Raising and maintaining PH

[TysTanks]

Hey SDReefs,

I need some help maintaining a higher PH in my tank. It maintains between 7.7 and 7.8 with the occasional 7.9 reading.

System is ~110 gallons
S.G. 1.026
Alk 7.8
Calc 500 (I know this is high, doing a wc today to help balance it out)
Nitrate 15-20
Phosphate .15

I'd like to keep it at a higher PH to help out sps growth. I started supplementing kalkwasser along with my two part dosing since I was a bit low on calc/alk anyway. I started a couple of days ago with 2 tsp in a 1 gallon jug, dosing 125 ml per day. I'm pretty sure this is not even close to enough to make a dent.

Would I be able to increase kalk concentration without a kalk reactor or should I continue this way and just increase to 500ml or more?

I'm trying to avoid using it in ATO so that it's more controlled and doesn't gunk up my reservoir.

Appreciate any other tips or advice you may have for increasing PH.

[JohnnyK731]

Run fresh air from outside to your skimmer or open windows and doors but best option is fresh outside air injected into your skimmer


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[inurmind]

What are you dosing for alk in your 2 part? E.g. sodium bicarbonate or soda ash? If you're doing sodium bicarbonate try soda ash as it will raise your pH. As far as kalkwasser is concerned a reactor is not a bad idea, I have run kalk reactors on several different tanks -and still own a few if you're interested in one. Reactors are really the best way to go if you're going to do kalk a regular basis. What you can do to keep it out of your ATO is run a line from your ATO Reservoir to the reactor, that way your reactor dosing isn't relying on your evaporation rate.

+1 on fresh air but that's not always an option...if it's out than try soda ash and a kalk reactor

[HHN]

I am dosing about 1500 ml of kalk soda ash a day and mine oscilates between 7.8 and 8.1 like clockwork. I have my fuge on opposite light cycle. I too would like to raise. I made some of my own rock with portland cement and when I put the rock in it was around 8.5/8.8...but has since settled low.

[crustaceon]

You can run a skimmer and plumb the air inlet line to a nearby window.

or

Run a kalkwasser reactor. A great and inexpensive option is the two little fishies 300 reactor which runs off of your ato pump

or

You could set up a refugium or algae turf scrubber which will grow algae like crazy thanks to all of that ph-lowering Co2 in your tank and will dump oxygen into the tank which will raise ph.


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[TysTanks]

Appreciate the responses. I’m using Aquaforest Component 1,2,3 at the moment. Looks like that just has sodium bicarbonate. Once I’m finished with that I’ll switch to mixing my own with soda ash.

Going to do some research on using a kalk reactor as well.

It’s not really possible to get an air line outside from my skimmer with my tank location, but definitely will keep this in mind next time I move.

[TysTanks]

Increasing Kalkwasser has definitely helped. Maintained PH 8-8.1 even overnight.

Will be switching to soda ash on the next batch of two part.

Thanks for the help.

[crustaceon]

That’s the cool thing about a kalk reactor/stirrer. It always provides kalk at maximum saturation and can be run off of your ato for some models or a dosing pump for others. In my experience, ato-operated styles like the two little fishies do an awesome job maintaining PH and all you really have to do is make sure there’s kalk in your reactor and ro/di in your reservoir.


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