Low PH in Saltwater Tanks Solved in 3 Easy Steps

[iKushTV]

How does adding a skimmer line outside effect the tank temps? What about when it gets 30-40 degrees outside? Thanks

[MrBelly209]

Hey can I put a longer hose that come out of my skimmer n put it outside my window so fresh air comes threw my skimmer?

[TheBerriersReef]

So you dose kalk, and two part?

[MySaltyone]

airline tubing outside could be risky,,weed killers around the area being sprayed and lawn fertilizers being use and so on,,I would put a charcoal filter on the end of the airline ,,,Their is NO WAY I would run an airline outside with all the different stuff that is floating around the air from time to time,,,Its just asking for problems..Amagine a neighbor spraying liquid seven to kill off bugs and it getting sucked in to your tube, to your protein skimmer,,,EVERYTHING IN THE TANK WOULD DIE!!

[Tradleon]

"Here we are... down here..."

[brac1derland]

hey, is 7.8 ok for hard corals?

[lei5ght19n]

Buy ph buffer if low

[minitruckn247]

do i have to worry about PH if im just keeping soft corals? anybody know? my tank seems to stay at 7.8

[mrsaltwatertank]

@minitruckn247 you don't.

[TheDebi1957]

mrsaltwatertank,

after you mix your solution can you remove the upper part, leaving the sludge, and put it in a seperate container such as an IV bag and use an IV pump to drip into your sump. I have a 240 gallon with a 100 gallon sump, and yes I am a nurse so I was using my medical mind to figure some other way to dose which I think would be safe. Your advice would be appreciated.

thankyou,

TheDebi1957

[mrsaltwatertank]

@TheDebi1957 sure you could do that. It adds another step that really isn't needed if you just suspend your inlet hose over the sludge. Suspending a hose is much easier than separating out the fluid.

[allSaLTwater]

if i have a fish only saltwater tank and my ph is 7.8 is that ok for fish

[mrsaltwatertank]

@allSaLTwater yes

[Doubtfire95]

will making the protein skimmer air line tub longer make the protein skimmer work less effective?

[mrsaltwatertank]

@Doubtfire95 It might drop it down some, but I haven't noticed a drop in performance of my skimmer.

[CaptiveReefSystems]

@Doubtfire95 No, it will not. There is air inside the entire length of the tube, so this will not be an issue.

[reefguy710]

will ozone also raise ph since its oxygen?

[mrsaltwatertank]

@reefguy710 nope, it can actually reduce your pH as it encourage stuff in your water to break down which can produce CO2. Pure oxygen can work.

[dannyboy27ish]

You can also use baking Soda to raise it or lemon to lower it

[mrsaltwatertank]

@dannyboy27ish You can and I don't advise people to use off the shelf products in their tank. You just never know what ELSE could be in box with the soda/lime.

The kalk in the video is pharaceutical grade so I know all that is in the container is kalk.

[thenomadrhodes]

great video! but could you fill us in on how you mix your kalk? i all ways heard it was complicated, you had to mix it let the kalk settle on the tank then pump off the clear solution and then add that as your top off water, also what about using some thing like Miss Swags pickling lime? thanks

[mrsaltwatertank]

@thenomadrhodes Already done! You can find it on my channel page.

I don't like using picking lime as I can't be sure what is in it. The kalk that I buy is pharaceutical grade so I know i'm getting kalk and that's all.

[mrsaltwatertank]

@thenomadrhodes same as I told dannyboy, I don't like to non-pharaceutical grade products on my tank. Yes you can use pickling lime but I'm not going to risk putting impure products my tank just to save $1-$2

[tiburone9162003]

good vid. ! , my ph level its always on 7.8-8.0 but im affraid that it might drop someday and i wont have room to work on raising the ph since its already on the low side of what it suppost to be.. all of the local reef shops have it at 8.2-8.4...

[mrsaltwatertank]

@tiburone9162003 don't get too stressed about not having your pH @ 8.2 or better. I rarely (as in 2x a year at best) see 8.2 or better and my tank is fine.

If your tank is doing well at 7.8-8.0 just leave it be.

[tcobos]

this guys is soo cool!

[mrsaltwatertank]

@tcobos haha...thanks!

[njoyrid]

so far, after 9 months, didnt lose anything; finger crossed!!

wife an I expecting a baby (4 days late), cant wait to try that baby in front of tank LOL

at 6 feet long, i have room for 5 more babies LOL

[mrsaltwatertank]

@njoyrid Hahaha! I guess that means I should downsize - I only want 2 kids, but I have a 4' tank!

Congrats on the baby, if you want a great way to have the kiddo sleep through the night by about 6 weeks, send me a private message.

[njoyrid]

yeah I'm dosing kalk with my top offs with a Ph of 12

[mrsaltwatertank]

@njoyrid Good! Keep an eye on your SPS then as too much of an Alk swing can annoy them. But if your pH is 7.75-8.0 in a given day, don't worry about it.

[njoyrid]

My tank's ph swings 7.75 to 8.0 every day. do you think that swing can damage my SPS?

[mrsaltwatertank]

@njoyrid Nope. My tank stays between 7.65-9.98 in the summer and my SPS are fine. In fact, most people say they grow like weeds when they come see my tank.

SPS will be more sensitive to alkalinity swings. Keep your Alk swinging no more than 1 point a day, .5 if you can. Kalk is the best way to do that.

[IPWINSTAIR]

I had all my levels in my aquarium go up. I used a water conditior (AmQuel+) to help. It did its job but it also lowered my pH from 8.2 to 7.8. I am not a reefer, but I do have a FO tank with aggressive fish. How serious is this to my fish and what should I do?

[mrsaltwatertank]

@IPWINSTAIR what levels specifically went up?

According to AmQuel, their product won't affect pH, so I'm curious if it was really the cause of the pH drop. However, given that you have a FO tank, a pH of 7.8 isn't a big deal. My reef tank runs @ 7.75-8.0 all summer long with no issues.

[IERKRUGER]

what if you have a high KH and you keep on adding kalkwasser?

[mrsaltwatertank]

@IERKRUGER how "high" is high?

[IERKRUGER]

what if you have a high KH and you keep on adding kalkwasser?

[TheOneAndOnlyProdigy]

Does running the airline outside for raising PH work in the winter time too or would you disconnect it then? 

[mrsaltwatertank]

@TheOneAndOnlyProdigy I ran mine outside all winter long, no problem. And we had a "cold" winter here in Texas - several nights below freezing.

[TheOneAndOnlyProdigy]

Aren't you afraid a bug will go into the tube and cause your skimmer to overflow etc? I want to do this, but not sure because of this issue. LMK

[mrsaltwatertank]

@TheOneAndOnlyProdigy There is a chance it could happen, but I'm not too worried about it as the tube isn't overly large so a roach couldn't get up there that would block the line.

And, I check the line periodically to make sure it is clear.

[mrsaltwatertank]

@KatherineXPryde thanks! I have a lot of fun making these videos.

[ssttaarrggaattee]

good info .and about the air line tube outside 

[mrsaltwatertank]

@ssttaarrggaattee thanks! It is one step of the 3 that has made a difference with my tank