My
PH was all over from 7.3 to 8.3 during the initial cycle. I'm now on week 6 and it has stabilized considerably between 8.2 and 8.3. With the help of others in this forum I have learned some very useful tips.
1. Air circulation over the water helps a lot. Ever wondered what is the
CO2 level inside your house ? Try opening a window for a few hours. High
CO2 = low
PH.
2. Use a high quality
PH test kit. Probably the problem is not as big as you think. Some
LFS will do
PH testing for free. Compare those results with yours at home.
3. Timing.
PH is usually higher after the lights go off. Lower in the morning.
4. Stick to a regular water change (20% once a month) schedule using high quality water (
RO) and salt. pre mix 24 hrs before. I did my first water change on week 5 and the results were impresive.
PH got higher, Nitrates went down, ammonia went down, nitrite went down,
CO2 went down,
KH went higher.
5. Do more frequent
PH testing and keep a log (probably daily), take notes and any observations in your tank until the problem is solved. Seat back and analyze the data, where the lights on ? Window open ? last water change ? Alkalinity ?
CO2 ? try to correlate everything and look for a pattern.
6.
IMO adding a
PH buffer should be your last resource
7. I found this article to be very useful in learning about
PH,
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/june2002/chem.htm
Hope this helps,
Norberto
