My research and finding on reef tank ph

[Rickybobby]

Hey everyone merry Xmas
Ok so I chased ph for some time. My main display is a 70g 2 years old mixed reef. Ph was alway 7.8-7.9 Hanna. I added a co2 scrubber and I’m now 8.1-8.2. However I have a 20g cube. Doing zero it’s 8.3! Both tanks have a skimmer. The only difference is fish load!! Ok so hear me out. I went out and bought a new co2 metre thinking my massive house was full of co2 from the family and lack of exchange. I was wrong. Indoor is the same as outdoor. So what’s the big difference between both tanks. Well the 20 cube has one fish. The 70g is over stocked (don’t hate I love fish ) with 10 fish. Most are small. Anyway my findings isn’t the air in the room bringing the oxygen levels down. It’s the fish. Having an over stocked tank ime is what causes me to chase ph.
so in closing I don’t mind running a co2 scrubber in order for my fish to feel good and the corals grow well!
The main tank at the lower ph has ten times more water movement than the cube.

I hope you enjoy my post and im
Interested to hear your thoughts

ps not dosing kalk or anything for calcium or ph

 

[blaxsun]

I have a massively overstocked 160-gallon tank (50+ fish), and pH is fairly constant around 8.2-8.25.

 

[92Miata]

I went out and bought a new co2 metre thinking my massive house was full of co2 from the family and lack of exchange. I was wrong. Indoor is the same as outdoor. S

If you're not finding a significant difference in CO2 levels indoor and outdoor, and you're not making a major effort to ventilate your house (ERV/HRV/etc) - I'd suspect your CO2 meter is junk.


I've got 4 adults in a 4000 sqft, very leaky house, and CO2 levels are several hundred ppm above atmospheric. (like 800ppm indoors, 400ppm outdoors)

Also, oxygen levels have absolutely nothing to do with reef pH. What is the alkalinity in each tank?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Anyway my findings isn’t the air in the room bringing the oxygen levels down. It’s the fish. Having an over stocked tank ime is what causes me to chase ph.

Certainly, the more non-photosynthetic organisms you have in a tank, the more CO2 is produced and the lower pH is, assuming you do not have high aeration to offset that CO2.

Just a minor point, pH is unrelated to oxygen. I wouldn't tie it to oxygen depletion. I expect you undertstand this, but many reefers do not.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

If you're not finding a significant difference in CO2 levels indoor and outdoor, and you're not making a major effort to ventilate your house (ERV/HRV/etc) - I'd suspect your CO2 meter is junk.


I've got 4 adults in a 4000 sqft, very leaky house, and CO2 levels are several hundred ppm above atmospheric. (like 800ppm indoors, 400ppm outdoors)

Also, oxygen levels have absolutely nothing to do with reef pH. What is the alkalinity in each tank?

In a leaky older home it might. New storm windows dropped the pH in my system.

 

[92Miata]

In a leaky older home it might. New storm windows dropped the pH in my system.

I've got a leaky older home in the south - we don't even have insulation in a bunch of our walls - and the room my tank is in has an AC unit in the window (and 1" tube from the skimmer running out beside the "flaps" for the AC - so a full open 1" gap running about 15") - and I still see significantly higher than atmospheric.

I don't doubt that new windows raised CO2 in a house in New England - I do doubt that he has indoor CO2 levels identical to atmospheric without significant intentional ventilation - it takes way too much air turnover to do that. Leaky windows aren't near enough. Especially in Ontario - he'd have $2k a month heating bills.

 

[Rickybobby]

I live in a new home 4300 sq ft. With ventilation system. Fish room co2 Levels are usually 400ppm

 

[Cory]

I live in a new home 4300 sq ft. With ventilation system. Fish room co2 Levels are usually 400ppm

Does your home have a hrv/erv?

 

[QuickrdenU]

I’ve been testing this myself lately. I have a brand new 3600sqft home. Tall ceilings. Lots of open space. Gonna experiment with the AC on circulate but for the time being, I’m seeing 1000 inside, 800 in the non conditioned garage, and 400 outside.

 

[Rickybobby]

Does your home have a hrv/erv?

Yea