lowering PH

[produceb]

What is the best way to lower ph?

 

[roka64]

What is your current pH?

 

[seaham358]

Post numbers and when did you take the reading? The ph will read different at different times of the day.

 

[produceb]

I will when I get home but it has been high everytime a I have ever checked. Nitrate nitrite are 0, but all ph is always on the high side

 

[MT79]

Adding vinegar or club soda will lower PH( you would have to search for the exact amounts) temporarily. They're generally only used when a high PH solution such as kalkwasser is dosed too fast causing a PH spike.
What does high side mean? What is the exact number? As long as it's not above 8.6 I would not worry. Many people battle low PH, so I would consider you lucky if that was the case.
How old is the tank? What is PH level(exact number)? What salt mix do you use? What is your Alk? Do you dose anything?

 

[produceb]

tank is 5 months old, I use ocean water for pwc once a week. I will get all the other specs, tonight? From what I remember the ph is on the high side but not at any extreme number.

 

[melosu58]

I have always found PWC`s to put PH back in specs. As Mike said if not over 8.6 then you`ll be OK. Stability is a key also when dealing with PH.

 

[seaham358]

Ocean water? where do you live that you get clean ocean water? wish I had that...
If you try and lower it do not drop it fast, big fast swings in ph will harm fish and inverts.

 

[produceb]

I live in Florida I go into the mouth of the inlet by boat at high tide to get water when it is the clearest. I take 2 of the drinking water jugs.

Salinity - 1.023

hardness 250ish
alk - 240ish
ph - 8.0-8.2

probally need a better tester just use the little strips

 

[MT79]

You may have nutrient issues w/ the NSW. Investing in a good test kit for at least PO4 would be a wise investment. 8-8.2 is a broad range for PH. PH will naturally rise and fall w/ the lighting schedule. If it's at 8 at the end of the lighting period, it may be dropping too low at night. Generally if it stays in between 7.8-8.6 with out too much daily fluctuation(<.2) your good.

hardness 250ish
alk - 240ish

I'm only familiar w/ units in meg/l or dkh for those params. What units are the test using??

 

[chase33]

Over 8.6? I'm glad this question was posed because I was going to ask it. My reading has been 8.4 over the past two weeks. I was cycling at the time. I take the reading at same time every evening about 7 pm. I did a 20% water change today (first one after cycling) and it remained at 8.4. Based on this thread I will not worry.

BTW, the alk seems a little high as it is at 3.20.

kh/alk = 9.0/3.20
Nitrite and ammonia are 0..
Nitrate is at 5.
PO4 is at .25.
Salinity is 1.025, I use Reef Crystals salt and tank has been up and running a little over a month.

Is 3.20 Alk to high?

 

[MT79]

Alk of 3-4 meg/l is ideal as it allows some room for test kit/user error and fluctuations without being too low or high. FWIW NSW is about 2.3-2.5. Reef Crystal usually test around 4 meg.l at 1.025. Maybe some alk was used neutralizing acids.?
Your PO4 is very high right now, but I don't think thats surprising since you just finished cycling. You may want to run a PO4 reducer like rowaphos or phosban. That will prevent algae blooms and stop your LR/LS from soaking it up and possibly releasing it later. PO4 should be <.03 ideally in a reef.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Chase33... except for your phosphates, your numbers look great! 3.2 meq/l for alkalinity is definitely not too high. Some might say it's a little on the low side if you're keeping corals. And while cycling, your pH will wander around anyway. No need to worry about it until you get something alive in there. Even so, anything 8.0-8.4 is just fine.

Once you're done with the cycle, I'd get some RowaPhos sponges and run them somewhere they get good flow through them. Over a month or so, they should eliminate those phosphates. You'll want to get those down to undetectable before you start adding anything. No reason to start a new tank off with the potential for an algae issue when you have enough other things to worry about!

 

[MT79]

^^Darn thats twice today I got caught spell checking after I hit submit


Thread split, Chase33 see "Rowaphos sponge" in this forum.