Neptune Aquatics

More Confusing Chemistry

patchin

patchin

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Calibrated ph probe and started monitoring ph. Read 7.9. Alk was 6.5-7 so I figured I'd raise it and the ph at the same time. Added 2 oz of two part alk and ph went DOWN to 7.85. Huh??
What's going on?
 
What volume of tank?

2 oz is way too much if it's the 12g nano.

If you OD on 2 part, you can precipitate your alk and calcium and drop your pH.
 
One more thing. Everything in the tank looks good except for one hammer which has shrunk and one part has a "string" hanging off of it.
 
Also what are you using as your ALK portion of two part? Is it home made or is it b-ionic. If you are used baking soda of the ALK it will drop your pH.
 
Yes, it's homemade with baking soda. I thought that would raise it. I guess I need to read up on it. I could have sworn it said on the two part website that the alk part would RAISE the ph.
 
My mistake. If you make the recipe with SODA ASH, it raises ph. If you make it with BAKING SODA, ir lowers ph temporarily. Is soda ash a separate chemical than baking soda, or just baked baking soda? if different, I think it can be purchased from Leslies?
 
Baking soda lowers pH because it is a very weak base and it buffers the water below your typical pH of salt water. Soda ash (baked baking soda) is a slightly stronger base with therefore with buffer the water to a pH a little higher than your salt water.
 
I'm assuming your testing your pH with an electronic tester? Either way I wouldn't worry too much about 1/20th of a point swing in pH, you get more than that over night when your lights are out.
 
Is a ph of 7.9 detrimental to the corals' growth? I'm concerned cause one of my hammers is kinda struggling when it's been very healthy. kinda melting one one side??
 
[quote author=patchin link=topic=3240.msg36276#msg36276 date=1204688228]
Is a ph of 7.9 detrimental to the corals' growth? I'm concerned cause one of my hammers is kinda struggling when it's been very healthy. kinda melting one one side??
[/quote]


What time did you measure your pH? It will be lower in the morning than in the evening.
I don't bother to try to adjust pH because the adjustments are short term and too finicky. 7.9 should be fine, but I want to know what time you tested. :D
 
Tested in the evening before lights went out. This morning ph is 7.2. To me, that's scary. But heh, I'm just a beginner. Opinions, please
 
I do, I've seen my old tank at 7.2

Matt's (you know who Rich) tank tested out really low the other day as well, 7.5 I think.
 
AcII unit calibrated with 7.0 and 10.0 calibration fluid. The fluid was given to me when I purchased the unit. Supposed to lab grade fluids. Unfortunately I don'r have any other way to test the ph. I was given a Milwaukee pen style meter, but I could never get it to work right. May have dried out or something?

Note:
This is a tank where nothing really grows well. Corals just sit there without doing much. Mushrooms are about the only things that grow.
 
you could also grab a test kit for pH at a petco or LFS, might give you another reference, see if there's a huge discrepency.
 
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