callmedrlove
06/12/2006, 11:39 PM
I'm sure it's been discussed to death, but I assure anyone who replies that if I can solve my pH problem with help from these boards that I will forever preach the gospel of reefcentral's never-ending ability to assist the unknowledgeable. With that introduction out of the way, here's my situation.
I have a 65 gallon tank with the following inhabitants: 4" Yellow Tang, 2" Six Line Wrasse, 3" Maroon Gold Clown, Two 2" Firefish, 2 1/2" Coral Beauty, Bubble Tipped Anemone, Green Button Polyp, assorted snails and crabs, two Serpent Sea Stars, and one Long Spined Urchin. I use standard hobbyist test kits to test everything except pH and Specific Gravity, so the measurements are subject to user error. Calcium ~425, Alk 2.9~3.0, Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 75, Phosphate 0, Specific Gravity 1.025, pH 7.8~7.9.
I do not have a CO2 reactor. I believe the reason for the low pH is because the tank is in a tightly sealed room, and due to the heat the windows must remain closed, thereby limiting ventilation. To somewhat circumvent this lack of fresh air, I ran a tube from my skimmer outside to draw fresh air into the skimmer, but this only increased the pH from an average of 7.8 to around 7.9.
I currently add Kalkwasser to my tank using a 5 gallon bucket with airline hose to drip it. This leads to imprecise dosage, so I am buying a peristaltic pump. My question is this: can I mix stronger Kalkwasser in order to increase the pH more while dripping in only enough limewater to account for evaporation? If not, is there any other way to maintain a higher pH?
I recently bought 2 Firefish and 1 Diamond Watchman Goby from my LFS and after I got them into my quarantine tank (in which the water comes from my main tank) one of the Firefish and the Goby died within 2 days. The LFS said it was because my pH was way too low to support fish, and they recommended stopping my Kalkwasser dosing and changing to a 2 part calcium and alkalinity buffer, and then they changed their tune and told me to use baking soda.
When I asked them what this "buffer" actually increased, they said it directly increased pH without affecting anything else. I've read enough of Dr. Randy Holmes-Farley's articles to know this to be untrue. Their point was that my fishs' deaths was completely my fault for having low pH compaired to their pristine 8.3. When I asked them how they kept their pH so perfect they mentioned that they have huge volumes of water, huge protein skimmers, and a huge ozonizer, none of which the average consumer has. Finally they buckled and gave me a credit for my dead fishes, but now I am really interested in maintaining a more healthy pH.
I've rambled long enough. If anyone actually read this far into my post, I appreciate it as will I appreciate any helped offered. Thanks.
I have a 65 gallon tank with the following inhabitants: 4" Yellow Tang, 2" Six Line Wrasse, 3" Maroon Gold Clown, Two 2" Firefish, 2 1/2" Coral Beauty, Bubble Tipped Anemone, Green Button Polyp, assorted snails and crabs, two Serpent Sea Stars, and one Long Spined Urchin. I use standard hobbyist test kits to test everything except pH and Specific Gravity, so the measurements are subject to user error. Calcium ~425, Alk 2.9~3.0, Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 75, Phosphate 0, Specific Gravity 1.025, pH 7.8~7.9.
I do not have a CO2 reactor. I believe the reason for the low pH is because the tank is in a tightly sealed room, and due to the heat the windows must remain closed, thereby limiting ventilation. To somewhat circumvent this lack of fresh air, I ran a tube from my skimmer outside to draw fresh air into the skimmer, but this only increased the pH from an average of 7.8 to around 7.9.
I currently add Kalkwasser to my tank using a 5 gallon bucket with airline hose to drip it. This leads to imprecise dosage, so I am buying a peristaltic pump. My question is this: can I mix stronger Kalkwasser in order to increase the pH more while dripping in only enough limewater to account for evaporation? If not, is there any other way to maintain a higher pH?
I recently bought 2 Firefish and 1 Diamond Watchman Goby from my LFS and after I got them into my quarantine tank (in which the water comes from my main tank) one of the Firefish and the Goby died within 2 days. The LFS said it was because my pH was way too low to support fish, and they recommended stopping my Kalkwasser dosing and changing to a 2 part calcium and alkalinity buffer, and then they changed their tune and told me to use baking soda.
When I asked them what this "buffer" actually increased, they said it directly increased pH without affecting anything else. I've read enough of Dr. Randy Holmes-Farley's articles to know this to be untrue. Their point was that my fishs' deaths was completely my fault for having low pH compaired to their pristine 8.3. When I asked them how they kept their pH so perfect they mentioned that they have huge volumes of water, huge protein skimmers, and a huge ozonizer, none of which the average consumer has. Finally they buckled and gave me a credit for my dead fishes, but now I am really interested in maintaining a more healthy pH.
I've rambled long enough. If anyone actually read this far into my post, I appreciate it as will I appreciate any helped offered. Thanks.