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michika
12-31-2004, 05:23 PM
Having some sudden and what seems to be unexplained pH problems. Everything was fine on the 25th pH 8.2, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 0, calcium 460ppm, and SG 1.023.

Yesterday evening and still today the ph has dropped to 7.8-7.9, calcium moved up to 480ppm, SG 1.024 and everything else is still at zero.

1 29g tank running in tandem with a 10g along side. Only big change that has occured has been a water change (Kent salt), and the addition of a new anenome.

Ideas on what is causing this pH drop? Everything seems fine right now so I'm hesitant to add anything without knowing what is triggering this drop on pH.
SeaHorse_Fanatic
12-31-2004, 05:33 PM
What type of water did you use for the water change? In other words, what pH was your new water at since that was one of the few changes that occurred prior to your pH dip.

Anthony
michika
12-31-2004, 05:35 PM
RO/DI water, ph was 8.2 in new water and in existing tank water, and SG was both 1.023 in both.
snaggle
12-31-2004, 05:52 PM
shouldnt RO/DI water have a PH of 7.0 or did you add the salt before the test?
michika
12-31-2004, 05:54 PM
Didn't test water's pH before adding salt....ro/di water + salt =8.2pH
Dez
12-31-2004, 06:20 PM
I wouldn't be concerned about a ph of 7.9. I have a friend that has run a very successful reef tank for 6-7 years straight and his ph is constantly at 7.9. And yes he does calibrate his ph monitor on a regular basis.

Des
michika
12-31-2004, 06:28 PM
Good to know, I just wish I knew what triggered this sudden drop.

I guess I'll just wait and see what happens in the next couple of days.
Dez
12-31-2004, 07:25 PM
Good to know, I just wish I knew what triggered this sudden drop.

I guess I'll just wait and see what happens in the next couple of days.

If you never monitered your ph then you'd never know that there was a sudden drop :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: I never knew what the ph was in my 180 in the 2 plus years that I ran the tank. Never had an algae bloom, never had any problems....

But that's just me, I'm just pure lazy. :biggrin:

Des
michika
12-31-2004, 07:26 PM
It was a sudden drop though, I tested the ph in the tank before I added the new water and it was fine, then an hour later I went back and tested the tank water + new water and the pH had dropped.
Jack
12-31-2004, 07:54 PM
What are you using to monitor the pH?
michika
12-31-2004, 07:58 PM
A nutrifin high pH test kit. It just occured to me to check on the expiry date, but I can't find one, so I'm starting to wonder if sometime between my test of the existing water and the test of the new water if something didn't go sour. Although I'm not sure things expire that fast.
megatron_55
01-01-2005, 10:22 AM
Wouldn't worry about ph . . seriously since I started the hobby two years ago . . . I've never ever checked my PH and everything seems to be fine. . . the only thing that I've checked was the nitrate nitrite and ammonia when I was cycling my tank. Never lost a thing since day 1 . . .
michika
01-01-2005, 04:36 PM
Its so much more comforting to know that things aren't dying!

I'm just going to leave thing as they are for now, give it a couple weeks and see if it doesn't just balance out on its own.

Thanks everyone!
michika
01-01-2005, 04:37 PM
Its so much more comforting to know that things aren't dying!

I'm just going to leave thing as they are for now, give it a couple weeks and see if it doesn't just balance out on its own.

Thanks everyone!