How to keep PH stable or increse it

[mv3i]

need advise on how to maintain a stable PH of about 8.2 -8.3 ( ideal , right ?)

currently tank pH about 8.1 ..... what can i do to increase it to 8.2-8.3

thanks

[derf]

use ph buffer??

[Achilles Tang]

That is the fastest way to raise PH, using Reef Buffers.

To ensure stable PH... you must know how PH is affected... and counteract those.

Agents which lower PH includes livestock respiration and leakage of CO2 from calcium reactors as well as decomposition.

Good oxygen flow (via overflow, via skimmer) will help. A refugium on reversed lighting cycle will also help maintain PH levels at night (when it commonly drops).

[Tanzy]

What's your alk level?

[mv3i]

anyway good way to measure the kalk level ???

which way do you guys do it ??

thanks

[Tanzy]

By taste!

Try a Salifert Alkalinity testkit or a Seachem Carbonate and Borate Testkit.

[mv3i]

by taste ....

[mv3i]

how often do you guys add kalk to the tank ???

is there a thing as adding too much kalk ???

and the easiest way is to use a cal tester ???

where to get at cheaper price ??

anyone used a saga PH monitor before ??

[Tanzy]

I add kalkwasser as top-up water every night or so depending on evaporation rate.

Yes you can overdose kalk. The excess calcium hydroxide can increase pH and precipitates as calcium carbonate. Will deplete strontium and magnesium on the long term.

A Calcium test kit is compulsory for a reef tank keeping hard corals.

[mv3i]

so what else do you top up the water with ??? ....

any recommendable calcium tester ??

[Tanzy]

I top up only with kalkwasser.

Topic covered before, I think Salifert is quite popular and easy to use. Seachem is pretty good too and the pink powder stays dry longer than Salifert's ones, but bit more expensive.

[mv3i]

don't u top up with new salt water mixture ?

wouldn't that increase the ph ? if you only use kalk

[loonz]

mv3i,

If you are talking about topping up evaporated tank water with new salt water mixture - DON'T. Only water is evaporated and not the salt content, so if you do top up with NEW salt water mixture, it would make increase the salinity, which you certainly would not want to.

Well, if you don't have kalk, just top up water...

[Tanzy]

loonz is spot on, if you top up with salt water, salinity will go up, unless your protein skimmer pulls out a lot of really wet foam (buckets full).

If kalk is dripped slowly in a high flow area, there should not be a sharp rise in pH because it allows the hydroxy (OH-) ions to react with carbon dioxide in the water.

Topping up with kalk is to replenish calcium and carbonate in equal proportions while maintaining salinity in the tank.

[mv3i]

oh i c .....

topping up with kalk is ok !!

now if you top up with kalk , that will increase your kalk level ... so when to stop ....

how would you know when to drip and not to drip ..... you can use a tester before dosing ... but when to stop ??

and when water change required ... use salt mixture ....

[Tanzy]

Kalk level? Do you mean alk as in alkalinity? Kalkwasser adds both calcium and carbonate alkalinity in equal portions.

You will need to work out how much you need by the calcium demand of your system. The formulae can be found on the container itself. Alternatively it is trial and error, measure what is the difference in calcium level before and after dripping 100mL (arbitrary figure) and work it out from there. Difference in calcium level divided by volume dripped should give you the calcium level increase per mL of Kalk for your system.

Make sure the kalk you use is saturated and don't drip the white ppt into the tank.