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Originally Posted by nunch  my pH is at 7.8 all day but my alk stays around 12-13, why won't my pH stabilize like alk has? or is it stable at 7.8? |
Lots of factors will and do cause this . It could get into a whole chemical class like breaking bad (: First off you have to understand what Ph means. And not many really do they have offered me all kinds of explanations of what Ph is..
Mine has ran at 78 all winter since I could not get around to the problem ..But a week of having the house windows open back up the PH today went to 8.5 now at 8.8 from 7.8 this early A.M per my monitor not a test kit , They are near to worthless in trying to determine Ph .A simple air stone will kick Ph up a few numbers .
Now the first thing I ask anyone with a low Ph is do you have tight fitting glass tops on the tank ? As a rule they always seem to have them to tight and CO's can not be easily exchanged with the Oxygen and the CO2 build up is the cause .
People with Ca Reactors using CO2 gas such as I do have a low Ph then they need to add an off gasser to remove the CO2 I do..
Smokers living in a smaller apt or a house that is closed up to tightly wall also have the problem with there tanks . The furnaces and H.W heaters any oil or gas burning HVAC or water heating appliance will give off CO2s
Now as to what is P.h the PH of an aquarium is an a simple measurement of the relative presence of acids and or bases in their ionic form. What happens is that when the amount of acidic ions to put it simply
outnumbers the caustic ones, the Ph of the water will be low Now what that means is the Carbonates are not present. That is basically is all Ph means . And on the other hand if your Ph is running to high as mine is today then its just higher Carbonates available to the system I know mine is I tested my DKH today its at 16 ..
But again Depending on what ions are more available with in the water your pH will tend to be either lower or higher. And thats all Ph means in a nut shell and its the Carbonate levels that I'd worry about .
Now for what will effect the levels of Ph. Carbonates and Borates will make the pH rise. And many over look the fact that by using simply Bicarbonates alone out of the box that the bicarbonates will make the pH fall over time .
Thats all that is in any buffering compound some Bicarbonates and Borate and Sodium Carbonates Baking soda Boraxo Laundry Booster Borates and Arm and Hammer Laundry Soda Sodium Carbonates . The sodium Carbonates are the easiest and safest way to just raise the Ph but not a total buffer does it make . But better then Bi carbonate alone . All of these Laundry supplies are just simple earth elements mined from old dead sea beds and salt flats in Utah and California ..
Now Ph can get even more entailed then this but at the need of the day it is just all of this in a nut shell less all the chemical drawings of the Atom and Ions and lines and doodle and all that boring crap some smart guy's takes 10 pages to say .. Carbonates are like Tums for the tank if the tank has heart burn like old timers used to drink Bi carbonates to fix heartburn and and upset stomachs as with Bromseltzers like Alika seltzer is just Sodium Carbonates Yep laundry Soda (: Man this took to long (:
If you are worried about the Ph take some water outside and bubble it with fresh air for a few hrs see what it does . Then is it changes the problem is environmental not the system.
