Re: Seachem marine buffer 8.3 and Kent nano reef  - 1/6/06
Hi again, sorry to trouble you again. <Not a problem>   
  I have dosed SeaChem's Marine buffer 8.3 and my water parameters which are relevant are at dKH of 11 I believe. I was using Nutrafin's KH/GH test kit and KH was determined at 210, which I divided by 17.9 to obtain the dKH value. <OK>   
  My water pH is at 7.90 this morning, I believe it is still a bit on the low side though I do not want to buffer the water any further as that may lead to over buffering with little effect on my pH. <Yes, your dKH is OK.  The ph isn't dangerously low.>   
  My aim is to get morning pH to 8.2 or 8.3 however I am unable to achieve this and do not know how to solve the problem. I tried the aerated water test, by getting a cup of water from the tank and aerating it outside in my garden for 5 minutes, stirring it vigorously. I manage to obtain a pH rise of 0.05, i.e. my reading was 7.95.   
  Does that mean my CO2 level is causing my low pH in my tank or could it be other reasons ? I have only 2 clown fish and a mushroom rock together with 22 lbs of live rock, a Prizm skimmer by red sea and a SEIO 820 pump for flow and MH lighting all in a 20 gallon tank. <I always recommend aerating make up water and water used for water changes for 24 hours to remove excess CO2.  And yes, CO2 will lower your ph along with any other acidic conditions that exist in your tank such as uneaten food, detritus in the sand bed/substrate etc.  Do you vacuum the substrate during water changes?>   
  Please advise. I'll be trying to test my newly made salt water in a few days when I do a water change to see if it is the salt mix. apart from that, would there be any way on such a small tank to increase pH to 8.2 / 8.3 safely without increasing KH further. <Ernest, unlike salinity, heat and nitrogen levels where the more you add the more you have, you cannot add ph, its not a substance, it is a measurement scale of the hydrogen ion level in water which indicates the acidity conditions.  Keeping nitrate levels low, weekly water changes, vacuuming the substrate and a careful feeding routine all contribute to reducing acidic conditions that cause low ph.  Do monitor dKH at least on a weekly basis.  Another point is to clean your skimmer cup weekly.  I use the same skimmer on my 30 mini reef and it is amazing how much gunk gets collected in the riser tube in this short time.  In not doing so greatly reduces the effectiveness of the skimmer.>   
Thanks, you crew are always helpful and I very much appreciate your help. <You're welcome.  James (Salty Dog)>
Ern

Adding Bi-Carb Soda for Ph    3/31/06
Hi Bob,
<Joe>
In your book you mention adding Sodium Bi Carbonate to maintain the required kalinity in a SW tank. I am confused as to whether your prescribed amount of 5 grams per 20 gallons is what we should add each week based on the entire volume of system water or just the amount of water that we are replacing?
<Better just for replacing. The actual bolstering and maintaining of "enough" alkalinity is a bit more involved, and for the majority of systems can/will be "made-up" with regular water changes. For some folks... with lots of life/metabolism, feeding, inadequate "other" sources (substrates, live rock), commercial alkalinity prep.s containing carbonate/s, borate/s are sometimes a good idea>
Also, does Sodium Bi-carbonate have a limiting Ph (i.e. it will not go higher than a certain ph value regardless of how much is added)  or will it keep raising the Ph past the desired range of 8.0 - 8.5?
<Does have a limit... all else "being equal" (what universe is that?) Sodium Bicarbonate will not elevate (by itself) pH more than about 7.8>
Although sometimes I get confused as to whether Bi Carb Soda raises the pH or the alkalinity??
<Will... as you will see through experimentation, application. I do wish I had the capacity to "re-teach" folks such important concepts as "non-Euclidean" thinking... basic chemistry that is non-linear, multiple factored... instead of hints and glimpses as here. Perhaps a stint back as a H.S. Science teacher would do me. Bob Fenner>
Thanks,
Joe

Low pH   3/16/06
    I have a 72 gallon reef tank with the salinity at 1.024, the kH at 12dkh, the calcium at 400ppm, and my pH is at 7.8-8.0.  I've tried taking a bucket of the tank water and aerated it outside with a power head on the bottom pushing the water up, did not help, I talked to different LFS and it does not make sense to them.  I tested my water when I make it and is has the same pH of 7.8-8.0 as my tank.
<Mmm, could be your salt brand/mix... this pH is not terribly low though...>
    I have a SpectraPure 4 stage RO/DI unit that I run my water through, I aerate it for 24hrs. and the pH is at 6.9-7.2.  I add a 1/2 tsp. of Kent dKH buffer.  I let is aerate for another 24-48hrs with the power head on the bottom of the bucket, my pH is then at 8.3-8.5.  I have a bucket of water that is just buffered  for top off and one that I add salt to.  When I add the salt ( I've tried Oceanic, Oceanpure, and Instant ocean )
<The last is best/better>
to the water the pH drops from the 8.3-8.5 down to 7.8-8.0 instantly and stays there, even 48hrs. later, I buffered the salt mixed water after 48hrs. up to 12dkh even tried up to 14dkh, after 24hrs the pH is back at 7.8-8.0.
<Mmm, might be your "tester"...>
     I have thoroughly read through the other situations posted on your site and could not locate a situation like this. If you have any suggestions please let me know, which I will greatly appreciate. Your site is an excellent site with a huge amount of information that has been very helpful to me in learning the hobby as my setup is going on 2yrs. old. All my fish and corals look healthy which is the main thing.
<Well, there are other chemical prep.s you could avail yourself of... but if it were me, my system, I would first, check your checker... with another pH test kit/device, and not be overly concerned re the measures you list. Rest assured, many aquaculture and public aquarium settings have far lower values. Bob Fenner>

pH and Calcium supplements 4/10/06
What product do you recommend to raise pH and calcium levels?
<<Be sure you understand and test for Alkalinity.  pH measures how acidic or basic the water is.  Alkalinity measures the buffering capacity of the water, or in other words, the ability of the water to resist changes in pH.  Both are very important, and alkalinity is widely under-appreciated.  In any case, Kalkwasser is very useful in supporting pH, Alkalinity and calcium.  It is cheap and easy to use.  Grocery store pickling lime can be substituted for cost savings.  B-Ionic by ESV, C-Balance by TwoLittleFishies and TechAB by Kent are all two part preparations (one part calcium, one part alkalinity) that work extremely well and are extremely convenient to use, but are somewhat expensive.  There are recipes for "home brew" two part additives floating about the internet, but are probably best followed only by those with some chemistry background.  Last, but not least... you can use commercially available dry calcium and alkalinity additives. They are cheaper than two part additive systems but require a bit more care in their use.  Tropic-Marin makes a great dry product called BioCalcium that adds calcium and alkalinity in one product.  Any of the above can work very well.  Best Regards.  AdamC.>>