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-   -   Top up water (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2636009)

Mini_reefer 05/06/2017 03:00 PM

Top up water
 
I'm curious if I should areoate my top up water? I feel like it's been dropping my ph in my 29 cube. I have good o2 exchange in my tank between 2 koralia pumps faced upwards, my return upwards and oversized skimmer. Also I did a water change today after mixing my salt ph was 7.5. I use Red Sea coral pro salt and it says not to mix more than 4 hours so I don't want to leave it mixing for awhile. What do you guys do?


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jubei2006 05/06/2017 09:30 PM

Have you checked any parameters on your mixed Saltwater? Are you dosing anything in your Cube? Are you using a chemical test or lab grade Probe? The redsea mixing instructions request large pump to aerate, sprinkle don't dump salt to unheated ro/di water. Not following could cause caco3 precipitate which could be causing your pH problem.

Mini_reefer 05/07/2017 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jubei2006 (Post 25074814)
Have you checked any parameters on your mixed Saltwater? Are you dosing anything in your Cube? Are you using a chemical test or lab grade Probe? The redsea mixing instructions request large pump to aerate, sprinkle don't dump salt to unheated ro/di water. Not following could cause caco3 precipitate which could be causing your pH problem.



I use a 1080gph koralia to mix 5gallon bucket heated to 68 to mix then mixes for about 90 minutes to 76 to 78 to match my tank. I test with API kit i don't have time to use and do scientific experiments often. All elements were at 0 in fresh batch of saltwater. I do not dump I mix a 1/2 cup at a time within 15 minutes I have added all my salt mix to 1.023 then add very last bit to match my tank. Fluctuations are minimal on top up I add water atleast 2x a day not a lot just what I need never drops less than .001


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disc1 05/07/2017 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mini_reefer (Post 25075268)
All elements were at 0 in fresh batch of saltwater.

Even the calcium and magnesium? That means you forgot to put the salt in. Or did you mean to be a little more specific there.

Mini_reefer 05/07/2017 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by disc1 (Post 25075362)
Even the calcium and magnesium? That means you forgot to put the salt in. Or did you mean to be a little more specific there.



"Forgot to add salt" [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23] lol all I'm asking is should I add buffer to my top up water as my ph drops throughout the week that's it


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homer1475 05/18/2017 07:33 AM

Ph is dependent on the amount of CO2 in the house/room the tank is located. Circulating your top off water will have 0 effect on your PH.

exsequor 05/23/2017 06:46 PM

I store my ro/di in a 220g rotomold sealed but no aeration besides new water added every week when I flip on the water / booster (has a float valve, but I have no reason to rely on it right now).

Anyways, what good does circulation do if the water is perfect TDS and PH wise off the gate anyways???

Kadee 05/27/2017 07:03 PM

To combat my dropping PH I have added a diy CO2 scrubber to my air intake on my skimmer and kalkwasser in my ato. Works great to maintain my PH 8.2 to 8.3 day and night.

Khazmodain 06/07/2017 05:02 PM

Definitely don't add buffering chemicals for the purpose of chasing pH. Any clue what your alk looks like? Do you do your water changes on the weekends and see your pH drop throughout the week? If you can determine that alk is dropping to levels which are too low by the end of the week then it may be of value to supplement alk in topoff with kalkwasser or other means. But I wouldn't recommend blindly boosting alk as a response to low pH.

Ron Reefman 06/09/2017 05:36 AM

Chasing pH is a fools errand. I have 4 tanks and haven't looked at pH in 4 or 5 years. If pH is that low (7.5) adding buffer is a very temporary solution. What is the pH in the tank before you do the water change? And the pH of the new water?

Either the new water needs to be stirred more, or to get better air (less CO2), or the tank needs better air. Some people feed their skimmer with air from outside the house. Closed houses in the winter or summer can develop high CO2 and that will lower the pH in your water.

Mini_reefer 06/09/2017 07:54 AM

Thanks everyone for the response!! My tank itself is stable with ph around 8.2 to 8.4 even at night. Lowest I've seen is 8.0 at 5 am when i do morning test every now and then but by 12 pm it's where it should be. As far as my top up water goes I've just let my circulation pump keep aimed up top to help turn the water over and after a few hours i have seen the ph creep up to where it should be. I never really have tested my top up water for anything it was just a curiosity of mine one day. Ts all good now folks!


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