Raising p.h. level

Question
QUESTION: nitrites - 0
ammonia - 0
nitrates - 5
S.G. - 1.024
temp - 78
ph - 8.0
cal - 520 +
alk - 5
dkh is about 18

I'm having a problem getting my P.H. up and my alk down  I'm adding marine buffer to raise my P.H. but no luck any suggestions.

ANSWER: Hey KIP,

WHOA!!!!

Stop adding the buffer...

First off there is zero problem with a pH of 8.0

YOUR test kit has a variance of several tenths over time and use...

The buffer is raising your alk...

Can you please tell me what livestock an dcorals you have?

Thanks

bill



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: no corals yet tanks to young only month old, 4 damsels,2 cromies, few snails, hermit crabs, 2 sand sifting star fish and a green emerald crab. Figured another month ans I'll start with the corals and other live stock

Answer
Hey Kip,

Well, that is good news for now.  wphew....

YEa, no wories on the pH of *.0, that is fine.  pH will go up and down depending on time of day, amount of light, whether or not your windows are open or closed, etc...

As long as pH is between 7.7-8.4  you are golden, if you are outside those ranges bya  few tenths, still no be catastrophe, but time to start adjusting.  I wont bother you with solutions to problems you probably wont have.  (very few folks have problem pH, and when they do, it is due to dosing and reactors..)

If you are going to change water every few weeks, chances are you wont need to dose anything, for year or more... When your hard corals start growing out of control, then you can dose, if needed.

But to determine if you need to is a matter of testing and seeing if calc and alk start to drop... if they do, and calc is below 375, then time to dose... but, i doubt you will get below 400, ever... please let me know if i am wrong.

Again, it will be after you add hard corals, sps, and lps, and in i mean a bunch of corals not just one or two... So no worries till then...


Good luck


Bill