I cannot raise my PH, need advice please

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

LOL, I was hoping you would get around to my OP. Do you have a recommendation based on all of the info I provided? Do you feel that 7.8 lights off & 8.1 lights at peek may be contributing to my lack of success with certain corals?

I suspect pH below 7.8 is a problem for some corals, but that above pH 7.8, the pH is mostly a growth rate issue.

A scrubber may help. Pure aeration (normal air) will bring up the low pH end but won’t raise the high end.

More photosynthesis such as a refugium, and higher pH alk additives may help.

 

[Liam's tank]

This observation makes me think it's acclimation to your tank. I float for 20 minutes for temperature acclimation and then add them to the QT Tank. I make sure they get lower light levels initially to not further stress them out.

But also it seems that the location of that SPS hitchhiker is a getting great flow. My SPS aren't happy in the same flow that my LPS are. I think you need more flow in the areas that you're keeping the SPS. Try moving the Lepto to get more flow. What mode and settings do you have your wavemakers at?

 

[Liam's tank]

This observation makes me think it's acclimation to your tank. I float for 20 minutes for temperature acclimation and then add them to the QT Tank. I make sure they get lower light levels initially to not further stress them out.

But also it seems that the location of that SPS hitchhiker is a getting great flow. My SPS aren't happy in the same flow that my LPS are. I think you need more flow in the areas that you're keeping the SPS. Try moving the Lepto to get more flow. What mode and settings do you have your wavemakers at?

I have tried different acclimation methods, bag floating less time with the drip method...Always start in low light, gradually moving the sps I've tried up to high light over a three-week period. The lps start at the bottom and stay there or close to it based on their recommended light requirements.
The stylo's that STN were in high flow. Higher flow than the sps in the picture.
I have two Hygger wave makers with several different settings throughout the day.

 

[Liam's tank]

This observation makes me think it's acclimation to your tank. I float for 20 minutes for temperature acclimation and then add them to the QT Tank. I make sure they get lower light levels initially to not further stress them out.

But also it seems that the location of that SPS hitchhiker is a getting great flow. My SPS aren't happy in the same flow that my LPS are. I think you need more flow in the areas that you're keeping the SPS. Try moving the Lepto to get more flow. What mode and settings do you have your wavemakers at?

I haven't tried to add any new corals for a while now basically because if you look at post #29 at the photo of the entire tank, you can see the Jack-o-Lantern that I got back in April, front right between the Duncan & Torch. When I added that coral to the tank it was encrusting the entire frag plug. You can see how much it has receded over the months. I was hopeful that the three part I'm dosing would help it to recover, but that has not been the case so far.
But the other corals in the tank have taken off! At some point I'm going to have to try again I guess.

 

[pshow001]

My tank is a 25 gal lagoon, live rock & sand, 14 months young. I have a few torches, a duncan, frogspawn, several zoa colonies & several other LPS. I have NO success with SPS. My PH is 7.8 in the morning when the lights are off, and is 8.1 at night with lights at their peak. Alk is 9.4, cal 440, phos 0.1, nitrate 10 to 15, SG 1.026, temp 78, I'm dosing a three-part blend that includes:
Fluoride, bromine, calcium, chrome, Colbalt, manganese, copper, nickel, zinc, barium, iron, potassium, iodide, & magnesium.
The three part includes: 1- alkalinity supplement
2-Calcium chloride with trace element supplement & carbon dosing source
3-Magnesium supplement ( ratio of MgSO4 & MgCL2, same as natural sea water.)
I'm dosing all 3 equally at 11ml daily spread out over 24 hours.
I have a skimmer running, my filtration is just filter floss in both caddies with 1/4 cup of activated carbon in one of the caddies, & obviously the live rock.
I purchased a CO2 monitor just to be sure that I didn't have a problem there, I didn't think I would, I live in a very old drafty house. The CO2 is fairly consistent at 405ppm.
What can I do to get my PH up to 8.1 at the low point & 8.4 at the high point?
Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!

Increase surface agitation, add a line going out from your skimmer, open windows near the aquarium. Are a few easy things to do that should help.

 

[ti_lavender]

Are SPS your goal?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Increase surface agitation, add a line going out from your skimmer, open windows near the aquarium. Are a few easy things to do that should help.

Just to reiterate again, more surface agitation cannot help him attain his goal of pH 8.4 peak.

 

[GARRIGA]

I suspect pH below 7.8 is a problem for some corals, but that above pH 7.8, the pH is mostly a growth rate issue.

A scrubber may help. Pure aeration (normal air) will bring up the low pH end but won’t raise the high end.

More photosynthesis such as a refugium, and higher pH alk additives may help.

That’s what I recommended. Don’t see any other solution.

 

[Liam's tank]

Are SPS your goal?

mixed reef, I have a rock that is close to the water surface and directly under one of my lights & in high flow, I would like to put a few SPS there.

 

[nanoreefer23]

no, I don't have a par meter, but the lights are uv & violet at 167%, royal & blue at 125%, green & red at 9% & white at 16%. the lights are mounted 9 inches above the water and the tank is only 12 inches deep, so with two lights at these settings, I don't think par is the problem

Yeah probably not but you should get or rent a par meter. Total worth it IMO.