the PH blues =(

[Chris Guerra]

I wanted to check and see what other people do to keep there PH levels where they should be. I've always had a PH level of approx. 7.8. If I really keep on it and add buffer daily, I can pull it up to 8.0 but when ever I try to use buffers to get higher than that, my KH gets too high. I have tried various brands of buffers and they all produce the same effects. Is there something I'm missing here? What does other peoples PH control consist of?

[mystikdragon7]

When are you testing you PH? If you are testing your water in the morning when the lights are off your PH will be down. You should test your PH when the lights have been on for a while, or test it before your lights go off for the day. What do you have for water movement? Do you have a skimmer? Do you have any power heads that are at the top of the tank making the water ripple or agitating it at all? What does your alk test at? If your alk/cal are good the chances are you may have a lack of oxygen getting to your tank. Take a sample of water and take it outside and swirl it around for a few minutes. Then test your water and if the PH has gone up then it is most likely you are not getting enough oxygen to your tank. If that is the case you can try setting up fans that blow across the top or by opening a window next to your tank to get fresh air.

[Chris Guerra]

I usually test around 6 at night. I have 2 tunze pumps in the tank (65 gal), The return from the sump throws a nice ripple allong the top and I am running an air pump to the sump. I dont test for alkalinity though. From what I understood, PH and Alkalinity were interchangable. If one was bad, so was the other, and they needed the same adjustment to make them right? Is that wrong, what are was to adjust your alkalinity?