The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
PH was constantly between 7.8, 8.0 level for weeks. Yesterday morning, i added the buffer solution, and top the tank with 2gal spring water. The PH test registered 7.5 last night. Could it be the spring water?
Do you have a glass cover in your tank? Also do you have good water surface movement?
If you have a glass cover, try leaving it open for a few hours and retest. See if it comes up.
Poor gas exchange can drive a PH down. Here is a test you can do. Get a cup full of tank water, airate it for an hour or 2 and test the PH. If it is elevated, then you need to get better gas exchange in you system. This can be accomplised by opening or removing part of you glass top and replacing it with eggcrate. At the same time, point a powerhead or 2 towards the surface of the water to agitate the waters surface,this is where the oxygen-carbon dioxide gas exchange takes place
Also may be getting bad readings with the test kit. May want to take a sample to your LFS to confirm the readings.
I have HD eggcrate, and water surface movent also good. I also have 2 sets of test kit, and both showed same results. I'll point the PH toward the surface more and see if that will help.
alk test level shows high. LR/BR about 145lbs , PS/LS about 3". The amonia, and nitrite was at 0 about 4 weeks ago. Now both a lil high , but that is understandle since i just added 45lbs cured fiji LR to the tank.
I have a Milwaukee, but Pinpont makes a good one too. Check with a few of the site sponsors too, you may find a deal there. I believe captivereefs.com give us a % off.