PH!! How To Solve, Raise and Maintain It In A Reef Tank
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- Опубликовано: 7 сен 2024
- This video is all about reef tank ph. I will discuss how to solve ph problems, raise and maintain proper ph level in a reef tank. This video is full of tips and tricks on how you can keep stable ph levels day and night. I first start off by discussing what ph is and how it works within the reef tank. After I go into ways to maintain a desired number based on the amount of alkalinity and CO2 in the system. Finally i discuss ways to remove CO2 from the tank via opening the door, plumbing the skimmer air input outside, adding canopy fan vents along with adding a wooden air stone to the refugium to introduce fresh air.
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I just added a wooden air Stone to my sump. what a difference. I used to bounce between 8.1 at night and 8.3 during the day. I now stay between 8.2 and 8.3 thanks!!
no problem glad to help. Some people still give me shit saying it doesnt work. lol
Thanks. I was considering the air stone. Glad to see it. Having low ph with dkh around 9 is frustrating. Little too cold to open windows. I may have to open the window and freeze here.
Hi, great video. Just put the airline for the skimmer outside, after 24 hrs ph went from the minimum 7.7 to 8.04 and the maximum of 8.22. Was thinking along the same lines like the air stone. If you need to pump more fresh air into the tank like the skimmer just add another fresh air intake. Then you could technically automate that on the apex. Love the videos, new to the community and channel. 5 months in and coming to the end of a diatom bloom. Just trying to give coralline a fighting chance and a stable numbers before filling the tank. Thanks again for the content!
You are absolutely correct in this video. Oftentimes, water surface agitation will increase the ph. A mp40 powerhead from my old mp10 was a difference. Along with dosing with soda ash only for alkalinity to raise ph. Cannot stress enough the importance of dosing equal parts of cal/alk as mentioned in this video.
Thank You for taking the time to watch the video
i add alk buffer. I am using Red Seas Reef Program, I still enjoyed the video.
thx for this advice, I ran a air line outside through my air vent from my skimmer air intake and now my ph went from 7.6-7.8 to 8.0-8.04.
Nice now focus on keeping a stable alk, cal levels and you should be good.
I have my skimmer in my sump, so if I connect some air line from the skimmer to the outside of the sump cabinet, do you think this would make any difference?
Never even thought to add an air pump to my refugium. I’ll definitely be giving that a shot. Thanks
Amazingly simple suggestion of opening a window pays dividends for sure. Went from 7.87 to 8.15 in about an hour.
Oh, man...That blue hippo...Marvelous, Sir.
+maine932 Thank You
Just caught this one and found it really useful as I also have had issues trying to keep mine at a steady PH. I will be using the air pump and wooden air stone this winter when opening windows is unlikely. Great job.
I do have a rodi system and the last time I change the filters was about two weeks ago I am running a 2 part dosing system and for testing am using red sea
I'm not sure where you all are geographically, that are doing the airline running outside. But for those of us up here in the northeast, we have winter coming. So this was a great video to run across. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
I run my skimmer line outside with a hole I drilled. It’s been at 8.2-8.3 nonstop, can’t move it. Love it. Corals started to really bloom when i did this aswell.
Hi
Just curious about your night PH. Does it still drop to around 7.9-8 ish
I noticed everyone is having a problem with low ph, am running a new tank and I have no experience in that field except for RUclips videos.
I tested my water with sera test kit, it showed a ph of 8.5 it could be a bit higher since the color was a bit darker than the chart. My NH4 was 0 but to get the NH3 which is harmful for fish I have a graph in which I connect the ph value to the NH4. Yet the graph doesn't have 0 value for NH4 it starts from 0.5
The reason am worried is because recently I lost a clown fish, however I have a Naso and 3 cardinals which I was told were more sensitive fish, and they r all happy and fine.
I found ur video super helpful, hence if u have any suggestions I would be happy to hear
Cheers
I added an air stone to my tank that I let go and only did a couple water changes on after it crashed and I can say within 12 hours my euphylia already look happier
Thanks I will try the air stone. My tank is in a basement with no windows to open.
Thanks hex I watched your video yesterday, because of that I order the calibration solution from drs. Very helpful 👍🏽
Wow such a helpful video. Thanks for taking the time and educating the community.
ur tank is superb
I buddy and I use limestone in the sump for a pH buffer
Learned something today. Ty
Another excellent video thank you.
Hex greetings...... could you explain again and detail how you did the intake line of your skimmer? Thanks
hey man, why not run the airstone inside the skimmer to help increase the skimmate while increasing oxygen. two birds one stone
Liquid oxygen is pretty cheap, they use it in aquaculture alot. That what the upside-down in line cones are for, to completely dissolve it into the water column.
You can use a co2 regular with an o2 probe to control it, even though an Apex.
And their are several co2 reactors for freshwater that can be repurposed to dissolve o2 completely into the water column instead.
O2 is like fire, CO2 is like ash.
Having and handling a tank of O2 is much more dangerous tha tank of CO2.
Just be careful and know the risks.
have you try nano bubbles in the reef? there a few videos on RUclips about it. im doing it on my reef. the skimmer went nuts. i pulled out so much crap out of the water. also raises you orp too. what do you think?
I have never tried it
I know this is a year old comment, and older video. But I do the Nano Bubble scrub and have been for over a year now. Love it!
Can you show how you add the airstone to your sump and how you add carbon to your air intake?
Thanks for the tips!
can we see how you set up the airbrick ? , its looks really powerfull
can we please see how you set up the airbrick ? , its looks really powerfull what make is it ?
Hey, Travis, hope all's well. My question, my PH at 8.4-8.5 what do you recommend, I do to lower it. thank you for sharing your knowledge. Viet. Vet.
Hello Fishofhex I live full time in a RV. Because of this I fight Co2 / pH problems. I am wanting to run lines into my skimmer it has a double intake. I also want to pump fresh air into my refugium like you did as well. I would love to know what air pump you are using "Brand / Model" ?
Tks super help full I set up a new tank ph was 8 and it’s been going 2 weeks with 3 hermit crabs in yesterday I got a blue tang that I was toning to keep in ther as it on 28l tank. It was dead this Moring I’m new to the sultwater so I I thought I get a little set up and see it in 6 muths if I like the it tham convert my 5ft tank in 6 muths. I’m saving up for a RODI kit should have it by next week. I looked this Moring an ph dropped to 7. It was 8 yesterday. I don’t have a pawer head or protein skimmer because the shop said it not needed for the sizes I have. There’s a normal fluval u1 in ther . Can you sergeant whot I’m doing wrong
Hi, been watching your videos. Very informative and really awesome setup. Is there a way you could make one that focuses on the skimmer setup? In particular, (8:48) how you were able to do the air intake line? what tube you use? how long did you run it and what does it look like from the outside? I'm battling a low pH and could use this idea. Thanks!
I will get that video up for you soon.
awsome. thank you
No Problem
not a bad thing thought! just wish i could do that lol.
im putting a phosban reactor into my small sump with some rowa phos. Should the return line from the reactor go directly into my return area of my sump or should it go back into the area that over flows thru a sponge and then into the return area.
I have 2 clowns cycling my tank and my PH stays about 7.8 to 8.0 I have seachem reebuffer and Ive dosed it a few times to shoot for 8.3 but it drops after I dose it. any tips or advice? I have a fluval 13.5 tank I'm using the stock filter with an air stone and I just dosed the tank with microcbacter start.
I have the same issues with the same aquarium. I can never get it to stay at or above 8.0.
My skimmer air feed is outside I keep my kh at 10 if my ph drops under 8.2 I buff kh with carbonate if my ph is above 8.25 I buff kh with bi carbinate my skimmer is 4 X bigger than tank volume needed and runs 24/7
If ph stays below 8 I should do these things right? I have a newly cycled tank. I have no skimmer, its just a basic ten gallon for now. My beginner tank. Ihave a 65 gallon in a box, but wont set it up until my future frags grow. I just added a wavemaker yesterday. I dint realize I needed it since I had no corals, i got quite a bit of flow from my filter and a big drop, since I Have an aqueon ascend and back is higher than front! It made that way to hide water line. Should i leave lid off my tank? I doubt if fish can jump with the flow and the light is directly over top. also, should i keep water level lower than filled up? If I use lid there wouldnt be much space for air besides the back part where it is angled higher. I am out of calibrating fluid for hanna ph checker right now so I cant really tell if adding wave maker helped. Its hard to tell color on api kit! I sure do have a lot of flow on top though! I am also upgrading to larger 200 gph aqua clear from a 150 to create more flow and also more room for media. Do I need to worry about my fish with 7.9 ph? Two clowns and appear to be doing fine even though suggested ph is 8.0 to 8.4
OK, let see how I could throw the intake outside. Ain't gonna be easy because the location of the tank in the living room, let see!!! Anyway, if I found a way to do it and make the mod and it works out, I let you know how it goes against CO2 and low PH. Take care \m/
Thanks brother!!!
No Problem
and my ph was at 8.7 when I get home today from work and I did a test and my calcium 440
alk10.1
mag1360
+Owen Edwards you using a ph probe? It would not be possible to have a ph of 8.7 with dkh of 10.1 even with 100% CO2 out of the tank.
+Owen Edwards Something you are testing is wrong. Also make sure you are dosing equal amount of cal/alk 2 part
I do have a ph probe on my reefkeeper
Do u think I need to recalibrate the probe
+Owen Edwards when was the last time you calibrated it? most ph probe need calibrated every 3-6 months sometimes every month depending on quality
Can you link what carbon filter you're using at the end of the line?
FishofHex, how long you've been in this hobby. You have a lot of knowledge. One of your videos you mentioned reading material, what books did you read? I love the chasing numbers comment. I'm in that mode and can't get out of it. Anyways, nice to see some new material, keep them coming.
+John ortiz Thank you and i have been in for about 13 years. Honestly i dont really remember what books i got a bunch of them on the kindle and every night i read as much as i could. I spent most of my time trying things out based on what i read and what others did. Every tank is different so you have to adjust to what works best for you. Try to get away from the chasing numbers it really messed with me for a while.
DO you have all of your fans starting and stopping at the same time? or do the ones on the back go when the ones on the side stop? or
I've just add reef buffer my tanks ph went up to 8.3 and the the tank went cloudy and now its cleared up and the ph is 7.9, all the rocks look like snow, 6month old reef...1 torch coral thats all.. fish seem OK at the moment, what should I do..seachem reef buffer...5 table spoons added..
So you have an air pump outside that pumps to the air stone? Or the pump is in the room just outside the tank?
hi
what kind of powerhead u used on back wall of the tank?
I have been battling low ph all winter. I have a 100 gallon in my basementthat sits in the middle of the room not close to windows and the room is heated by ventless gas heaters. My ph hovers around 7.6 to 7.7 which is too low if I'm gonna see any coral growth and is the reason I can't keep sps corals as they die in short order. My alk cal and mag all hover on the high end so you see the problem. So far I've tried the co2 scrubber and yes the media is expensive and I get limited results. I cannot add a fresh air line to my skimmer because of the type of skimmer it is. Tonight I did put a large air pump outside and ran it to a airstone that I put in the overflow section in the tank. If it raises the ph any ill let you know for anyone facing a similar deal. Can't wait till summer when im not running this heat anymore. I may just install a heatpump and get rid of the existing heaters. Really sux.
How long is you fresh air line that leads outside? Or should I say how long was. This is the old tank right? Anyway I have a wood floor so I am trying to come up with a way of reducing CO2 but I an 10 feet in the house. May have to go up to the attic where I have a ridge vent...
I run high-tech planted freshwater aquariums and I've been researching water parameters for reef tanks to help a buddy out, but I've heard that soft corals, maybe hard as well update carbon, which is kinked to KH, which is linked to PH. So PH swings might be affected by coral growth due to carbon intake. The PH is going to keep dropping unless you buffer or add carbonates or bicarbonates. The same happens with high-tech planted tanks. Possible similarity?!
Hey man, thanks for the video. I've been wanting to attach an air line from my skimmer to outside as well. What kind of filter did you use outside to keep the pests out? Thanks in advance.
I just made one out of a L-carnitine bottle, i added mesh and carbon.
I have an all in one tank with no sump. Would it be ok to put a wooden air stone in the main tank?
Hey FishofHex, can you show a video of how you ran the skimmer line outside to help with PH please? I have a basement tank and live in the Midwest so it's hard to keep my windows open.
That video is already uploaded
Oh, I will look for it then. I saw in the video how you connected it to the hard line but didn’t see how you actually ran it outside.
Unfortunately I have a very high ALK of 14.1 - what do I do to lower it?
What is the best ph checker???
What is your opinion on calcium reactors since they use co2 to drop the ph in the reactor to a low enough level to break down the reactor media. I've used reactors in the past with much success. In my new setup I'm planning on building a refugium reactor and using a larger than recommended protein skimmer.
The only reason why i didnt go with a calcium reactor for this build is i just didnt have enough room but one way to limit that lowering ph is to have a dual chamber calcium reactor.
Great video. New subscriber here
Thank You
Can you show how the outside filter running to the skimmer is setup?
Sure can
Do you happen to know what size and where you got that rigid air tube that connects to the outside?
1/2 inch
My tank ph average 7.9 , I ran A fresh airline to outside, and that didn't change anything . I tried an air stone and my ph dropped . And drop drastically and I turned it off . That's when I thought I had C02 in a Room and ran the fresh air line .
I would Appreciate suggestions
Does the microbubbling method help with keeping your pH at 8.3?
It can remove co2 so yes it would help but you dont need it to get 8.3
What's up hex. I'm noticing that my tank levels are reaching 8.54 for PH I'm can't figure out what is going on alk is at 10?
If your alk is at 10dkh then whatever you're testing ph with is wrong. I would double check both with different kits.
It's the reading from my apex I check for micro bubbles on the probe, but it was all good...
Sounds like it needs to be re calibrated, Pick up the 7 and 10 solution from brs.I have a calibrating video on the apex playlist.
Regarding the comment about dosing equal amounts of ALK and CA, Im running fauna marin balling light and as far as im aware you chase the numbers individually, like i dose 96ml per day of ALK but only 16ml per day of CA. If i was to dose the CA the same as the ALK i would have sky high CA. Ive still yet to understand why the majority of people say you need to dose in equal amounts? Am i missing something here? Thanks
Ok deleted the 2 day reading I had before.. here is why you does equal amounts..
If you dose too much alk it will drive your ca numbers down through precipitation. If you dose too much ca it will drive your alk numbers down through precipitation.
In short by doing equal amounts you result in a perfect balance no mater which one is needed more or less. Really they should always be in balance more or less as they are directly tied to each other. If you start having rising if falling ca your magnesium is way way off.
I’d check all my numbers and stop dosing for 2-3 days then check my numbers again. During this Time not topping off my water or anything else. It takes a solid 48h for a tank to rebalance from additives.
If number drop same % values overall from the two readings then nothing g is wrong with your tank it’s what you are putting into your tank. Could be several issues.. cheap salt mix, bad batch or expired dose.. bad rodi unit resulting in high ca coming out from the start that you keep adding in to the tank so what’s really happening is you’re not adding less ca you’re adding more alk cause the higher ca is driving your alk down.
Need to reset the tank and let it rebalance then start testing the items your putting into it starting with water and salt mix’s. If that’s good then your dosing agents are off.
As you’re adding a lot of alk that means the issue somewhere is likely ca not alk. Or your mag is possibly super low and the ca is not being used up like it should be. (Very rare case so look for extra ca first)
Also make sure your not dosing bother at same time.. does one then let tank cycle a good 30min then dose the other.. if done at same time then min to min fluctuations in the tank could lead to either item being precipitated from the tank and always having erratic readings and as such.. huge ph swings in the tank which means you’ll never have unstressed corals.
PH shouldn’t swing more then 0.1 max and preferably 0.05-0.07 over 24h period. I bet your seeing over full point swings right now daily if not more depending on co2 exchange.
Now here is what you are stuck with.. by dosing more alk the ca right now you’re actually going to drive your ca down at some point then you’ll be on a roller coaster ride. After you find the issue you’ll need to start doing lots of small water changes daily or daily while equal part dosing till you balance back out unless you are able to do a complete drain and refill wo crashing your system.
My pH is always drops to 7.7 at night and during the day it goes up to 8.1. I've already tried two products for that, one of them being a saltwater buffer, but it didn't work, it just goes back to those numbers. Don't know what to do, could use some help. It's a 30 gal that has been cycling for over a month now, no fish/corals yet.
buffers are junk, They only adding in alkalinity and in the world of corals and saltwater stability you need to add equal amounts of calcium and alkalinity daily to keep elevated levels. You can try using kalkwasser or two part calcium/ alk. I recommend you spend time researching doing to keep up with the demand of the tank.
Is it a good idea to run air stones in the main display tank? I come from the freshwater community so I'm still new to all this
Was going to ask same question
what was your pH before you added the air stone and intake like that draws air from outside? I'm thinking of getting a air pump to draw air into my sump from the outside.my ph swings from 7.6 to 7.8.
My ph has always been around 8.1-8.2. I noticed a small increase. Not sure if its all from the air stone. so many things play into how much co2 is in the room
I’ve been trying to get the wife to let me drill a hole in the wall for this and direct line from my ro in the garage. Still no go. It’s a new house so maybe after a year she’ll lighten up a bit.
Just do it when she's not home man , what she gonna do Divorce? Hahahah
Hi, new sub here :) Great videos lots to learn. i have a question. i have alk at 10.9 but ph of 7.82. how can i fix/balance this. All the windows in the room are constantly open and a large airstone is in the sump.
What test kits are you using to test alk? bc if you're removing that much co2 from the room that alk reading cant be correct. Have you tried airline into the skimmer? that is the number one thing people do to bring ph up.
FishOfHex im using salifert test kits for the alk and an apex controller for the ph. I will try running an airline to the skimmer.
Hey there FishOf Hex, just came across your channel searching for PH solutions. So I'm dosing my B-ionic 2 part alk from 10pm-9am and my cal from 10am-9pm. I'm running a hose from outside to my skimmer .Running my sump lights at night. So in the morning my PH is usually around 8.08 - 8.14. By 7pm right before my lights start ramping down its 8.27-8.33. I can't seem to keep it constant. You think running the air stone at night my help stabilize it?
+Mofros Reef First off thanks for the sub, second that swing from 8.14 to 8.27 is actually not that bad. You are staying within good ranges. You could add that air stone to pull fresh air into the system that might help keep ph elevated. I have noticed with my system some days the ph swing is 8.2 to 8.27 and others its 8.10 to 8.3 with nothing being changed. Simple things like people in your house can effect it but at the end of the day you are in good growth range so i wouldn't attempt to chase numbers but if you want to add that air stone it def wouldn't hurt anything. Hope this answers your question.
Is marine buffer. Ok. How much to add in a cup...
Its not ok, run away
whats is the influent ph will be if from the calcium reactor?let say if i set it to 6.5?will it be the same or slightly will raise up?some will advise to use the ph test kit,if within 35 -50 dkh will be fine...
It would depend on that type of calcium reactor you are using, single or dual chamber.
if single?double?different alot?
I wonder why experienced reefers don't recommend the use of buffers for adjusting PH...
What device do you use to have the back powerheads turn on and off ?
Im using an neptune apex
does ur ph swing from day to night? I'm wondering if adding another air line running with a air stone would raise the pH even more. I'm still not sure if I should purchase a air pump if it won't change anything.
Adding another air line wont bring your ph up. You need to keep a consistent alk level of around 9dkh and inject air via skimmer air pump ect. keep the windows open when you can to help remove co2 out of the room that will keep ph higher. I also run my refugium during the night while my tanks lights are off. this helps to remove co2 as well. One more thing i do is dose the majority of my 2 part during the night to keep levels higher. watch my dosing videos to understand that.
Do you run the air stone 24/7?.
I wanna start saltwater and my ph is 6.2 lol how do I maintain a solid 8 at least
Hi man, I been struggling with PH. I add an air stone 24/7 to the sump. I run the sump light in opposite photoperiod from DT since the beginning of setup. My Dkh is at 11, the Cal is at 440, but the PH is at 7.9 constant and can't raise it. My corals seems to be doing fine, for the exception of the candy canes, they are close, still have coloration, but no progress. The other corals are softies, so they haven't grow significant, but they had good polyp extension and they seems to be fine. My other parameters are Salinity 1.025, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 10 nitrate, 0.10 phosphate, and a temp of 77.5 to 78.6 constant. About Mag can't tell because I don't have the test kit yet, so I don't dose it, but I do water change biweekly that could help with it. Any suggestion to get there? or I should forget and keep going. I read in a forum that many people using calcium reactors run low PH like mine with no problem. I know is not a good idea to chase numbers, but, It looks to low for me. Any idea to try?
Personally id leave it alone or you could connect your shipping air intake outside that was a big help. I would stay away from adding anything to bring ph up and wouldnt chase it, You are still in a good range. No need to stress.
so drawing air from the outside alone wouldnt keep the pH in the 8ths?
No removing CO2 allows you to have higher ph based on your total alkalinity. You need to keep consistent and stable alkalinity and calcium levels using a 2 part solution if you are not able to do it via water changes or kalkwasser.
I’m new at this my PH is way too high 8.5 should I lower it?
double check your alkalinity level is probably to high
do you dose anything also that increases ph?
+pauls reef No the only thing that should be dosed that would impact ph should be equal parts of soda ash and cal. I never use ph buffers they are worthless and cause damage.
What salt do you use?
Doctor say's i should cut back on salt but when i do its the pink himalayan salt
FishOfHex Aquatics oh I meant aquarium salt lol
Fritz blue box
The fish store owner told me not to use the skimmer if I have corals.
I need second opinion.
Do I need to take the glass cover off to help increase the PH up.
I believe you need a skimmer as its good for nutrient export. Some people can get away without one but its not recommend for beginners. Taking the glass covers off will allow for better gas exchange
Lol too many people breathing in my house 😂😂😂
Changing my salt from redsea pro to ocean reef pro dropped my ph to 7.8 killed my toadstool
how can u lower pH in ur tank if u have a hight ph
+Owen Edwards before i can answer that i need to ask a couple questions. 1.what is your current ph reading? 2. Do you have a ro/di system and if so when was the last time you changed filters? Lime could be in your tap water that could raise ph. 3. what test kits are you using and how old are they? 4. are you adding any ph buffers? 5. are you using any 2 part calcium/alkalinity? I will do a video on this in the future but lets get this fixed before then.
my ph still never gets to 8.2, it stays around 8.05 during the day even with my alk at 9 and calcium at 420.
You have to much Co2 in your tank
Does this work with freshwater
+Gold Shot I would say the same concept would work for freshwater. I know PH isnt a big deal unless you are trying to keep something in a specific in freshwater.
Yea im trying to keep German Blue Rams, theyre really sensitive to ph swings
+Gold Shot the best thing you can do for cichlids is build a tank with the same type of rock and substrate they would see in the wild. I do know when i kept African cichlids i used texas holy rock and coral based sand that helped buffer the ph but as long as you are not putting any external buffers in the tank and building a natural environment like they would have in the wild you shouldnt have any problems keeping them.
thank you for the info!! i just started a new reef tank 30gal. check it out on my channel