Stabilize PH

Okay so I have been trying to get my PH up and stabalize it. It has been running 7.85 in the morning and 8.05 in the mid afternoon to evening.
I have been using a product called 8.4 and it will shot the ph up a 1/10 of a point when first put in and then over a few hours drop right back to the norm of 7.85 or so.
I just switched tanks and changed substrate to Tropic Eden grand select that is supposed to help keep it balanced and it doesn't seem to keep it above 8.0...

I am at a loss as to what to try now??

 

I don't think 0.2 is a particularly bad pH swing for day to night. I don't think you'll do much better without either a very large tank with a very large reverse daylight refugium, or a pH controller, or both.

What is your alkalinity at? Calcium? Any of your 8.3/8.4 buffer products will raise pH, but it's really just a bandaid. Getting alk and Calc to a stable ionic ratio can help. If your alk and calc are stable and within acceptable ranges, and your pH and daily pH swing are consistent day over day, your on the right track.

Ideally, you'd want to see pH higher at about 8.3 - I have the same problem. I've tried buffering the hell out of it - up to 11 or 12 dKH, and my pH will creep up past 8.2, but that's really higher than I'd like to see the alk, and it drops back down if I lower alk. Day/night swing is still there. If you want to try, Seachem reef buffer worked best for me.

 

I been having problems with my Ph also. 7.5. I wonder since I top off my tank from evaporation of about a gallon every other day if thats helping for such a low PH, we know RO water is soft and has a very low PH.

 

Thanks for the info.. My alk is running 11 dkh and my calcium hovers around 430... The buffer just seems to bandaid it as you said. I was really hoping the money I spent on the tropic Eden would be worth the investment but that has not worked as advertised, either.

 

Stop adding products to alter your pH, it is a result of other factors. It will be higher during the day when all of your organisms in your system are active, and lower at night when they are resting. It will never be constant throughout the day.

Do basic things like, maintaining calcium, alkalinity, magnesium, salinity and temperature. Run a light on macro algae opposite your reef light cycle. Keep gas exchange high by running a skimmer, not using glass lids and pointing powerheads toward the surface. Work on those things, and pH will maintain itself.

 

pH changes constantly, you will worry yourself sick trying to chase it!
STOP.
Don't add useless crap to your tank ever. Let the pH handle itself, it works every time and what you are seeing is perfectly normal.

 

I never even thought of that being an issue... I go thru 2.5-3 gallons a day in evaporation... I can not make it through two days on a 5 gallon jug.

 

You cannot accurately test the pH of RO or RO/DI water. There are to few ions to measure and a pH meter or test kit will not do it.
For all intents and purposes it is neutral and very quickly takes on the characteristics of whatever it is added to or added to it. It should not affect pH either way. RO is not soft nor is it low pH.

 

+1 on all of the above posts

your levels are reasonable and do not need any chemical intervention IMO

if you can measure 1/10th of a point, I assume you have a probe/ monitor combo
if so, I would initially check the calibration, and after doing that, check your calibration fluids just in case either or both have been compromised

if the Ph is found to be correct, then a simple thing like increasing surface water movement in order to help gas exchange, can certaintly help give you a higher PH reading for example

 

What do you test it with?