Replaced CO2 Media, Can’t get PH up???

[txmaverickmh]

Hey Friends, need advice please…

During our horrible hurricane in Houston, a buddy brought over some of his show pieces after battery backups went out, most have fared pretty well, but have lost a few SPS pieces that were just too shocked….

Just FYI…As part of adding these “at-risk” corals, I added bag of carbon to sump as safety measure

BUT, as normal routine, PH was creeping down below 8 in the mornings, I changed out my PH scrubber media….with new media changed normally fluctuates between 8-8.3. (I change out media when it dips down to like 7.9, media has changed color)

Question: With this PH scrubber media change, PH reading 7.87, not getting above 8 in the morning…Can some of these corals that don’t look good and 1-2 did not make it so I pulled them out effect PH and lower it????

Thanks,
MH

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Hey Friends, need advice please…

During our horrible hurricane in Houston, a buddy brought over some of his show pieces after battery backups went out, most have fared pretty well, but have lost a few SPS pieces that were just too shocked….

Just FYI…As part of adding these “at-risk” corals, I added bag of carbon to sump as safety measure

BUT, as normal routine, PH was creeping down below 8 in the mornings, I changed out my PH scrubber media….with new media changed normally fluctuates between 8-8.3. (I change out media when it dips down to like 7.9, media has changed color)

Question: With this PH scrubber media change, PH reading 7.87, not getting above 8 in the morning…Can some of these corals that don’t look good and 1-2 did not make it so I pulled them out effect PH and lower it????

Thanks,
MH

I’m not sure I understand the question, but a pH of 7.87 is very unlikely to lead to corals not looking or doing well.

 

[DanyL]

I think he meant the other way around? - whether the coral dying can affect the PH.

I believe a large amount of decaying tissue could possibly affect the PH, however it needs to be more than just a few frags (you did not mention amounts or size of the coral - so I’m generalizing), and tank size and filtration matters.

In other scenarios where you have big colonies, or just simply a good amount of corals that were actively growing beforehand feeling suddenly ill or dying, they’re Alk consumption will lower, and this could also indirectly affect your PH, and even more so when dosing less hydroxide based supplements to maintain a stable Alk.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I think he meant the other way around? - whether the coral dying can affect the PH.

I believe a large amount of decaying tissue could possibly affect the PH, however it needs to be more than just a few frags (you did not mention amounts or size of the coral - so I’m generalizing), and tank size and filtration matters.

In other scenarios where you have big colonies, or just simply a good amount of corals that were actively growing beforehand feeling suddenly ill or dying, they’re Alk consumption will lower, and this could also indirectly affect your PH, and even more so when dosing less hydroxide based supplements to maintain a stable Alk.

Oh, OK, yes, I agree the decaying corals (or anything else) will reduce pH as CO2 is produced. Corals just looking not the best won't.

 

[RedReefer]

My ph is running a little low due to the HVAC running more in the summer. It's always higher in the winter and lower in the hot months. It's 107 now, hot!

 

[txmaverickmh]

I think he meant the other way around? - whether the coral dying can affect the PH.

I believe a large amount of decaying tissue could possibly affect the PH, however it needs to be more than just a few frags (you did not mention amounts or size of the coral - so I’m generalizing), and tank size and filtration matters.

In other scenarios where you have big colonies, or just simply a good amount of corals that were actively growing beforehand feeling suddenly ill or dying, they’re Alk consumption will lower, and this could also indirectly affect your PH, and even more so when dosing less hydroxide based supplements to maintain a stable Alk.

Yes, correct…200gal system, strong protein skimmer, added carbon to sump

Friend gave me some very large colonies of SPS, torches, etc…two of the large SPS colonies, I trimmed to try and safe them, but they were too bad of shape, woke up this morning to pretty much white skeletons…I was wondering if these dying, decaying colonies could effect PH, as I am not getting the normal pop after changing PH scrubber media… but, as always @Randy Holmes-Farley delivered, sound like these dying colonies could have perhaps effected that

I have removed them, had a few little “stick” frags that I cut to see if they would make it.

I have always tried to keep PH about 8, seems to make corals happy in my tank…along with keeping Alk around 8.5-9