ph of 7.8, is this ok for a reef tank?

my ph levels have been consistently reading 7.8 is this safe for soft corals...from research i see ideal ph being 8.0-8.4 but ive also read consistency is more important. is this ok for soft corals like xenia, mushroom, and zoas?

 

How are your alk and calc levels? Are you testing during mid day or at night?

 

reef test kit is still in mail so unsure of calc/alk but i just tested 15 minutes ago and usually during the day

 

I was having the same problem. 7.8 for 2 years now. Never tested mag but calcium was always above 400. Alk was a bit low (9 kH). Just started dripping Kalk and seems to be keeping my pH where I want it. I have not seen any differences in how healthy my tank is yet.

 

so in your opinion this shouldnt be a big issue right?

 

Funny, I just posted about an idea to lower C02 levels in the protein skimmer section, but C02 in the air has a huge effect on your PH. If you have a well sealed house, and don't ever open windows or doors for any significant amount of time, your house air will contain a lot of C02. C02 lowers your PH. Dosing Kalk will help, but only to a certain extent. Is it dangerous to have a PH of 7.8? I don't think so. Monitor the health of your animals and let that be your guide. Increasing flow will help too. I dose Kalk, and have for years, and run 24/7 lighting on my fuge, and my PH averages around 8.0. Do what you can to bump it up a bit, but I wouldn't stress over it.

 

im adding a second powerhead into the tank soon, from my understanding more oxygen also raises ph....do you think that will be enough to do the trick...ive had the window next to the tank cracked a little to vent out heat...i just started up my fuge with macros so maybe once they grow a bit that may help too by lowering co2 and upping the o2?

 

If everything in your tank is doing well. I wouldn't make any changes. I have seen a lot of people chase a PH # and wipe there tank out with additives when they started with a healthy thriving reef system. 7.8 isn't low enough to worry. I wouldn't make changes till you see a decline or something change. If it's consistent and everything is healthy. Don't sweat it. I never got my 30 gallon over 8.0 ph. Never once in 5 years. But everything thrived and grew, so I never worried about it.

 

thanks for the input, i didnt think itd be too big a deal but just trying to make sure

 

+1 on that, nicely put. Those that "chase" the perfect params can sometimes end up causing more hurt than help. 7.8 should be fine as long as it's consistent as you mentioned. When PH swings is when things can go bad. I think mine is around there, I dose B-Ionic additives weekly also.