Ph

BigReefer

Super Active Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2011
Location
London, Ontario
hey guys


I was wondering what everyone has there ph at ???? I hear in a reef it should be 8.2-8.4 but i cant seem to get mine past 7.94 ... I have went and got some stuff called balance its suppose to rise the ph... but I havent done it yet ... I was wondering what you guys do fro raising ph ... i do water changes and it never goes up ...

my tests are
cal 440
alk 8
mag 1400
amm 0
nitrate 0
phosophate 0.01-0.02
sal 1.025

everything looks ok ... just went i read stuff on coral growing it stays we should have ph 8.2-8.4..

please help a newbie

thanks

balance_large.png

balance™
  • balances the carbonate buffer system ratio
  • raises pH without affecting calcium and alkalinity
  • hydroxide blend
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Description
A frequent occurrence in reef systems is low pH, while calcium and alkalinity are at optimal levels. Raise one and the others may fall. One of the primary reasons for this is an improper carbonate/bicarbonate ratio. The buffer ratio changes as a natural consequence of the buffer's ability to counteract acidifying sources such as organic acids (produced naturally from waste) or introduced from non-pH controlled husbandry products. In this case, adding more buffer would unnecessarily result in a rise in alkalinity and a drop in calcium. The first product of its kind, balance™ ends this see-saw effect. It resets this ratio by converting bicarbonate into carbonate in order to reassert a higher pH without affecting calcium level.

balance™ is an optimized blend of sodium and potassium hydroxides with a NSW ratio (27:1) of sodium to potassium to avoid ionic imbalance with long term use.

aquavitro offers other solutions designed to address the unique challenge of raising pH in a reef environment. ions™ addresses the problem of low magnesium which is a cause of low buffering pK and pH. eight.four™ addresses deficiencies in pK found in competing products by providing a properly balanced (carbonate/bicarbonate) buffer system.
 

Quartapound

Active Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2011
Location
Kitchener, Ontario
Mines usually sitting around 8.2, 8.24 with my cheap pen tester yesterday.
I find my Alk dosing keeps it up.

I've heard a lot of different theories behind this but I've also heard not to try to chase pH too much, totally depends on what time of day you test it, etc.

I've never really worried about it or try to change it, just made sure that it didn't swing too much when I started dosing



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ShawnB

New Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2015
Location
Brockville
Balance works quite well! For the longest time I struggled to get my pH past 7.9 without shooting my Alk through the roof.
You should find you will have to dose quite a bit at first, then it will become a monthly thing to make minor adjustments.

Like anything else make sure you dose slowly and check your ca/mg/alk once you have your PH in the sweet spot, when you dose it makes a white cloud so I suspect there is some precipitate?
 

BigReefer

Super Active Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2011
Location
London, Ontario
oh ??? i didnt think i needed to i just pulled it out and put it in ... I will do a manual test ... i think the test kit i have is ph high range ... i think thats the same thing... smart very smart
 

Pistol

Super Active Member
Donor
Joined
Aug 16, 2012
Location
Corunna
oh ??? i didnt think i needed to i just pulled it out and put it in ... I will do a manual test ... i think the test kit i have is ph high range ... i think thats the same thing... smart very smart
Best to use 7 and 10 calibration solution to calibrate the probe, instructions are in the comprehensive reference manual.
 

Nighthawk26

Active Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2015
Location
Waterloo
Mine runs 7.12-7.20. Will creep up at night. Open some windows or doors and you'll see it creep up more. Winter must see a dip as doors don't open and close as much. I do nothing to maintain this, and paramaters I keep are 1400mag, 440cal, and 9.5alk. Do nothing else.
 

Kman

Super Active Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2014
Location
KW
I keep mine at 8.3. If you are having issues with low PH it is because your probe is or your balance between Mag, KH and calcium ratios are off. Specifically the KH and calcium ions. You should use something like Brightwell aquatics Alkalin8.3P to raise your DKH. I use this in my RO top up water and to raise my DKH if it gets used up or I want to just adjust it and not calcium. To maintain you should use a balanced product like kalkwasser\Limewater that has the proper ration of calcium and KH and get a supplement that allows you to adjust just the calcium in case you need to just adjust calcium. For Magnesium I like to use Magnesion and MagnesionP depending on my needs.

For the probe you do need to calibrate it with a high and low PH solution so I would do a manual PH test kit till you calibrate the probe so you have an accurate base line of where you actually are at. Before making any adjustments.
 

BigReefer

Super Active Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2011
Location
London, Ontario
I keep mine at 8.3. If you are having issues with low PH it is because your probe is or your balance between Mag, KH and calcium ratios are off. Specifically the KH and calcium ions. You should use something like Brightwell aquatics Alkalin8.3P to raise your DKH. I use this in my RO top up water and to raise my DKH if it gets used up or I want to just adjust it and not calcium. To maintain you should use a balanced product like kalkwasser\Limewater that has the proper ration of calcium and KH and get a supplement that allows you to adjust just the calcium in case you need to just adjust calcium. For Magnesium I like to use Magnesion and MagnesionP depending on my needs.

For the probe you do need to calibrate it with a high and low PH solution so I would do a manual PH test kit till you calibrate the probe so you have an accurate base line of where you actually are at. Before making any adjustments.


above is the product and the test results
 

Kman

Super Active Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2014
Location
KW
I have used balance before. It works but is not as concentrated as the brightwells products. If you don't have heavy needs for SPS it works quite well under normal conditions. I have a larger system and I found once my SPS got to a certain size and my requirements were large it was not feasible to use this product in my size of tank. If I had a smaller tank with less sps I am sure it would have kept up. For the price of it if you have a smaller system with a tank that is not over stocked by calcifying corals this product will fit your needs. With that being said if you need to make adjustments in a pinch this will help. In a larger volume of water this bottle would last a week though so it will not work for everyone's needs. In a smaller system I liked using it because it was cheap.
 

BigReefer

Super Active Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2011
Location
London, Ontario
What is a better product @Kman ...

My system has a few sps yes ... starting out i would say about 15-20 sticks and 2 Colonies ... my tank is 150 gallons sps ans lps ...

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reef keeper

Super Active Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2014
Location
Hamilton, Ontario
Just use kalkwasser in your ATO. Period. Make you raise the ATO pump off the bottom a bit and you will be fine. The other advantage is it keep your cal and alk in check too.

Never chase ph. Consisten is the key. Mine goes from 8-8.3 during an average day.
 
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