pH high, will my clownfish make it?

[szatquo]

Hey,
I did all my tests for my new tank after 1.5 months...and everything read out fine.I purchased a nice pair of clowns today and a pH monitor at my LFS. I calibrated it properly(did it twice bc i did not believe it at first) and it is telling me the pH is at 8.7
I am very worried about my clowns bc I spent 500 on them and I dont want to lose them.

What is the most effective way to lower it to 8.3...in the quickest fashion.. without causing a crash and killing my fish?


Please help

[imolaragazzo]

Originally Posted by szatquo

Hey,
I did all my tests for my new tank after 1.5 months...and everything read out fine.I purchased a nice pair of clowns today and a pH monitor at my LFS. I calibrated it properly(did it twice bc i did not believe it at first) and it is telling me the pH is at 8.7
I am very worried about my clowns bc I spent 500 on them and I dont want to lose them.

What is the most effective way to lower it to 8.3...in the quickest fashion.. without causing a crash and killing my fish?


Please help

is that a typo or did you actually spend 500 on just one pair?

i would assume the easiest way to lower it would be to first do a water change and then maybe using a ph buffer. don't take my word for it though as i am still a noob

[Percula9]

What brand of meter was used? The pH usually can't get that high unless kalkwasser was used. Did you use a two point calibration or one. I would verify with another meter and a chemical test kit. Are the clowns a mated pair?

[fatrip]

+1 with the checking from another meter or even a test kit. Unless your not using RODI water I don't see how it could get that high but there are a number of ways you can get it down. First would be water change 25%ish. You can use club soda, seltzer, that is free of any additives except co2. Aerating the water with an air pump, Vinegar would work as well. Just don't use a lot of anything start out small. First would do water change before anything with RODI water.

[Sisterlimonpot]

Do you use a skimmer?

[szatquo]

I used a basic pintpoint with the two calibration fluids. When I first filled up the tank, I did not use RO water...but I tested the tap water yesterday and it read 7.98
I am running an reef octo 180.
no other chemicals have been added to the tank other than Prime.

I tested it this AM and its down to 8.5...any other help would be great!!

[Chris27]

It's very hard to believe that it's actually at 8.7 or even 8.5 - most folks have a hard time maintaining 8.2. Given that you don't add anything like kalkwasser, pH up, baking soda, or any other pH increasing buffer, I would just leave it be right now. Perhaps a second opinion on your test results is in order, if you don't have a liquid test, check some RO or similar water and ensure that your meter is reading about 7.0 - which is what the pH of pure water should be.

[DrewPatton]

$500? For real?

I can get pairs of perculas down the street all day for fifty bucks...

From what I've seen though (which is limited), clowns can survive a lot, even if your parameters are off if a clown dies it's usually of stress caused by something else

[patsfan1130]

It's unlikely to be that high. Monitors can give false readings when they are in close proximity to electrical equip like ballasts. take the probe away from the tank and test. Additionally, when calibrating be sure to give plenty of time with the probe in the fluid. putting it in the solution for 30 seconds is not enough. I recommend leaving it in the solution for a good 10 minutes minimum.

[TonyHNYC]

If it is that high, do a partial water change. What are you dosing?

[cfrobin]

Clowns are tough fish. They should be fine as long as you get it back down to the correct levels. It is strange that it got that high though.

[dcombs44]

This is a bit of a side note, but in swimming pools, people will use either muriatic acid or dry acid (sodium bisulfate) to lower pH.

My instinct says that these would not be reef safe products. Does anyone know if either of these are similar to the products used in the aquarium trade for lowering pH?

[drew1]

The tap water shouldn't be reading 7.98. It should be close to 7.0, not 8.0, assuming it is just tap water (pre-salt mix). So it sounds like an error. Does your tank have a glass top? No air exchange? These can cause pH problems. But it sounds like you have a testing error that needs addressed first before over reacting.

[fatrip]

Originally Posted by dcombs44

This is a bit of a side note, but in swimming pools, people will use either muriatic acid or dry acid (sodium bisulfate) to lower pH.

My instinct says that these would not be reef safe products. Does anyone know if either of these are similar to the products used in the aquarium trade for lowering pH?

Muriatic acid works and is safe to use it is just not as readily available so I didn't add it to my list. Not sure on the Dry acid tho.

[szatquo]

I think it's a testing error as well. I will be picking up an liquid test kit tomorrow..the clowns look to be doing fine
thanks everyone for the advice

[Sk8r]

MAKE CHANGES SLOWLY. Acclimate everything---add tank water until within .002 salinity match; and while ph is not usually as critical, you can slowly buffer your tank into compliance. I list good water params in my sig, if that helps. Remember that too fast a change can be very hard on the critter. Test weekly, at least: daily, until you learn your tank's responses and needs for buffer, etc.

And if you get a wildly unexpected and upsetting result on a test, first re-run the test; second, check to be sure the meter is correctly calibrated (your lfs can do this for you) or (if a chemical test) that the kit is not expired; take a sample of water to the lfs for them to test [it is true that ph may alter in a water sample during a lengthy drive to the lfs], and only then assume that the weird result is valid. Do not start 'correcting' your tank until you are SURE that off-the-wall result is correct.

Keeping a log book of results is very helpful for a beginner: this way you don't get confused about what you read 3 days ago and you can dose INTO a trend and prevent a reading falling too low instead of playing catch-up in a full-blown problem. Via a good log book, you can look at past results from adding buffer and know how this particular tank will react to a dose of, say, a teaspoon of buffer. Every tank has its idiosyncrasies, IME.