Top 5 Tips: How to raise pH in reef tanks and saltwater tanks | Reef FAQs

Fighting low reef tank pH? Here's the Top 5 ways to raise the pH in your saltwater tank, along with why you would want higher saltwater aquarium pH to begin with.
#ReefFAQs
More related pH videos from BRStv!
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➡ #AskBRStv Live discussion about pH : brs.li/BRStvLI...
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➡ BRS R2R Sponsor Page: brs.li/BRS_R2R...
➡ #AskBRStv Facebook Group: brs.li/AskBRSt...
Related Reef Gear!
➡ Hanna Instruments pH Testing Pen : brs.li/BRS_Han...
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➡ BRS Double Junction pH Probe : brs.li/BRS_Dou...
On BRStv Reef FAQs we're all about quick and straight to the point answers for questions that reefers ask all the time, in an effort to help make your reefing life a bit more fun and easy!
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[@jamesonwright7708]

You guys are awesome!!

[@skzion2]

Excellent as always.

[@karennation3580]

Blows my mind that a fuge is #1, So many people have them! is that a better way then dosing kalk? I was going to buy a Milwaukee controller to dose alk through ato now I dont know what to do but either way its an investment and you cant return if it dosnt work for you! I am making a fuge in my larger tank but would a nuvo 20 aio with a very small area in back for a fuge be better or dosing Kalk? I just bought AFR to dose but I want to return because wont that not help at all with ph? How can I use a single additive and dose pump to dose essential elements? is there one you recommend?

[@mnelson10000]

You guys give kalkwasser the cold shoulder again! It raises pH much higher than regular alkalinity additives and has been the magic in my tanks for years

[@googIereallysucks]

mnelson10000 they did mention kalk along with standard 2 part.

[@mnelson10000]

@@googIereallysucks Yeah I caught it... but I don't think it should be lumped with other alk supplements because in my experience it's much better at raising pH

[@mozby76]

@@mnelson10000 Agreed that kalk does a great job with ph but I can understand why they don't focus on it. Most tanks with medium to high demand, esp larger tanks, will outgrow what kalkwasser can do for them, which is why 2 part almost always gets focused on.

[@mnelson10000]

@@mozby76 I had a completely stuffed 180g SPS tank. Kalk was the magic. Of course it couldn't keep up with demand, but it made it so pH was elevated and made ca/alk more stable so I didn't have to dose nearly as much 2 part. It gets scary when you have to pump in tons and tons of 2 part! Small fluctuations will throw you out quick.

[@mozby76]

@@mnelson10000 ahh great point... I was referring to relying solely on kalk, but I can see how it can work in conjunction with 2 part. I'm interested in trying it but I hear its tricky to dial in and don't want to crash my tank in the process.

[@pianoman870]

How quickly and safely can pH be raised or how much do you raise at a given time? I am currently sitting between 7.39 and 7.46. I've used it to raise like .2 but within 3-4 hrs it has dropped back down. I have a fairly new tank less than 6 months old. It is FO tank at the moment. I have seen diatom blooms a couple of times and used some Vibrant to help take that down a bit. I added a refugium to the sump a couple of weeks ago and have AI bar refugium light running at 30% mostly blue violet spectrum, 15% red, and about 20% white. It is cycling opposite of my tank lights. But I have seen an over all drop and not sure why. I have a hepa filter in the room that runs 24/7 to keep fresh air circulating during the day when we aren't home. So, I don't think it is CO2 buildup. Please help! Thanks!

[@duncanglave2297]

my distilled water for my setup starts at 7.0PH, how would I raise it to an 8.3PH before adding it to the tank without overloading it with alkalinity?

[@im2technical163]

Mine seems to never get over 8.1 ...75 gallon reef tank

[@marcogig79]

I have a pico 5G mixed reef tank. Alk is 8.8 (hanna checker) Ph is 7.4 during day (hanna pen calibrated). What do you suggest?

[@dirceujunior100]

I was having issues raising PH, the CO2 meter I bought online was fake, I got a reliable one now and found deficiencies in my house air quality, #1 I have a tight envelope so my house is equipped with an ERS, it wasn’t properly controlled as it should so I fixed that, #2 I ran a 3/4” line outside to draw fresh air, #3 the 3/4” line feeds an acrylic air box and my air pump for air stones is inside the acrylic box and the skimmer draws from it as well, I went from 7.8 to 8.2 and still going .

[@karennation3580]

Have you noticed increase in growth? What is a ERS?

[@lucasmarchand1987]

For some reason a fan blowing across the surface helps. But then you’ll have crazy evaporation. So a bit of a trade off.

[@binarysun_]

I love the idea of getting outside air in. This also has the advantage of further noise reduction on the skimmer side. But now I have to figure out how to get an air hose through the wall without the mistress killing me 😁

[@jamesonwright7708]

Drill a hole through the bottom of Stand, straight through the floorboard!! wa-la. Instant Fresh air!!

[@Ray-wr2wr]

My PH around 8 My Alkalinity 8 Should i bring Alkalinity to 9 In order achieves PH 8.2 ?

[@patterdalezipsuzilil]

I use sodium carbonate because it lifts pH and dkh

[@purplepanda129]

How do you use the solenoid valve with the aquarium controller to raise the pH?

[@BRStv]

You'd have your skimmer hooked up to the CO2 scrubber with a bypass attached. When the pH was too high, open the solenoid and let fresh (non-CO2 scrubbed) air into the skimmer. When the pH drops, close the solenoid and force all of the air through the scrubber.

[@nyxandnick9339]

Hi I just started my 10gal tank up about a week or 2 ago with live sand and live rock. I’m not doing a reef tank, no corals and such only inverts and live rock. I haven’t put any livestock in it yet because my ph seems to be staying at 8 with ammonia and nitrite and nitrate at 0 but I can’t tell if this ph would be bad for long term or if I should use a marine buffer (since there’s no coral) or other chemical to raise and maintain the ph. Thanks in advance :)

[@BRStv]

8.0 pH is just fine for inverts. Avoid pH buffer solutions as they will increase your alkalinity. With no corals to consume the alkalinity, it will continue to rise in your system and will likely result in a tank crash at some point.

[@nyxandnick9339]

@@BRStv thank you so much for the answers! I fell in love with a small tuxedo urchin at my lfs and I want to make sure I’m doing everything right before i bring it home so I don’t end up accidentally killing it

[@dannybski9620]

Hi, if using baking soda to raise pH.. are there any recommendations for safety? I'm worried this could cause issues with the mechanical equipment in the tank if not completely mixed.

[@dannybski9620]

@@BRStv Wow, now I feel really dumb. Thanks for setting me straight!

[@moniquemadsen7745]

first time above ground pool owner .My alk after adding 4lb of baking soda is now 120ppm but my ph is now 6.8 its a salt pool im still running the pump in 6 hours would be 24 hours since i added it .What can i do raise PH wiht out raising the Alk ?

[@BRStv]

You may be best off reaching out to a pool professional. Our content all revolves around saltwater aquariums, so we'll be the first to admit that we're not pool experts.

[@mozby76]

I wonder if 1, 4 and 5 are enough to keep ph stable at target levels

[@BRStv]

It is possible depending on what your pH was, and the reason's for this. It can vary depending on the system, but each of these have potential to help reach targeted zones. If one cannot alone, the others can help. 🙂

[@chantalvidal5345]

Bulk Reef Supply I wanna wanna morning I

[@sergifed91]

you mentioned a refugium what about a cheato reactor?

[@commandocarebear]

Yes

[@error50012]

Probably even more effective as it is more effective at removing nitrate and phosphate

[@zendlern]

Simple solution. Tell everyone to stop breathing 😂

[@reefcreations696]

My 13.5 gal tank is on an open patio exposed to all the fresh air in the Caribbean. It has no lid. There is also a fan blowing air across the surface for cooling. Of course there is the same fresh air being pumped into the water via the skimmer. With all of this in mind, my pH remains between 7.55 at night and 7.95 by 2:00 p.m. Will never get to 8.3 on its own. The alk stays at 12 dKH. Using natural sea water, the pH of which when collected is 7.72. 50% water change on Wednesdays and Sundays or on Sundays only, depending on the mood I'm in.

[@CoralEuphoria]

I would make sure your pH meter is giving you accurate results. Also, what is lighting the tank? If there isn't strong photosynthesis in the tank, the pH is going to be low.

[@Eunos_FD3S]

Up is towards 7 and down is towards 8. Am I wrong?

[@running5695]

So your saying “Don’t” use Reef Buffer like Seachem?

[@BRStv]

That's correct, we don't recommend using a buffer to raise pH as it will have a big impact on your alkalinity.

[@joshbroadbent2341]

What kinda Solenoid is this?

[@fishstix1988]

How do I know if my tank has low pH? Are there signs in the tank I should be looking for?

[@BRStv]

You'll want to use a pH test to determine what your pH level is. Generally we shoot for 7.8-8.3, with 8.3 being considered ideal by most reefers.

[@marcelrodriguez2067]

My ph stays at 8.0 no matter what i do, and i keep my alkalinity at 9.0.

[@RonMEGA]

How many people live in the house?

[@rosedonnapur]

Hanna saying 0.86 it’s a 50l open top with 3 hermit in

[@BRStv]

If you're reading a pH of 0.86, that is certainly an error. I bet if you placed this probe in some 7 pH calibration solution, you'd notice that it is quite a bit off. Unless you meant to say 8.6 pH?

[@bobbybrown1863]

party on wayne