting as I am/have been having the same problem. pH as low as 7.78 in the morning and 8.2 at night. I think the solution for me has been to keep my Kalk TO stirred up. Its a pain but that is the only way I have been able to consistently keep my pH above 8.0. Let me know what you come up with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siskiou Posted October 8, 2007 Share Posted October 8, 2007 I have my ATO on a timer, so it only tops off at night when the pH is lower. With a valve on the top off water line, it basically drips all night and my pH has been pretty stable (between 8.1-8.3 on both tanks). I also have a pump stir the kalk in my top off container twice a night, 4 hours apart. When I had it set to stir 3x, the pH got a little too high in my tanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyles Posted October 8, 2007 Share Posted October 8, 2007 I have experienced lately low ph when I had low cal and alk, I cant at this time confirm that was the issue but its looking more and more like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted October 8, 2007 Author Share Posted October 8, 2007 Thanks guys. I'll be keeping a very close eye on my alk/calcium. It sucks cuz i would rather have my ca reactor handle buffereing alk/calcium, thats why i built it! Grrrrr oh well i guess. I need to pickup a new mj to stir my TO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted October 11, 2007 Author Share Posted October 11, 2007 Do you guys think a constant kalk drip would be better to help keep the pH up and steady rather than the kalk in my topoff? That is one difference between my 29gal and this tank, in the 29gal i had a 24/7 kalk drip and the ca reactor online. I never had pH problems in that tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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