raising PH

how fast can i raise the PH in my tank? its at 8.0 right now and would like it to be at 8.4

 

when did you measure it? PH can vary within any 24 hour period
typically at night PH can drop as low as 7.8 IME and daytime climb up to 8.3 IME

8. 0 is not to bad anyway so nothing drastic required IMO

CO2 levels in the tank, produced /created by the breathing of plants and algaes during the night can cause PH to drop
if your gas exchange is not very good (tight fitting cover or canopy) then the CO2 cannot escape properly durng day, and at night when plants are beathing Oxygen and releasing CO2 themselves - the levels build up so high the PH drops

not my work - but Rhandy Holmes Farley - described a method of finding out if low PH was due to CO2 as follows

take a cup of tank water and measure PH
then using a airstone/air pump combination create bubbles in the cup to help with gas exchange (constantly moves surface so CO2 is expelled and O taken in)

after 1 hour test the PH in the cup again - ifs its higher than it was before you bubbled it
then CO2 is the reason your PH is low

if this is the case - more surface water movement and removal of any tight fitting canopies etc - may be all you need to increase your PH



Steve

 

thank you very much, i will run this test and see. we do not have a canopy and have recently removed the glass top. we will be puting in 2 wave makes this week so we should be increacing our water movment as well as our water agitation. thanks again