Unstable pH... Please Help!

[riser]

Hello all...

I am having problems keeping my pH at anything over 8.0-8.2 (with the lights on).

My tank consist of the following and has been set-up since April 2002 (with a move about two months ago):

-37g (tall) eclipse with Eclipse hood (including bio-wheel)
-(1)Coral Life Daylight 24" bulb & (1) Coral Life Actinic 24" bulb
-45lbs of Fiji LR
-4" DSB consisting of Caribe live sand (medium) & very fine marine white sand.
-(1) medium gorgonian Sea whip
-(1) small gorgonian
-(1) small orange brittle starfish
-(2) white Haitian(?) anemones
-(1) skunk cleaner shrimp
-(3) blue leg crabs
-(1) red leg crab
-(2) Emarald crabs
-(2) turbo snails
-(2) small blue/green chromis
-(1) Juvenile Coris Wrasse
-(1) small green sea plant
-(2) thorny oysters

I have had a wide assortmant of beautiful fish over the last several months & have gotten tired of flushing $$$ down the tiolet (pun intended) as well as innocent fish. I was hoping to add some polyps, clown, & a dwarf angel, but I can not keep my pH stable enough.

I use Natureef SeaAlk or Alk hardness plus/ Calcium hardness plus (combo) as buffers & also their Bromactine, Strontium, Reef Former, LIFO, & Natu Vite as supplements.

As of today: My nitrates are below 10, trites -0, Amonia -0, Alk -13.3 (after buffer was added today), salinity 1.023-24, pH 8.1, & temp is 76f.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I am getting quite frustrated & sadden (loosing fish) by this hobby.

Thank you!

[Pineapple House]

Generally as tanks matures, your pH will tend to swing around a bit. I would drip kalk overnight to keep your pH more stable. Proper pH will also keep it stable. I would highly recommend that.

In a nut shell,Marine buffers will raise the pH, but often it's only a temporary rise.
Alkalinity buffers will build up your alk.
The alk protects the tank from low pH.
The tank's natural tendency is to drop pH over time.
Having a good level of carbonates/bicarbonates as in a good alkalinity allows your tankwater to "resist" this tendency for the pH to fall. In additition to calcium/alkalinity, the pH is also affected by algaes and other lifeforms in the tank, their consumption of O2 as well as CO2 gas from animal respiration, surface gas exchange and water circulation.




Also, how much and how frequient do you add those additives to your tank? Too much might be lowering your pH.


I would personally try proper pH or drip kalkand see if that helps.

PH =)

[riser]

Thank you very much... I will try proper ph. As for "kalk', is that the same as Kalkwasser??? If so, I thought that that was more for calcium - which I actually forgot to mention I am also using Natureef Calcium & adding as needed (as well as, magnesium)

I add the supplements as perscribe... M-F, i'm usually adding something daily, but I've been cutting back since I started to suspect that it was affecting my tank in other ways, as well.

Thanks again

[phistio]

kalkwasser is for calcium...and drip by drip, it will not affect ph up or down...

added very quickly (not recommended at all) it can cause a swing in ph.

one reason for ph swings (especially night and day ph swings) could be temp. but i suspect increased gas exchange at the surface of your tank...out of curiosity, do you have a power head pointing towards the surface of the water? if so, try to angle the head down a little... over stimulation of the surface can present dissolved oxygen (a good thing) and loss of built up carbon dioxide (also a good thing) but can a combintaion of the two in excess can present a ph drop. i encourage a water change, and try to monitor both ph during day and night...if there is a huge difference...it might be temperature changes due to lighting...

if that is the case...i recommend bringing your temp up to 79 degrees over a weeks time...

these are things IMO that have helped me have stable ph...perhaps by coincidence...

good luck!

[phistio]

also, off topic...

your white two "white Haitian(?) anemones " are more likely to be condylactis gigantica species...

just an observation

[riser]

THANKS AGAIN!

I have just added a 5w power head in the middle of tank for better circ. I have also stopped filling all the way to my filter outputs so that it will cause more of a "splash", waves, bubbles, etc... It makes sense, so I hope it helps :)
My temp is constatnt & stays between 76-77d 24/7, but I will try to raise it to 79 this week.

Also, thanks for the info on my anemones.

[Dude]

Kalkwasser question:

It was always my understanding that the continued addition of kalkwasser depletes the alkalinity buffer which can ultimately affect ph.

thoughts?

[phistio]

it depends...i don't find i have a problem dosing kalkwasser...it takes me a couple of days to empty a half gallon solution of kalk in my tank...this slow, it doesn't effect the buffering for ph...but i know if i dose strontium and magnesium i have to dose a few days in between...dose too closely to the calk, i notice a slite drop in ph, as the water does not buffer as well...

[reefer_wannabe]

Just to add a little "cheapskate reefer" here.....A good, cheap alk buffer is:

6 parts baking soda (do not use baking powder!!!)
1 part washing soda

Mix well and use 1 tbs per 25 gallons once a week. This will help keep your alk stable.

HTH

[DgenR8]

A PH of 8.2 or 8.3 is not a bad thing. I'm wondering why noone asked how much of a swing you are seeing. My tank goes from 8.0 before lights on to 8.3 at lights off. I think this is optimal. Unless your PH is dropping lower that 8.0 in the dark, I wouldn't be alarmed at all. If it's keeping at 8.2 to 8.3, you are actually golden.
Do you have test kits for all that stuff you're adding to your tank so you know when enough is enough??

One more thing,
That temp is too low, way too low.
Read this:
http://rshimek.com/reef/tempsal.htm

[NorthCoast]

DgenR8,

Very good points...

...and WECLOME to the forum! :D

Later,
NC