First water test today...low PH - What do I need to do now?

[greatXss]

API Test kit

Temp - 78
Salinity - 1.023
PH - 7.8 - 8.0 (its hard to tell..it doesn't really match any of the colors but four people place it in this area)
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - not quite 0, but close

The tank has been setup a week.

There is around 50LBS of LR in the tank, that has been cooking for over a month. The water temp in the tub hit over 100 some days so im sure there isnt much life on the rocks.

I am dosing Seachem Stability to help jump start the cycle.



I am acclimating a couple of CUC critters now, and have a pair of Black Percs on their way here via AquaBid.

How do i raise the PH before they get here?

 

[reef-lover]

what time did you take the tests? When my lights kick on in the morning my PH is 7.8-8.0. That's not a critically low PH. You can always add some buffer to bring up your PH.

 

[greatXss]

about 20 minutes ago...the light has been on all day. Its just a crappy AGA 20w fluorescent tube so I dont know how effective it is.

 

[reef-lover]

20 watts?...How big is your tank?

 

[greatXss]

29g + 10g fuge

 

[reef-lover]

Stick that 20 watt bulb over your fuge and get stronger lighting for your main tank.

 

[Hypertek99]

That 20w is not enough to keep corals.

 

[greatXss]

i know that...i dont plan on getting any corals until i upgrade the lights...its just what i have at the moment.

 

[weimers75]

That pH isn't your only problem (and its really not critically low)! Although its a bit late since you said they're on their way - your tank isn't old enough for fish/cuc. I know damsels are hardy, but being up a week your tank hasn't gone through a cycle and 2 fish and a cuc is a lot to add in a short amount of time. They will produce alot of waste and since your tank hasn't cycled it won't have enough bacteria (especially since you mentioned high temps which likely killed a lot of it) to adjust so quickly to an increase in bioload. Hopefully your clowns make it through the cycle - for their own sake and yours as I know b & w aren't cheap! As for the cuc - good luck, depending on what you got they can be very susceptable to nitrates which will likely spike in the next week or so. Keep an eye on your parameters and have water on hand to do frequent water changes.

 

[greatXss]

Well, ive been checking the water every day (evening, just before the lights go off) and the readings have been the same. Nitrates are a touch higher, but everything else has stayed at 0. My clowns havent even been shipped yet (that i know of) so that buys some time...

My CUC is doing great! 3 Hermit crabs, two Mithrax crabs (one red, one green) a snail (i forget what kind. tan, cone shaped) One of the hermits was a freebie, and i found a bumble bee snail in the tank. I thought it was dead cause it hadnt moved in days, but when i looked yesterday, it was about 5 inches away from the spot i first saw it.

There is also a single feather duster that showed up in the tank. It started out about 1/4 inch, and in the past few days its close to an inch!

 

[paintballer768]

I dont think a cycle could have happened that fast. May the LR have been from an established tank so there was no die-off? I hope the black percs do well, but its kind of a toss up.

Get some pH buffer and dose it lightly until it gets to the spot you want it at.

 

[bigtex52]

I would think that if there is a feather duster in there, the rock must have been fairly fresh without too much die off. You might try introducing a bit of waste (a small raw shrimp from the store blenderized with a little RODI or tank water and poured in) and see how your params react. Specifically, see how high your ammonia spikes and for how long. That will give you a little insight into your bacterial health and how advisable adding additional bioload this soon would be. Also, are you running a substrate in the tank or BB?

 

[kurbs]

I second this! It's really early and risky adding livestock right now. The key to a successful tank is patience....and a lot of it.

That pH isn't your only problem (and its really not critically low)! Although its a bit late since you said they're on their way - your tank isn't old enough for fish/cuc. I know damsels are hardy, but being up a week your tank hasn't gone through a cycle and 2 fish and a cuc is a lot to add in a short amount of time. They will produce alot of waste and since your tank hasn't cycled it won't have enough bacteria (especially since you mentioned high temps which likely killed a lot of it) to adjust so quickly to an increase in bioload. Hopefully your clowns make it through the cycle - for their own sake and yours as I know b & w aren't cheap! As for the cuc - good luck, depending on what you got they can be very susceptable to nitrates which will likely spike in the next week or so. Keep an eye on your parameters and have water on hand to do frequent water changes.

 

[ss7]

Your PH won't be a problem at 7.8. From my experience, my corals look healthier when I track alk/ca/mg/nutrients rather than PH. I've run my PH at 7.6 during the evenings while running zeovit with no ill effects; at times it would dip in the the 7.5s.

As for setting up your current tank and having inhabitants coming soon, just keep up with bi weekly 7g water changes for the next couple weeks and you should be fine. Its not best case, but many of us that have had sudden tank problems have done it.

Welcome Aboard,
Sam

 

[greatXss]

It does have a sandbed. It's all fresh sand, around 2" give or take in the main tank, and small section of the sump (around 3 gallons) has a deep sandbed, and about half of that sand is seeded from the LFS main tanks. Some of the LR came from the LFS, but it was given to me in a dry bag, so I dont think much survived the hour long trip home.

The majority of the rock came from an established (several years) tank, and was never out of water for more than a few seconds. It cooked in a closed tub for over a month, and the water was replaced once during that time.

I am crossing my fingers on the clowns, and am ready and willing to do water changes every day if need be to take care of them.

When I get some money together again, Ill get the rest of the testing supplies.

 

[weimers75]

I'll cross my fingers for the livestock but you've found this site which will be invaluable to keep you from making future mistakes. Patience is key in this hobby - nothing happens fast. If you added any liverock that sat in a bag for over an hour you WILL have die off, and a week is not enough time for a cycle. My bet is you will soon have a nutrient spike. Keep a close eye on it...although your cuc may be fine now, if a nutrient spike hits its all up in the air.

Also keep in mind that doing frequent water changes to eliminate the spike will make your cycle MUCH longer, you're effectively keeping the bacteria from establishing itself in the rock by removing its food - the nutrients - which is the whole purpose of allowing a tank to cycle.

 

[Dihydrogen Monoxide]

I would not suggest adding a pH buffer as it will throw off carbonate alkalinity readings.

The real problem lies in the amount of dissolved oxygen is in the aquarium in relation to the amount of dissolved carbon dioxide. Carbon Dioxide has a pH lowering effect, and the amount in the tank is in dirrect relation to the amount that is in the atmosphere around the water column. So getting fresh air (out doors) will aid in increasing pH.

I would first ensure that the pH level you are getting is correct. Test kits using drops are at best mediocre, as they are in most testing. I would suggest getting a pH meter even though they can be moderately expensive.

If you can properly aerate the aquarium (skimmer) and get some fresh air to the tank then there is a minimal chance of pH issues.

H2O

 

[greatXss]

Skimmer is at the top of the list, and a PH meter is somewhere on the list

Part of the problem may have been that my refractometer was not properly tuned. I got the Pinpoint Salinity Calibration Fluid, and it was off by 0.005 so the salinity was actually 1.019

 

[Dihydrogen Monoxide]

Looks like you are off to a good start

The initial nitrogen cycle can have ill effects on pH measurements but I would not take any action other than getting the skimmer going.

 

[Burks]

Do you have a local reef club in your area? Try asking on the boards to see if you can borrow a pH probe.

How about your local fish store? A lot of them do have free water testing. Not sure how a 30 minute drive would effect your pH levels in the water though, if any at all.