PH wont budge....

I have been adding PH buffer for over a week now and my PH range has remained at 8.0 to 8.15 (monitored by apex controller). On occassion it will dip below 8.0 to 7.97 and then back up again. My tank is 5 weeks old, cycle was completed 2.5 weeks ago. My KH is at 9, my calcium is at 520...use kent marine salt which has high calcium levels, I have not tested mag yet, my salinity is 1.024 and everything else is where it should be.

So, 1st question is should I be concerned about my PH level at this range and if so, 2nd question is what else can I do to raise it?

Thank you in advance for your help!

 

At 5 weeks old, I would say that your cycle isn't truly complete yet. Regardless, I wouldn't worry about the pH so much. Anywhere in that range is okay. If your ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphates are zero. If SG is 1.025 and Ca 420 and Alk 9-11 and Mg 1400.... Life is good.

pH varies through the day. I don't active control or dose anything specifically to hit a desired pH.... I dose Ca/Alk/Mg which impact pH. Point is that I target controlling those not pH directly. The timing for adding Alk and Ca specifically impact pH as well.

M

 

Thank you M. My ca is on the high side but I dont know of any way to reduce it and havent opened my mag test kit yet but will test it this weekend.

 

The Ca will go down on its own in time either through water change or corals using it.

Just go slow.... don't try and control too closely or you'll be chasing it forever.

M

 

Honestly, until your tank has aged a couple months, I wouldn't dose at all assuming you are doing you're regular water changes with some brand of reef salt containing natural levels of calcium and magnesium. I also wouldn't add any sps or any lps that requires a lot of calcium. Once your tank has aged and the mini cycles have gotten more stable, I would start dosing and getting the three most important levels at the recommended and stable. Alkalinity, Calcium, and Magnesium. If those three are in check, your PH should be right where you want it. If one of those three is out of recommended levels, they will dramatically rise and fall causing you to chase the levels and dose major amounts forever.

 

One other thing to add to what everyone else has said, is that it is more beneficial to have a STABLE pH than one that is wildly fluctuating because of changes in chemistry. If you pH is around 8 and it stays that way and things are happy in your tank, I wouldnt worry about chasing that 8.3.