PH question

[scoobasteve]

recently i visited a guy wth a 300 gallon in wall reef system. He had a PH controller with a calcium reactor. He complained that his corals had no to little polyp extension and that coral had been dying. He had his controller set at 6.5. Does this mean that the tank has always run at 6.5 PH?

If he has been running this ph for two years, could this be why his corals have been failing?

How quickly can he adjust the ph without crashing the reef?

Also, he runs two 400 watt xm 20K's about three feet off the surface of the tank. I noticed the lighting wasn't very blue at all for 20k, and then realized he was running normal florecents for actinic also three feet off the surface. His tank is about 36" high. What 20k bulbs are known for being very blue and would vho actinic supplement help his coral vs. the florecents he runs now?

Aslo he wasn't running carbon and he was running those thick blue sponge filters in the sump. I suggested he run carbon regularly and that he ditch those sponges asap, he was only changing them once every six months. Also i suggested that he start spot feeding his corals. I just want to know if i gave him sound advice or if he should leave everything the way it was. Also, is it usually best for stable ph to run fuge lghts alternately with display lights?

[ben&bobbi]

The ph measurement of 6.5 should be taken of the fluid coming directly out of the reactor or in the reactor. if the measurement is taken in the sump, it should be in the 8.2 range. going through getting a controller setup myself!

if his reading is in the tank and at 6.5, raise it slowly nothing likes quick changes.

the lights seem a bit high off the tank. i have seen some stores with them that high, but the ones with best colors and corals are close to the water!

running the refug lights opposite the main lights is a good way to stabliize the ph, but from what i understand, the reactor does this as well.

that's all to the best of my knowledge - not an expert!

[WillWorkForFish]

try posting this on a different forum, try large reef tanks, or reef discussion..