Low PH and High Nitrates

[jpw69]

My PH stays around 7.9 and my nitrates are high. My calcium level is good and my nitrites ,ammonia, and phosphates are low.I did partial water changes.i've been using Kent Superbuffer to get my PH at/around 8.3. The local pet store was baffled, and we looked through numerous books. I have a 55 Gal. tank with 9 small fish,snails, and a few coral fragments. I also have numerous macro algae , and saltwater plants in my tank.
1. How do I get my PH to 8.3?
2. Lower my nitrates?
3. My calcium level is high,but can't get coralline algae to grow ( high nitrates causing green algae to coat live rocks)???

any help would be appreciated..

Your tank has a calcium alk imbalance.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm
Super buffer is a quick fix and not meant for long term.
If you have nitrates you have phosphates. how much are you feeding the tank?
A 2 part cal and alk additive may help you but you need to find what is causing this before anything will work long term.
When balanced coraline algae will grow.

[jpw69]

I feed my fish once a day (flakes one day/frozen brine shrimp the other). i checked my phosphates (PO4) and the test kit shows it low (0 ppm) and nitrates (NO3) at 100 ppm.My nitrite (NO2) level is at <0.3mg/l. My ammonia (NH3+4) is at 0 mg/l.
*One problem I did was getting carried away with calcium additives boosting my calcium level way off the charts. I was using argamilk daily,and adding Seachem Calcium and Strontium. I also have the Sealab 28 Calcium/Trace elements blocks in my tank. The major boost of calcium hindered my alk. and I ASSume blocking the buffer I was using to raise my PH.
<from what I'm reading>
What should I use to raise my alk safely. I also just learned about the calcium deposits on my heater (I wandered what that was on it for the past year)

Thanks for the help.MY name is John and I'm addicted to Calcium additives. Learn to live..Live to learn..Thanks

The link I posted above has the cure for each imbalance.
Do not add anything for 2 days and then retest.
snip...
If alkalinity were less than 4 meq/L (11 dKH; the most common situation in zone 4; shown in Figure 5), I would advise correcting this problem by adding an alkalinity supplement until you have moved into the target zone (or zone 1). For systems with a pH of 8.2 or above, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is a good choice. For systems with a pH below 8.2, washing soda (sodium carbonate) is a good choice (though use some baking soda too if the correction is a large one and the pH gets too high; that is, above pH 8.5 or so).

Dave

[karlas]

Do your water changes to lower your nitrates but where do you get your water from? Depends on your water it may contain nitrates before adding or changing anything. For example i originally used water from my tap but not for long i tested the tap water from the sink it contained phosphates and nitrates. The nitrates in the drinking water was well over 100 ppm. Test it as fresh you may need to find another source. I myself use the seachem stuff i usually dont have a problem but if by chance it does drop i keep the seachem ph buffer on hand along with seachem reef builder it is an alkalinity adjuster. you want to shoot for a range of 9-12 dkh, maintain that range and your ph should fall in line. also big boost of calcium can alter both of these parameters so i would try the alkalanity adjust first. get good water and do regular water changes. i suggest smaller regular ones that will help maintain your parameters, lessen you bad alge, and IMO help keep your corraline.

[jpw69]

thanks i'll check my water source. i get it from from my well (mountain spring water). i ordered some washing soda. I'm thinking about trying the sea-lab No. 14 PH for older aquariums where maintaining PH is difficult.

2-10-04
I tested my alk. and it's at 180 ppm
My nitrates are at roughly 200 mg/l
My nitrites are at 3.0 mg/l +/-
PH is at 7.8 to 8

I've added alot of baking soda and it appeared to me that it lowered my PH. My washing soda should be in FRI. www.soapsgonebuy.com

Should I do a MAJOR water change?
How long does it take for marine plants/macro algae to lower nitrates? I've had them in for about 3 weeks.
My clowns/anenomes/snails and corals appear to be doing good.

[jpw69]

will the washing soda raise my ph or just the alk?
my alk appears fine but my ph is low 7.8

my alk has been avg. 180-300.

my kh is around 16-18 (adding kents super buffer)

i rechecked my nitrates with another test kit and it is a little lower at 100

my nitrites at <0.3

phosphates 0

ammonia 0

i'm trying to balance it out at ph 8.3 ca. 400

i stopped adding calcium for about 3 days hoping it will go down. i still have the sea-lab calcium/trace blocks in the tank and my slow drip kalwasser going.

if anybody has used washing soda please let me know.
thanks john

This is snip from Dr. Randy Holmes-Farley.

Washing soda from the grocery store is sodium carbonate, and would be a good way to raise the alkalinity and pH. Baking soda won't raise the pH.

Here are two articles that describe what to do:

Solving Calcium and Alkalinity Problems
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm

Solutions to pH Problems
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/iss...ne2002/chem.htm

sodium carbonate is what is side of the stuff you buy from seachem and kent and others manufactures.

Also read this
This article also describes how to solve pH problems:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu...e2002/chem.htm
snip from Randy again...
If I were to tell you there was a product on the market you could use to make a very inexpensive pH calibration solution, it might interest you. If I were to go on to say that it costs about $2 a pound and using it would cost only a penny or so per electrode check, you might find that even more intriguing. As it turns out, this product is available from your supermarket and it will not only help you have a properly calibrated pH electrode, but it will also help you do your laundry in an environmentally friendly way, it can kill fungal infestations on plants and it can also keep your children entertained. It is straight from the Wild West and is “made in the USA.” What is this amazing material? Borax.

Snip from Randy
Washing soda is found (sometimes) in the laundry detergent section. It is a laundry aid. That's where I recently found it.

***It is also easy to make.*** Just bake baking soda at 100 degrees C for an hour or two in your oven (spread it out in a pan to allow CO2 to be driven off). And Wala washing soda