PH doesn't get above 8.1
- Thread starter akunochi
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Boomer,
Thanks for the words of wisdom. I am going to building my next and hopefully final tank (In this house at least) next month. I am going to add a feeder line to the skimmer as you and Mike suggested in introduce fresh air to the system. I haven't dosed any PH buffer since the first day. My graph is pretty much a straight line on PH shifting only during night now. I am currently running a 25 gallon refugium and Algae Turf Scrubber in the system.
Thanks for the words of wisdom. I am going to building my next and hopefully final tank (In this house at least) next month. I am going to add a feeder line to the skimmer as you and Mike suggested in introduce fresh air to the system. I haven't dosed any PH buffer since the first day. My graph is pretty much a straight line on PH shifting only during night now. I am currently running a 25 gallon refugium and Algae Turf Scrubber in the system.
Tony Vargas
Active member
@Boomer you better buy my beers as well!
My Ph held steady at 7.8 at night up to 8.0 in the day for years without problems.
If you are using your Neptune probe to control your Ca reactor you will need to calibrate it often. I'd recommend every three months as (IME) Neptune controller probes tend to drift. My Milwaukee controller Ph probe on the other hand, has been rock solid for years.
My Neptune probe right now reads 8.53 Ph. I know its wrong. As long as my corals are happy. I dont worry much about Ph.
If you are using your Neptune probe to control your Ca reactor you will need to calibrate it often. I'd recommend every three months as (IME) Neptune controller probes tend to drift. My Milwaukee controller Ph probe on the other hand, has been rock solid for years.
My Neptune probe right now reads 8.53 Ph. I know its wrong. As long as my corals are happy. I dont worry much about Ph.
jrgilles
Well-known member
Boomer answered this same question for me when I got my apex. What it comes down to is that when you use a digital pH probe, you have to put the reading through an equation to get the actual pH. It takes into account dissolved salt in the water.
Roughly what it comes out to is that a pH probe reading of 8.15 is equivelant of a REAL pH of 8.3. I have the actual equation at home, but let me see if I can find the thread....
Can't find it, but if you want the equation for conversion from the pH reading to real pH, let me know and I can dig it up at home. Or, maybe boomer has it handy to repost.
rob
Roughly what it comes out to is that a pH probe reading of 8.15 is equivelant of a REAL pH of 8.3. I have the actual equation at home, but let me see if I can find the thread....
Can't find it, but if you want the equation for conversion from the pH reading to real pH, let me know and I can dig it up at home. Or, maybe boomer has it handy to repost.
rob
Boomer
Well-known member
JR
Roughly what it comes out to is that a pH probe reading of 8.15 is equivelant of a REAL pH of 8.3.
That is backwards, it is if it reads 8.3 it is really 8.15 but let me explain this again
We cal our probes to what is called pHnbs and not pHsws. However, we do not need to be concernd about pHsws as all the readings we go buy or you see anywhere on the net are pHnbs. The only time we use pHsws is when we need to fit the real pH into an equation, that say solves for how much CO2, HCO3- or CO33 one has. So, nobody should be correcting their pH to real seawater pH. Thus, we are back to what I said earlier, you have a slight CO2 issue.
Roughly what it comes out to is that a pH probe reading of 8.15 is equivelant of a REAL pH of 8.3.
That is backwards, it is if it reads 8.3 it is really 8.15 but let me explain this again
We cal our probes to what is called pHnbs and not pHsws. However, we do not need to be concernd about pHsws as all the readings we go buy or you see anywhere on the net are pHnbs. The only time we use pHsws is when we need to fit the real pH into an equation, that say solves for how much CO2, HCO3- or CO33 one has. So, nobody should be correcting their pH to real seawater pH. Thus, we are back to what I said earlier, you have a slight CO2 issue.
jrgilles
Well-known member
Guess I had it backwards. Woops. That means my pH is not near as high as I thought it was. Everything seems fine, so guess I won't worry about it.
To quote Boomer:
For meters, you don not really have to make -up a solution it is just math.
phSWS = pHNBS(meter) + log fH
fH = a correction for salt error.
fH = 0.739 + 0.0307 S + 0.0000794 S^2 + 0.00006443 T - 0.000117 ST
Where T is temp in kelvin and S is Salinity in ppt.
So, at a temp of 25 C @ 35 ppt
fH = 0.709
phSWS = 8.3 + log 0.709 = 8.15
No how just forget this Meter as is OK
To quote Boomer:
For meters, you don not really have to make -up a solution it is just math.
phSWS = pHNBS(meter) + log fH
fH = a correction for salt error.
fH = 0.739 + 0.0307 S + 0.0000794 S^2 + 0.00006443 T - 0.000117 ST
Where T is temp in kelvin and S is Salinity in ppt.
So, at a temp of 25 C @ 35 ppt
fH = 0.709
phSWS = 8.3 + log 0.709 = 8.15
No how just forget this Meter as is OK
Boomer
Well-known member
That means my pH is not near as high as I thought it was.
No, no !!! DO NOT make any correction to pHsws. Your reading is the one on the meter you want NO correction, see post above ^^^^
No how just forget this Meter as is OK
So forget it ^ I was just showing some what the real pH is. We DO NOT go by real pH The pH you may see on the net is not real pH but pHnbs. We go by pHnbs only, NOT pHsws.
No, no !!! DO NOT make any correction to pHsws. Your reading is the one on the meter you want NO correction, see post above ^^^^
No how just forget this Meter as is OK
So forget it ^ I was just showing some what the real pH is. We DO NOT go by real pH
The pH you may see on the net is not real pH but pHnbs. We go by pHnbs only, NOT pHsws.
Boomer
Well-known member
Calibrate the pH probe and test the tank, the reading on the meter is the pH we go buy. If the pH is lower than you want it is due to CO2 almost all the time, re-read post above on CO2 above.
T1tan360
Well-known member
i use to have the same issue. i had a closed in stand and canopy. added 4 fans to my tank 2 on one end in the stand and canopy to draw air in and the other 2 on the opposite end to draw the air out. i also put a hose on the intake to my skimmer to draw in fresh air from out side i put a small fuel filter i found at autozone for the skimmer so that i dont suck in crap from the outside. cost like 2 bucks.
