Help!!! Big PH Swing!!!

[taichimaster]

My regulator malfunctioned and as a result, the water in my reactor got dumped into the sump. My PH was at 8.3 and is now at 7.6. this happened within a 15minute time frame. I have two kids at home and don't have any time to go and buy PH Buffer. I don't have water pre-made either. I only have 5 gallons and plan to do the water change. Is it safe to assume things will be ok through the night or am I expecting all my corals and fish gone.

 

[g0rFz]

you could try some sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) which raises pH up...maybe try and drip it but i hear that it is better to let it happen on its own rather than two huge swings. that isn't too big of a swing though i think itll be fine

 

[moortim]

I'm no expert on the effects of ph but if you have sensitive corals they may react badly. I don't think fish will have as big of a problem with it. What do you have in your tank?

 

[loohunter]

if you have some baking soda i would use it

 

[taichimaster]

I had to leave the house but roughly in a span of 3 hours the PH has gotten back up to 7.92. I just checked it at 7:40pm so the PH is somewhat reasonable. I will do a 5 gallon water change and add some Reef Builder and see if that helps. So far, I noticed that the Rose Anemone is not open as usual, but everything else is looking alright so far. Crossing my fingers. I was so stressed for the 3 hours I was gone. Hopefully the worse is gone.

 

[loohunter]

sounds like you will be fine, the same happend to me and all my fish were on their sides and really stressed

 

[DonW]

if you have some baking soda i would use it

Dont use baking soda. It will also raise alk, time or water changes are the safest.

Don

 

[loohunter]

Dont use baking soda. It will also raise alk, time or water changes are the safest.

Don

sorry for the bad advice don. it is what i used to fix my situation, but i was more concerned with saving my fish than the few corals i had

 

[taichimaster]

Thanks guys. I was really worried last night. Couldn't sleep . Any How, the PH is now 8.0 at 8:00am. I hope things will just be fine. I will do more water changes once I get the water ready.

 

[Boomer]

The *only the reason the pH dropped was form all the CO2 it dumped in. In 24 hrs as you have seen that excessive CO2 has degassed out of the tank and it is about back to normal. Baking Soda is about the worst thing to use to raise the pH. When it is first added it adds CO2 to the tank and drops the pH but raises the ALk. Within a few hrs that CO2 also leaves the system and the pH goes back up to to where about it was and maybe a wee tad higher.