Need ph help in a hurry

[Brenden]

My ph will not stay above 7.9 I dosed with seachem 8.3 buffer and get ph up to around 8.24 and in less than 24 hours it is back down to 7.9 What should I do? Is baking soda safe to increase ph? If so how much? I have 350 lbs of live rock coming in on Wed. of this week should I cancel order until I figure this out?
parameters are
alk 3
ca 550 ppm
nitrites 0
nitrates 0
ammonia 0

 

[mjvincent]

Your Calcium is a bit high, which may be causing your alk to drop too. I am not an expert to the calcium/alk balance, but I do know that they are interlinked and if you bump one up the other will come down. Also do you have a glass top on the tank? Also how much circulation do you have? Don't cancel your order, 7.9 is not a BAD ph. I have 7.9 to 8.0 frequently...

 

[lando]

Did you start your cycle yet, or have you finished? I really would not worry about the Ph too much if you still have your cycle to go through. In the mean time...add a couple of powerheads aimed at the water surface to increase surface aggitation. Remove the top if you have one.

 

[David03]

Brenden,
Let me know what works for you, because i am having the same problem. I used the seachem buffer (gone through a whole can), and mine will move up to 8.1, then crash back down to 7.7.

Found out my salinity was real high, so perhaps you should check that... Not sure if there is a link.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[juskeepswiming]

up to around 8.24 and in less than 24 hours it is back down to 7.9

what time of the day are you testing your water, when its high and low?

 

[melosu58]

[quote Remove the top if you have one.[/quote]

This is a good question. Do you have a top?

 

[Brenden]

Thanks for all the tips.
I do not have a top on the tank.
I have around 7500 GPH circulation with 2 of the nozzles breaking the water surface. I also put a powerhead in the tank at the water surface a day before dosing with the last of the container of seachem 8.3 buffer and it did not help. I have checked the ph at all hours of the day. I bought one of the nice probes that gives me a constant ph reading. I have not cycled the tank yet. It has been sitting for weeks with 550 lbs of base rock and 3-4"of aragnite sand. My SG is at 34 ppm or 1.026( liverocks told me to raise it to match the water the rock will be shipped in) when I dose the seachem the ph probe counts up and then slowly counts down. My water was at 7.9 before I added anything and after a entire container of buffer in two applications and 2 days I am again at 7.9. Does anyone have experience with baking soda?