cliff Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 Just got my Apex Gold hooked up...Now its obvious my ph has been out of wack for a while...Its a 75 gal. Im dosing 2 part. all levels are withing normal range except for PH. What is the easiest way to maintain a PH balance? I saw a Co2 air scrubber that I can hook to my apex and have it turn on automatically when the ph gets low, But I wanted to see what yall are doin before I buy anything. Temp 79-80 Salinity 35 PH 6.4 alk 9.0 cal 420 mg 1350 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reburn Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 That doesn't seem right. This is a stupid question. It have you calibrated the ph probe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 Aggitating the water, like going over an overflow and down a drain line should degas the water of CO2. Air bubbles is an option but creates lots of salt spray. But at 6.4 (if that's not a typo) I'd say your probe is bad or needs calibrating. You need to double check it with another probe or test kit if it still reads that low after calibrating. You should see daily and seasonal as well as weather influenced fluctuations so don't worry about chasing numbers. And for what it's worth calcification in corals is highest at 7.84 all other variables being equal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isaac Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 I agree w/ the others... make sure your probe is calibrated. Also do a pH test from one of the water testers. best way to get pH to 7ish is airstones in the sump. For drastic corrections... vinegar brings it down, baking soda brings it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan H Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 Definitely calibrate, also check if something is on the probe like algae or a snail. That will throw it out of wack as well. For increasing pH, more options are pulling in the skimmer's air from the outside, and using CO2 scrubbing on the skimmer input. I'm doing both and it helps quite a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliff Posted August 30, 2016 Author Share Posted August 30, 2016 The probe is Calibrated. I used the 7.0 and to 10.0. then cross checked again after the calibration was done so I am confident that the probe is correct. I bought a CO2 removing air scrubber from BRS and hooked it to an air stone. It seems to help a little but I am still sittin around 7.2-7.8. I cant acheive that 7.8-8.2 range im looking for... I am going to try to hook it up to my skimmer tonight because I think it does a better job with aeration. I will report back tonight...Thanks everyone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliff Posted August 30, 2016 Author Share Posted August 30, 2016 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan H Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 You should either get or borrow a CO2 monitor and see what your house is at. Do you have really good weather sealing on your windows/doors? Lots of people in the house? Are you running on a treadmill every day next to the tank? If you're really a nerd, look into getting a Netatmo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliff Posted August 30, 2016 Author Share Posted August 30, 2016 No no and no. Haha I'll look into the co2 meter. I might try putting my aerator higher up in the room. I know co2 is heavier than o2 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan H Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 A possible experiment that would possibly verify if the pH is a CO2 problem would be to run your skimmer's air input hose outside through a window or door or something temporarily... Even just a half day should make a noticeable difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BornToHula Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 Is your tank new? If its still cycling it could be producing acid from the nitrogen cycle. That wouldn't be the case if its been up and running for awhile though. Here is a good article about low pH, you can skip the science parts if you want and go down to the causes of low pH section: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/rhf/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliff Posted August 30, 2016 Author Share Posted August 30, 2016 Been up and running 8 months. Just added a couple fish though. I'll give it a week and we will see Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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