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Unread 05/01/2006, 12:07 PM   #1
m3rcury
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 325
PH questions

so, i just got a PH monitor and i have been leaving it on 24 hours a day to check my PH. i have noticed is fluctuates between roughly 8.2 and 7.9. The lowest I have seen it is 7.7 and the highest is 8.3. This morning it was 7.7. But, it typically ranges from about 8.0 in the morning before lights on to about 8.25 at night right before lights out.

but, sometimes the PH will shift from 7.1 to 7.3 within half an hour or so.

so, 2 questions:
1) what causes the fast fluctuations?
2) is the 7.9 to 8.2 an acceptable range?

I have a 40 breeder that has been up and running for about 2 months. I use reef crystals and only have a VERY small star polyp colony and about 10 button polyps. there are also 10 turbo snails, some hermit crabs, and a sea cucumber (yeah, I know, I need to get that out and return it). The 250w MH lights are on about 9 hours a day. About 60 pounds of live rock from an established tank (LR was in the established tank for a little over a year) are also in there.

Right now I don't do any Ca/ALK supplementation, but I will be starting Bionic this week. Ca is around 150, but KH is 10. So, there seems to be good buffering in the tank.

Thanks for the input folks. I am just trying to figure out acceptable ranges and how to get my tank stable before moving forward with any additional corals.

Oh, just for completeness:

NH - 0
nitrites - 0
nitrates - ~20
Ca - 150
KH - 10
PO - 0


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Unread 05/01/2006, 01:32 PM   #2
Ewan
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Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Fredericton, NB, Canada
Posts: 2,594
Re: PH questions

Quote:
Originally posted by m3rcury

so, 2 questions:
1) what causes the fast fluctuations?
2) is the 7.9 to 8.2 an acceptable range?
1. Many things can cause a fast fluctuation. In my system, I find that excessive CO2 in the air can cause this. For example, if there are 4 people in my office looking at the tank, with the window closed, there is enough of a change in the room's CO2 to affect the reef. If my wife smokes a cigarette in the office, the pH goes down a predictable amount.

Cracking a nearby window helps this.

Also, pH meters are subject to electrical interference. Maybe a nearby television or something... a timer, anything.

Also, if you have an auto top-off, the addition of freshwater can temporarily cause a small pH swing (depending on the method administered... smaller, frequent additions are prefered, of course).

2. Absolutely. This is a great range.

Here's some great articles that you may or may not be aware of:

Low pH: Causes and Cures
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/rhf/index.htm

High pH: Causes and Cures
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-03/rhf/index.htm

from this page: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hreadid=102605

-Rob


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Unread 05/01/2006, 01:36 PM   #3
m3rcury
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 325
thanks rob. i really appreciate it. i was afraid that a daily swing between 7.9 and 8.2 would be bad/deadly for my tank inhabitants.

thanks again !!


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Unread 05/01/2006, 01:41 PM   #4
Ewan
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Location: Fredericton, NB, Canada
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No problem!

-Rob


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