Low PH - help! :)

[catmel]

Surprizingly after having chronic high PH ( above 8.5) I tested my water today and found the PH at 7.4. I changed about 30% of my water yesterday with RO/DI ( been using it for top off) which I imagined might have lowered it in a hurry.

What is the best and safest way to remedy this? Was the big water change responsible for lowering the PH so suddenly? Or was it related to the ammonia spike? Ive been using treated tap before I started the ro/di.

lastly.. do I have to worry about trying to raise this or with some more PWC and getting past the ammonia spike ( no idea what caused it, must have had a minor power outage - areas been flooded lately)

thanks!!

ammonia: 0 ( I did have a pretty big spike a few days ago for some odd reason, hense the big water change) nitrite 0, nitrate about 10ppm, phosphate between 0-0.1ppm, temp 78.

 

[CaptainAhab]

To be clear, you did a saltwater PWC using RO in your mix, right?

 

[catmel]

Yes, I did a 30% PWC with my ro/di + reef crystals with salinity about 1.022. I am thinking after doing some reading the ammonia spike from the possible power outage caued my big PH drop.. should I try and remedy this or would PWC help it?

 

[melosu58]

Usually if you do have ammonia in your tank it will afect your PH. That`s why I always tell folks dont worry about PH during the cycle. I would try some frequent smaller PWC`s and see if that helps. SW by itself is a buffer so hopefully it will go back up. If not then you might need a buffer.

 

[catmel]

Thanks I might go get a buffer just in case. Its best to just raise PH by 0.1-0.2 every 24 hours, correct? Or is it safer to do a bit more?

 

[Tank2379]

If you get a Bottle of Seachem Marine or Reef PH Buffer it will keep your PH stable at 8.3, but i've only tried it once and it work for about a day but that should give it a boost though.

 

[catmel]

If you get a Bottle of Seachem Marine or Reef PH Buffer it will keep your PH stable at 8.3

Thanks! Is it safe to raise it to that level in one day or should I increase slowly ( give a range - eg: 0.1 -0.2 day.. etc?)

 

[melosu58]

I`ve heard the folks here talking about using regular baking soda but I cant remember if to raise it do you bake it first or not. Maybe Kurt or the Captain will see this and let us know. I thought I`ve seen them talking about it before.

 

[catmel]

I`ve heard the folks here talking about using regular baking soda but I cant remember if to raise it do you bake it first or not. Maybe Kurt or the Captain will see this and let us know. I thought I`ve seen them talking about it before.

From what i've been reading if you use sodium carbonate and not sodium bicarbonate ( regular baking soda) its suppose to raise PH.

 

[catmel]

Alright so.. I went out and bought some seachem marine buffer. I dosed as said on the bottle: 1 tsp per 20 gallons disolved in a cup of fresh water.

my PH went from 7.4 to way over 8.8 as far as I can tell. Why?? It states on the package its not suppose to shoot the PH over 8.3 even if overdosed. Sigh... see what power outages will do to a tank? lol.. very frustrating. Any more help appreciated.

I really hope this wont stress the fish too much

 

[Tank2379]

HHHMMM... That's weird? I've used it before and it gave me a Dead on 8.3??? How old it your Test Kit?

 

[roka64]

Are you reading the pH at the same time of day? If so, what time and how long on/after lights on/off?
I tried a buffer once but it was a pain to keep putting in, I just added another ph....

 

[ccCapt]

Baked baking soda will slightly raise pH. Unbaked baking soda has a slight lowering affect. Using buffers is not a good way to raise pH. It's only a temp fix and along with raising pH (which will fall anyway) it also raises alk, which won't drop on it's own.
The reason that other stuff is "supposed" to stop at 8.3 is because it's loaded with boron. Again, not a good way to raise pH, plus now you affected alk and have potentially high boron levels.

Boron in a Reef Tank (and its effect on pH buffering)

Low pH: Causes and Cures

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

To add to Larry's comment, the reason they suggest baking the baking soda is to drive off excess CO2, so you're not adding it to your tank... thus lowering the pH. As he mentioned, baking soda will act as a buffer, but not really raise the pH long term.

Sounds like the pH shift came from the ammonia spike - remember... excess biological activity will cause a drop in pH. And all that bacterial activity munching away on your ammonia is a lot of biological activity going on. If I was you, I'd just do 10-15% water changes every few days or so until your pH gets back to where it's at.

I dumped a bunch of baking soda in my tank when I first started because of "low" pH, so I feel your pain. Rebalancing the ca/alk relationship can be a pain after an episode like this, so here's an article to bookmark that might come in handy down the road.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm

 

[catmel]

Thanks so much for your help I tested again when igot home at 5:30 pm and it was again down to 7.3 - I added more buffer ( before I read this of course lol). We'll see how this goes.

My test kit is about 10 months old. Its the API test kits. I tested at about 1:30 pm ( just after lights on) and it was 7.4 yesterday, by 5pm it was 8.8. I know light times cause changes, but I thought only by 0.1-0.3

I ordered a calcium and alk test so hopefully I can get a better idea of whats going on. I'm sure those numbers will give me a better idea. Then I can dose / pwc accordingly