high ph

[Anonymous]

Vinegar is a very short term solution, and if the water is well-buffered (high alkalinity) then it's likely going to bounce back up. In my own experience, any "quick" pH fix isn't a fix at all, it's an additional problem.

 

[Anonymous]

I am not suggesting vinegar as a cure, but as a band aid until you find the root of the problem.

Yes an air stone in the sump can raise the PH to high levels. That combined with a skimmer, surface agitation, buffers/kalkwasser, and photosynthesis can keep the PH very high. The increased o2 will raise the PH. I would suggest backing off on the buffers you add to the tank to see if the alk and PH drop some. Like stated the buffer remaining high will also keep the PH up. So try to get the dkh down to 7 or 8 and your PH should come down as well. If not some more investigating is in order.

 

[rayt]

That's just the point. I've been able to lower it with soda water but it is only temporary. There is obviously a core source. I'm due to switch out some aging vho bulbs. Anyone heard of old bulbs raising ph?

 

[Anonymous]

I would think that new bulbs would help raise the PH.

 

[rayt]

That's what I was afraid of.

 

[Anonymous]

Lighting raising pH? Please explain. I would think the bulbs would help explain the problems with the specimens noted, but affecting the pH is a new one on me.

 

[Anonymous]

Indirectly. Increased light = Increased Photosynthesis = Increased Oxygen = Increased pH, theoretically. I've never noticed this when switching bulbs though.

 

[Tackett]

contrary to popular belief, and I may get my head chopped off saying this, but oxygen has nothing to do with raising ph. It is all carbon Dioxide. Co2 ionizes in the water yeilding carbonic acid (weak acid) carbonic acid then raises the amount of hydrogen in the water, lowering your PH. In case someone reading doesnt know, all that PH scale is, it is a inverse logarithmic measurement of the amount of hydrogen in a solution, nothing more nothing less. It doesnt measure molar or strength of a solution or how much hydrogen is actually released during breakdown. All in all, the more hydrogen in a solution, the lower the PH will be. Oxygen does have a round ass away of contributing but only in the fact that if there is oxygen in a solution then there is not as much room for co2. But for all intensive purposes, and it will help you in the long run as far as acid base balance goes, forget completely about oxygen. It isnt important. Hopefully that helped answer someones question about what raises PH. The more chemical compounds that are able to take up hydrogen in a solution (be it bicarb, ammonia whatever) The higher the PH will be.

 

[Anonymous]

pH doesn't measure oxygen content in the water directly, true. Oxygen content in the water has everything to do with pH, though, just like the amount of kalk you add or the amount of fish you have in the tank or the amount you feed has an indirect role in the pH level. BTW, pH is technically a measurement of protons in the water, not elemental hydrogen.

 

[rayt]

So is this to imply that higher ph can be indirectly related (although not directly caused by) higher levels of oxygen?

 

[Tackett]

exactamundo, but I still say that o2 only affects PH indirectly by not allowing more Co2 in a solution.