I need HELP with my PH

Whoever points me in the right direction I will give K+

Ok well Ive been struggling for the past 2 months on my ph.

My will not rise past 8.1 and at night it lowers to 7.8 and Im stressing over this as well as my corals are. Most SPS coral are struggling in growing and Im confident its my ph being low.

Ive been keeping my ph probe calibrated and cleaned. Using APEX. So I know its accurate and there is a problem.

Heres some info on my system.

15 gallon fuge with reverse photo period. Dont see any help to ph.
XP-2000 skimmer. So its pumping tons of oxygen for a 90 gallon
2-250w DE mh's with 2 -96w CF's
Running PFO and Carbon
My BIG 3 are . Alk - 9.6, Ca - 450, Mg - 1290
Im dosing with ESV 2 part.
SG - 1.025

If theres any other factors I didnt list please ask me so I can solve this issue.

Im aiming to be at a low 8.1 and peak at 8.3.

I was thinking about adding kalk to my ato bin. Not sure if thats wise cause Ill be messing with alk and ca.

Please help me solve my problem.

 

No idea, sorry. whats your water flow like? thinking maybe gas exchange... i know you have a solid skimmer but hows your surface water movement? Im not even sure if this would be an issue for pH but it seems everything else in your system is good.

Maybe its the salt? no idea.
Good luck

 

Good point on water movement. I am running 2 koralia evo 1400's and the surface has a constant ripple with open tops.

 

I had a similiar issue and started using:

Brightwell Aquatics Alkalin8.3-P - Dry pH Buffer & Alkalinity(KH)-Builder 500g / 1.1 lbs.

This has fixed the issue and keeps me at a 8.3 ph. I usually add this when adding in some RO/DI water. Not sure if you have a sump but you can also put lights on it and have them turn on when your primary lights turn off. This will assist in keeping your PH consistent. You will need to monitor Calcium, if you choose to use the Alkalin product.

Good luck!

 

Is there a window close by that you could open for a day? You would prob get a better oxygen exchange with a window open letting fresh air in. Just a thought and an idea. I know when winter comes around here we keep our house closed up tight, a little fresh air might do the trick.

 

i am opening up the windows as much as possible.

I have even ran an airline connecting ti my skimmer outside the stand to help with this.

 

stumped.
Especially because your not using a reactor.
I'd say look into a pH ^up'er additive but I'm not a fan of adding any chemicals i dont need in fear of creating a new problem.

EL'Nino maybe?

 

Look at your salt mixture. I know that Oceanic Sea Salt mix has a lot of additional and not good for tank ingredients.

Instant Ocean is a good basic salt.

All else fails, use Reef Buffer in RODI water before adding salt.

 

It is my understanding PH is not everything. That stability is more important than actual number.

CO2 seems to be the most likely culprit. There are plenty of reasons for low PH, but CO2 is a big one. In Winter houses are closed up and the occupants, you, produce CO2. CO2 levels are higher normally, and it is worse in newer dwellings wil really good insulation.

In Colorado, I don't need AC... the hosue is open all Summer. PH is rock steady at 8.3. All Winter, PH is 7.8-8.1. all I have to do is open a window for a couple hours and whala... 8.3.

I stopped worrying about it. My Alk is where it needs to be, I have good gas exchange, but if the CO2 levels in my home are naturally elevated, there is nothing I can do about it. The only solution is to run a air line to my skimmer from outside, and that is not an easy solution for me. Others that have the same problem and easier access to outside have ran an air line outside and solved the low PH.

It's just a common problem. With Spring here I would not worry about it. Open up some windows, air out the house, and if the problem remains, then look to other reasons.

 

I'm not convinced your issues are due to pH if those are the correct readings (calibration errors etc, calibration solutions could potentially be off too!). There are a good number of great looking tanks that run with that pH range although that doesn't necessarily mean that yours will be OK, but I would doublecheck everything else as well and don't get too focused on the pH.

What sort of symptoms are you seeing that would indicate a problem in the tank?

I would probably raise your magnesium at least 50ppm, 3x your calcium level is a good range to shoot for. I doubt that's the issue but is one thing that jumps out at me.

Have you doublechecked your alkalinity with another test kit and possibly with another person testing? I've had at least 2 alkalinity test kits that were off.

I would also do the aeration test to see if it's high CO2 levels in the area around the tank or in your house.

Low pH: Causes and Cures by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com