Ph Problem

[RaveChild]

My Ph seems to be stuck around 7.8ish. Any ideas what I can do to raise this to a more appropriate level? I have tried perfect Ph and it is ok for a couple of days and then it falls back to 7.8. Alk is usually around 120 to 130, and I use instant ocean salt.

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[scuba_steve]

when did you run the test ?? if it was the am hours this isnt bad ! also instant ocean isnt really a good salt !! i would really suggest another brand of salt !! i use coral life and havnt had any issues but this isnt the best salt either !!

 

[RaveChild]

what is a good salt to use??

 

[scuba_steve]

http://petsolutions.com/product.asp?pn=93601050

i think this is what alot switched to !! ive heard kent is a good salt never have used it though !! but like i said i use coral life and so far so good !!

 

[Atari]

What's the pH of the makeup water before you do a water change?

I use Kent salt and it's always 8.3 after 24hrs aeration.

 

[RaveChild]

What's the pH of the makeup water before you do a water change?

Around 8.0 to 8.4

 

[Atari]

Can you give some details about your aquarium setup.. the salt is probably not the problem in this case.

 

[RaveChild]

It is a 55gal with 50lbs live rock. Crushed coral substrate. I am running an emperor 400 filter, a Prizm skimmer, 2 maxi jet power heads (1 400 and 1 1200). I have 2 Ocellaris clowns, 1 3 striped damsel, 1 blue devil damsel, 1 neon dotty back, 9 snails, 2 hermit crabs and a sand sifting starfish. Ammonia is 0, nitrite is 0, and nitrates are undetectable.

Anything else you need to know??

 

[evenings]

You may want to look into buffers... I use Kent Marine Super Buffer, keeps my Ph steady

 

[scuba_steve]

ya never said when ya did the test ?? a.m./p.m ¿?¿ dont think a buffer is really an answer my self but the time of the test is important !

 

[Atari]

Yeah the time is important.. try taking a reading just after lights out at night and one just before lights on in the morning.

Like Keith said, if you're getting 7.8 in the morning then that's not too bad.

 

[RaveChild]

it is 7.8 at all times of the day. I have tried first thing in the morning, around lunchtime, and just after lights out (9:30 pm) and it is always around 7.8.

 

[steve-s]

Does the tank have a glass lid?

Cheers
Steve

 

[RaveChild]

Nope. open top.

 

[revhtree]

I use Instant Ocean salt and have had no problems whatsoever with PH. I do not know enough about salt mixes to give a valid argument, and Scuba S. if you say it isnt that good, well I would asy it isnt that good. But, it has given me no problems yet.

What kind of test do you have? Liquid or what? Brand?

 

[RaveChild]

I have the nutrifin (hagen i think) master test kit.

 

[scuba_steve]

try having a pet shop test it for you !! how old is the test kit !! that can be an issue as well !!

 

[RaveChild]

the kit is like 3 weeks old

 

[steve-s]

try having a pet shop test it for you !! how old is the test kit !! that can be an issue as well !!

They could use RaveChild's test kit to test their water but supplying the LFS with a water sample won't work. Once you remove the water from the tank ambient O2 or CO2 (if sealed) will dramatically affect the results of the pH. You would end up with inaccurate results.

I know Hagen says their test is for both FW and SW but I would also suspect that may be a cause. I mean no offence to Hagen but being a FW specialist, their test kits may not be properly geared for marine testing. Are there other manufacturers at your LFS that are made specifically for SW?

Cheers
Steve

 

[scuba_steve]

thanks again steve didnt know that ive takin mine to a good store an hour away to get a check ! it came out ok but didnt know it would be affected