URGENT: When does pH become dangerously high?

[jrgilles]

Seems my kalk reactor has cranked my pH up too high. What level is it dangerous where I need to start calling people to go unplug the reactor?

It is sitting at 8.5 now. I've remotely shut down my halides, but the ATO/Kalk is still going (stupidly didn't put it on a controllable outlet before I left.)

Am I risking killing corals/livestock where I need to somehow get someone to my house to disconnect it? Or will I be ok?

Hopefully it will go down tomorrow. I could leave the halides/actenics off tomorrow or something if I need to. Or would that also do bad things for the tank?

I have fish, hard and soft corals and a clam in the tank....

 

[mojoreef]

The biggest problem is going to be a swing in the ph so you have to slowly bring it back down. The simplest way is through water changes, but do it slowly. the swings are what gets ya, and 8.5 is not the that bad

 

[jrgilles]

OK, I've been reading pages online, and I think its not that bad. I'll monitor it closely. Should be going down at least for the night. If it gets up high again tomorrow I'll try to get someone to swing by my place and shut down the ATO until I get back sunday or put it onto a controllable outlet so I can manage it from here.

Thanks mojo. Was freaking out, but getting calmer....

 

[jrgilles]

sorry for the kind of double post. Wanted to mark it urgent incase I was at the edge of a tank meltdown and needed to deal with it somehow.

 

[mojoreef]

Ok Rob you got two threads going so lets use this one. Its not the level that you have to worry about, its how great of a swing you had hppen. So what is the normal ph you run.

Mojo

 

[mojoreef]

Ok I am full of turkey and have to go pass out, so here is the plan. A swing of two to three on ph is not so bad, mine does that every night. If you wake up tommorrow and the level begins to rise, just do a 20 % water change with normal PH SW mix. and then turn the lights back off for awhile again. Check back after 2 to 3 hours and if its still high do another WC but leave the lights on this time. Let it go for the night and then start the above over again.

Like I said I spike in ph is bad, spiking it back down again is also bad and should only be done if the PH has spiked up 5/6 points at one time, then your rolling the dice anyway. From the sounds of it your pretty close to normal unless you run PH low.

anyway that should do it for ya.

Now off to the couch I go


Mojo

 

[jrgilles]

Well, it was running 7.9 (night) to 8.1 in the day for a long time. Put on a TLF kalk reactor about a week ago, and it has been 8.1 to 8.3 for the last week.

The night before I went home for T-day I put another 2 TBSP of kalk into the reactor. Was at 8.3 at the end of the day yesterday, stayed 8.3 all night, and stayed 8.3 all day today, until about 5 seattle time. At that point, I see a spike up to 8.5 that happened within an hour. I then noticed this on my smartphone app and shut the halides down.

It is now going back down. Just got a hold of sulliest, and he said he can swing by and unplug my ATO if it goes up again.

Can't really explain the spike that occured. Wonder if a float switch stuck or something...

Here is the graph of the pH today. It shows it going up to 8.6, but that is in the sump. you can see it quickly mixed into the tank and landed at 8.5 (ATO/Kalk injects into sump, pH probe is in the sump.)

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee320/bobgoulsby/pH.jpg

I noticed this about 5 seattle time, and shut the halides down.

 

[jrgilles]

Ok I am full of turkey and have to go pass out, so here is the plan. A swing of two to three on ph is not so bad, mine does that every night. If you wake up tommorrow and the level begins to rise, just do a 20 % water change with normal PH SW mix. and then turn the lights back off for awhile again. Check back after 2 to 3 hours and if its still high do another WC but leave the lights on this time. Let it go for the night and then start the above over again.

Like I said I spike in ph is bad, spiking it back down again is also bad and should only be done if the PH has spiked up 5/6 points at one time, then your rolling the dice anyway. From the sounds of it your pretty close to normal unless you run PH low.

anyway that should do it for ya.

Now off to the couch I go


Mojo

Thanks mojo. Unfortunately I'm in illinois and my tank is in seattle. Going back home on monday so trying to figure this out remotely. I think it should all be good though

 

[mojoreef]

Ok go to the other thread

 

[jrgilles]

Well, got home last night and the tank looks great. Not sure what caused the pH to spike. My theory was that the first of my 2 float switches on my ATO/Kalk reactor malfunctioned and it filled to the second line. But, that doesn't appear to be the case. I guess I'll mix in a little less kalk powder into the reactor from now on (and also put my ATO/Kalk on a controllable outlet >.<)

Anyway, all is good. Thanks for the replies and sorry about the double post