Anyone else having low PH compared to last summer? Looking at my logs I was between 8.1 & 8.3 during the summer last year. This year I am around 7.8-8.0. It usually dips in the winter time and gets higher during the summer (open windows and such). Wondering if its just me or maybe the air quality is truly effecting the tank. From the fires maybe? I use kalkwasser to maintain alk/ca/ph but it just cant keep my PH up this summer...
PH Low this summer
- Thread starter djkms
- Start date
I just dosed kalkwasser to get my ph up. Since I didn't have the apex last summer, can't add to how this year might be different then last. Do you have reeftronics pull your info? Pretty neat. http://www.reeftronics.net/d-m/apex-status
Thats what I thought as well but I have a window cracked right next to the tank like last year. The AC doesnt seem to be on anymore than last year... Now that I think about it though my wife did work during the day (same as me) This summer she is only working part time nights. So no there is always someone home breathing up the place!
I'm thinking its my Neptune Probe now.
I did recalibrate it a couple weeks ago and it did got down about .10. I thought nothing of it because it tends to creep up every few months anyways. It has even been dipping down below 7.80 to 7.77ish however I have been home this week on vacation breathing up the place. Even still I dose kalkwasser and Randys recipe one to make up the difference. So I decided to pull out a old API PH test and it was about 8.10-8.15ish (hard to tell with that stupid kit). I am thinking that my PH probe is getting interference from nearby power cables (known potential PH misreading issue) causing a low reading. Maybe there is a PH probe laying around the shop to check it all against....
Alkalinity is stable at 154ppm (8.6dKH) and doesn't fluctuate more than 2ppm per day.
I did recalibrate it a couple weeks ago and it did got down about .10. I thought nothing of it because it tends to creep up every few months anyways. It has even been dipping down below 7.80 to 7.77ish however I have been home this week on vacation breathing up the place. Even still I dose kalkwasser and Randys recipe one to make up the difference. So I decided to pull out a old API PH test and it was about 8.10-8.15ish (hard to tell with that stupid kit). I am thinking that my PH probe is getting interference from nearby power cables (known potential PH misreading issue) causing a low reading. Maybe there is a PH probe laying around the shop to check it all against....
Alkalinity is stable at 154ppm (8.6dKH) and doesn't fluctuate more than 2ppm per day.
Hey Mike, in this thread Derek (aka thatoneguy) is talking about baking soda lowering pH when used by itself. Might be source of issue for you.
http://www.marinecolorado.org/forums/showthread.php?t=13583
http://www.marinecolorado.org/forums/showthread.php?t=13583