Low PH

[Anonymous]

55 Gall. reef tank has been up for 8 months, and I am having a problem keeping ph up. Ph is currently 8.0 when the lights are on, and can drop to 7.8 when the lights are off. I have small clown, 1 small Sholo tang (3 Inches), fire shrimp and 1 small spotted goby, and 2 sand stars. Cal is 450, alk 10dkh, ni 0, na 5, am 0, and I do 10 gallon water changes every month. I would like to know if a ph of 8.0 will affect corals or fish, I understand ph should be more like 8.3-8.4. I have not tried Ph-up I was not sure if this product corrected but does not cure the problem I am having with low ph. What should I do?

 

[Anonymous]

Your pH is not at a level that you should be concerned about... The most typical cause for slightly depressed pH is excess co2. You can alleviate this by increasing aeration in the tank assuming that your tank is not in a room with abnormally high levels of co2. If it is, then you may need to better ventilate the area around your tank along with increased in-tank aeration (circulation). BTW, you need to be searching for a new home for that sohol tang as they reach well over 10" and he will quickly outgrow your current tank

Hope that helps.

------------------
Best Regards,
Jason Lile
Midland Marine
http://www.midlandmarine.com

 

[Anonymous]

I think high pH is overrated. My experience has been that a good alk reading (like yours) is much more important. My pH has been in the 7.9-8.1 range for months. I was worried as you are until others told me the same thing. My corals look great and growing like mad.

 

[Anonymous]

I fought the same PH battle for a year. I could NEVER get the PH over 8.1 no matter what. I, like you, was concerned because I felt the drop to 7.8 with lights out was too low for my comfort level, although my corals and fish appeared just fine. I began dripping kalkwasser for topoff (at night) and the improvement in my ph (now 8.3 to 8.4) and my alk is OUT FREAKIN STANDING!!

That was started about 10 days ago and I have already noticed better expansion in my coral. I am convinced that long term, I will see even more benefit. As another gentleman put it about kalk: Its the 2nd best additive for your reef after salt!

Central FL

 

[Anonymous]

It takes more than one perameter to be in check to have good water quality. As XXX said the alk can be more important than the ph. A couple of people other than myself have noticed keeping the most numbers in the suggested area are best and give the most growth.