| General Reef Discussion In this forum we discuss issues related to keeping marine and reef aquariums in a friendly flame-free environment. |
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03-02-2006, 09:02 PM
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#1
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Little Fishy
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Portland, Or
Posts: 192
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Matching PH when doing water changes
Just wondering how people do this. My PH out of the tap is about 6.7 and the PH in my tank is about 8.2. It seems like when doing water changes (especially on small tanks) you could cause serious ph swings. How do people avoid this?
Do you use buffers like calcium carbonate?
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03-02-2006, 09:10 PM
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#2
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I loves me a water change
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: WI
Posts: 7,676
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That's a dang good question. I'm bumping and tagging along. 
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Chris
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03-02-2006, 09:13 PM
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#3
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Moderator
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Montana
Posts: 5,475
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My RO/DI pH is 7 and after I add the salt, it is around 8.1.
But yes, in a small tank one should make sure it's as close as possible -- especially if it's a large WC.
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~Vince
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03-02-2006, 09:16 PM
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#4
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Shark
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Toledo OH
Posts: 4,889
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I don't nor have ever and have no issues. I really don't worry about temp either, just try to be reasonanble.
This is on a 110 gallon w/ 15 gallon WC's
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Nano reef in the works
TIM MADE ME DO IT, Yet Robert made him do it, yet Casey made him do it!
Yet the voices in all their heads made them do it (skeety)
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03-02-2006, 10:29 PM
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#5
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Big Fishy
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Denver, Colorado
Posts: 537
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I always mix my salt at the same ratio so not an issue, if the tanks are at a certain ph is because of the aged saltwater I put in, almost everyone on this forum makes sure they don't use freshly mixed saltwater for waterchanges due to the ph swinging wildly for the first day or two. I don't worry about temp either except when I am already having temp issues and then I just crank my two heaters by one or two degrees to maintain my normal temp.
The only time I can't maintain a single ph level in my tank is when cycling and then it tends to actually sit lower than it should rather than fluctuating.
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03-02-2006, 10:34 PM
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#6
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BIG SMELLY MOD
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Livingston Parish, Denham Springs, Louisiana
Posts: 16,852
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I alway let the new salt water mix for a day or 2 . Never check it and have never had a problem. I have never mixed the salt then put into tank. But at work we mix and use right away. but then the systems are so big that I don't think it really matters.
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Vince aka VINNIE
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03-03-2006, 05:34 AM
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#7
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Little Fishy
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 147
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How about when you add top off water, usually I weit for the tank to need 3 to four galons, sinc eI do not have auto top off. Should I try to get the ph up for the clean top off water?
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03-03-2006, 06:07 AM
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#8
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Duper Mod !
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Illinois
Posts: 13,974
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It is better to top off daily. Letting to much evaporate then adding a lot of top off causes large shifts in salinity. Which is really bad for inverts (especially stars) and corals
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Kelli
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03-03-2006, 06:17 AM
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#9
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I've got the REEF rash!
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 24,524
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Nano you want everything the same but bigger tanks can be off a little but should try and match.
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03-03-2006, 07:09 AM
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#10
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It can be rebuilt.
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Pittsboro, NC
Posts: 19,158
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Redemption
How about when you add top off water, usually I weit for the tank to need 3 to four galons, sinc eI do not have auto top off. Should I try to get the ph up for the clean top off water?
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not good. if you have any kind of echinoderm in the tank, you prolly will not for long.  they are unable to handle large fluctuations in S.G. it is better to go with a daily top off.
as for pH i do not really worry about it. it settle down quickly once the salt has been added and temp adjusted. the amount of water added at a time for the auto-top off is generally negligable, so does not affect this either.
G~
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Think Tanker
Friends Don't Let Friends Use Refugiums!
Reef Knowledge Impaired
"J" crowd member.
My Build Thread
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03-03-2006, 01:32 PM
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#11
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Little Fishy
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 147
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I guess daily it is for me!
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03-03-2006, 03:12 PM
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#12
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Big Fishy
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Denver, Colorado
Posts: 537
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The bigger the tank, the more forgiving, the key is fluctuation, don't let salinity fluctuate more than .001 (forgive me if I messed up the zeros, I don't have one of those things in front of me at the moment) in a short period of time. Even with major evap, I don't ever fluctuate more than 1 per week. I will attempt to be more accurate though once I have a good way of measuring, this Saturday I will finally have a refractometer and so will not have to depend on the super inaccurate swing bar measurers. 
P.S. please forgive my lack of concise language, I think my brain has decided its already the weekend. |
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03-06-2006, 03:24 PM
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#13
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Tang Lover
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Rockville, MD
Posts: 7,283
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couple things that were already hit on, but I feel the need to reiterate/highlight:
1. Top off more frequently. (sounds like you get this one). pH fluctuations can be hard on the critters...but sudden salinity changes can be ever worse! Auto top off or a drip is the best way to go.
2. Mix your SW 24 hours ahead of time. I've actually done the tests...and freshly mixed SW's pH can be significantly different...but when aged for a day...it will stabalize at a value much closer to your tank's pH. This makes the WC MUCH lesss stressful on the critters.
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