Low pH causing issues

[dmh41532]

My 24 cube has been giving me problems with pH. It’s been around 7.7 for week or so, and I cannot get it up. I have a decent skimmer. Other parameters are good
Alk is 10
Calcium 480
Nitrate 10
Nitrite 0
Ammonia 0
Phos .03
Mag was a little high at 1500.
SG 1.026
Temp 78.

Is there anything I can do to get it back up? Nothing has changed as far as I can tell. But I’m losing at least one acro

 

[Uncle99]

True PH is usually hard to measure.
Could just as well by 8.0.
Is the DT in a “normal” setting?
Chasing this number goes on forever.

I spent months on this number at first, never getting beyond 7.6 no matter what, only to find the probe was just plain wrong.

 

[dmh41532]

True PH is usually hard to measure.
Could just as well by 8.0.
Is the DT in a “normal” setting?
Chasing this number goes on forever.

I spent months on this number at first, never getting beyond 7.6 no matter what, only to find the probe was just plain wrong.

I might agree with you, except I have at least one acro starting to bleach

 

[Uncle99]

I might agree with you, except I have at least one acro starting to bleach

How do you determine a PH of 7.7 is the root cause of the bleaching acro?

I think the 0.03ppm phosphate level is at least, a contributor. With margin of error, it could be zero.

 

[unclejed]

Have you tried Baking Soda? You have to look up the dosage. Start here;

How to Add Baking Soda to Aquarium for Healthy pH Levels: A Step-by-Step Guide

If you're looking for a natural way to maintain a healthy aquarium, you may have considered adding baking soda to the water. Baking soda, also known as sodium

aquariumslab.com

 

[dmh41532]

How do you determine a PH of 7.7 is the root cause of the bleaching acro?

I think the 0.03ppm phosphate level is at least, a contributor. With margin of error, it could be zero.

The phosphate has been that level, but low pH is new.

 

[chip shop]

That phosphate would not be your problem but I don’t think your ph is either

 

[Uncle99]

The phosphate has been that level, but low pH is new.

What is the age?

 

[dmh41532]

What is the age?

It’s about 2 years old

 

[C. Eymann]

There are many home aquariums that have daytime pH below 8.0 and even as low as 7.6 at night and a lot of times it's due to the home being well insulated/ sealed and full of CO2 producing humans and pets. Most corals will be fine with this and may just grow slower, however when it comes to Acropora and other more sensitive SPS some studies point to lower pH possibly affecting the microbial communities both endolithic and in surface / mucus where it can negatively impact the corals health, one study in particular have shown depressed pH to contribute to an increased population of possibly harmful bacterias vibrionaceae and alteromonadaceae that are linked to coral stress mortality, not necessarily conclusive though.

While my experience and opinion is obviously anecdotal, I have seen noticable improvements in health/ less RTN/ STN/ mortality and an improvement in growth/ mineral demand during the more temperate months where we leave doors open at the farm = elevating pH, where during the times of year that we can't open doors, you can see a huge difference in pH between week days (12-15 people present) compared to weekends (1-2 persons present)


I will always advise SPS keepers to do their best to elevate pH if it's dropping under 8.0 and especially if still under 8.0 towards the end of the photoperiod via switching to using kalkwasser instead of 2 part, running a CO2 scrubber on the skimmer, loccasionally opening a window/ fresh air etc etc
Smaller tanks can be a challenge because mineral demand is limited and you may only be able to dose small amounts of kalk without elevating alk too high, using a more "spicy" hydroxide like sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide instead of your 2part alk component can help dramatically. A product by aquavitro called balance is a convenient blend of these and is quite effective ( disregard Aquavitro's claim of it not raising alk) as hydroxides will bind with CO2/ carbonic acid/ bicarbonate forming additional carbonates and bicarbonates= increasing alk
Hope this helps

The impact of reduced pH on the microbial community of the coral Acropora eurystoma - PubMed

Rising concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide are acidifying the world's oceans. Surface seawater pH is 0.1 units lower than pre-industrial values and is predicted to decrease by up to 0.4 units by the end of the century. This change in pH may result in changes in the physiology of ocean...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[Uncle99]

It’s about 2 years old

Wow, that’s a mature system.
What’s it normally run at?
Just can’t see how 7.7 is the cause.

 

[dmh41532]

Wow, that’s a mature system.
What’s it normally run at?
Just can’t see how 7.7 is the cause.

Normally 8.0-8.2. I checked the pH in my ten gallon and it’s 8.0. I can eventually look at a co2 scrubber, but it may not matter if we get it with the hurricane, we’re currently in it’s path

 

[Uncle99]

Normally 8.0-8.2. I checked the pH in my ten gallon and it’s 8.0. I can eventually look at a co2 scrubber, but it may not matter if we get it with the hurricane, we’re currently in it’s path

That is an option.
Tried it. Worked, but expensive to maintain.
Now I pay no attention to this parameter.

 

[dmh41532]

That is an option.
Tried it. Worked, but expensive to maintain.
Now I pay no attention to this parameter.

How do they work? I guess an ever better question is where do I find one? When I google
Co2 scrubber, what I get is co2 dosing systems for planted tanks

 

[C. Eymann]

How do they work? I guess an ever better question is where do I find one? When I google
Co2 scrubber, what I get is co2 dosing systems for planted tanks

It's pelletized soda lime, same stuff used in scuba rebreathers to strip out CO2, your skimmer inlet air is drawn through a container filled with a bed of these pellets and it strips the CO2 out of incoming air. You can plumb it so it recirculates a percentage of output air from the collection cup that has already been scrubbed, given the skimmers collection cup design allows this which can help slow exhaustion rate a bit, but exhaustion rate is going to depend on the concentration of ambient atmospheric CO2/ ambient air in the room the aquarium is located in.

 

[00W]

My 24 cube has been giving me problems with pH. It’s been around 7.7 for week or so, and I cannot get it up. I have a decent skimmer. Other parameters are good
Alk is 10
Calcium 480
Nitrate 10
Nitrite 0
Ammonia 0
Phos .03
Mag was a little high at 1500.
SG 1.026
Temp 78.

Is there anything I can do to get it back up? Nothing has changed as far as I can tell. But I’m losing at least one acro

You have not mentioned how you are measuring PH.
I don't believe the difference from 7.7 to 8 is going to make much of a difference at all.
Testing +/- on ph is at least this value and your ph could even be lower or higher.
Hard to tell.
I would say low trates and phos is more the cause.
But yes try raising by co2 scrubber, running your skimmer line outside/into fresh air.
Where in the house is the tank located?
A mature system of 2 years can adapt to slight tank changes with ease.
Pictures of your tank always help.
I've chased ph for years.
Bought a probe, happy with it ,works pretty well. Came home today ph reads 8.61.
I know it can't be that high.
Api test reads much lower.
Just never know....
I think ph is important but not the cause of your worry.