Low PH?

[kevin]

Well another week has gone by. The pH has peaked at 8.02 during the late afternoon. It drops down to 7.93 during the very early morning it seems.

I ordered a American Marine pinpoint pH probe(which arrived today). I'm able to have two running with the apex. I also ordered another temperature probe because the water doesn't seem as warm as it should be(this is all going on touch). I really didn't know what to calibrate the temp probe with if it was out of sink. So I just ordered another since they're already calibrated just to be safe .

[mori30]

i dunno if this may or may not be a factor , but have you try opening a window in your house for a few hours? the reason why i said this its cause the CO2 content in your house (AC,cooking,washer and dryer) could raise the Co2, not enough to hurt you, but enough to lower the PH in your tank.

just a suggestion.

also have you checked the water coming into your house for a Ph value, maybe its coming in at neutral (7.0) and after u add salt etc etc its lowering your total PH. just a though.

[mfisher2112]

Kevin, looks like the system is slowly starting to auto correct itself.

Have you tested a new salt water batch for salinity and PH?

Are you getting any ammonia, nitrite or elevated nitrates during your regular tank testing?

If you are seeing no ammonia or nitrite during regular water testing using a known good test, and you are getting solid numbers on your newly mixed salt water, then it may be time for about a 20% water change. I wouldn't do more than that because your system under went a significant shock, and you want to bring your parameters back into check slowly. Anything too sudden will just shock the system again.

The reason I ask about test results on newly mixed salt water is because it is not unheard of for salt mix to be off parameters, either because of a bad batch, or because of sitting too long between uses. That's one of the reasons I will usually spend more money for smaller sealed bags of salt, and try to use them as quickly as possible upon opening. It guarantees the most reliable salt mix each time. Buying large buckets of salt that may sit around for long lengths of time is not always the best thing to do, especially if you can't get a good solid "mixing" of the salt before measuring it out. If you are buying salt in large buckets, it is also prone to inconsistent parameters if it is not properly "mixed" as a powder before introducing it to water, and is also (snap on lid or not) prone to environmental factors like humidity.

Well another week has gone by. The pH has peaked at 8.02 during the late afternoon. It drops down to 7.93 during the very early morning it seems.

I ordered a American Marine pinpoint pH probe(which arrived today). I'm able to have two running with the apex. I also ordered another temperature probe because the water doesn't seem as warm as it should be(this is all going on touch). I really didn't know what to calibrate the temp probe with if it was out of sink. So I just ordered another since they're already calibrated just to be safe .

[mfisher2112]

One more thing, I didn't notice whether you said you had a sump with macro in it or not?

If you do, run your sump lighting directly opposite your tank lighting. That will help stabilize the PH swing that occurs over night.

Well another week has gone by. The pH has peaked at 8.02 during the late afternoon. It drops down to 7.93 during the very early morning it seems.

I ordered a American Marine pinpoint pH probe(which arrived today). I'm able to have two running with the apex. I also ordered another temperature probe because the water doesn't seem as warm as it should be(this is all going on touch). I really didn't know what to calibrate the temp probe with if it was out of sink. So I just ordered another since they're already calibrated just to be safe .

[kevin]

I hooked up the new pH probe & it's reading 1.03 higher then my base Apex one. I shut the windows yesterday afternoon & they're shut now because we turned our A/C on. Currently the pH on one probe is 7.83 and the other is 7.97

I have no ammonia. I'll check my nitrite & nitrate levels again tonight or tomorrow.

I'll measure the pH of a new bucket tomorrow(salinity is fine in the salt). I am using new RC salt from a box from a njreefers group buy we did a few months ago. I put the remaining salt in an old salt bucket.

I do have the refug light running 24/7.

[kevin]

here's a graph of the last 7 days. (red is the new pH probe I just added yesterday)
I believe closing the window has made it drop quite a bit. I'm still waiting to see the finally out come of today from the window being closed all day.

[mori30]

yeah im not an expert but i think you should find the reson of the pH drop instead of a patch,, if ur noticing the ph drop by adjusting the windows. then i personally think ONE of the reason was like i say the Co2 in ur house, there could be other factors as well.. have u tested the tap water for PH? if so whats the reading?

i would be as all in your bizz. if maybe u can say what laundry/stove u have (gas/electric) maybe your ac unit could be releasing some.. just a though