PH won't go up!

I hadn't done one because all I had put in it was the LS. It's been about 2 and a half weeks. I was going to wait until after I put in the base rock this week:-/ Should I just go ahead and change the water before?

Luna, I'll have to get back at ya with all that as my test kit gets here today(I bought it online) I'm kind of thinking that it could be the whole water changing thing though. BTW, my MT is in my living room and my frag tank is down the hall in the corner of my room(wife ain't so happy;D)

 

If your tank is still cycling don't do a water change.

test everything and let us know first.

 

I had the same problem while cycling my tank...it was stuck at 7.8; however, it turned out to be poor water circulation at the suface of the tank (not enough oxygen exchange). I rearranged my powerheads and was able to get my pH up to 8.2 / 8.3 with no other changes.

I had read about a simple test to determine if poor oxygenation exchange is the problem. Take a cup of your tank water and run an airstone through it for an hour. Then test the pH of the water in the cup. If the water in the cup has a normal pH, then your low pH was (at least in part) caused by poor flow.

 

ok this is why I say people read too much into ph. The only thing I have checked ph on is my calcium reactor. Ph changes so easily that if all of your other numbers are stable and you have decent flow and surface agitation, you will be fine with the ph.

 

well, some results are in. All I've been able to test is:

Ph - Actually went up from 7.8 to 8.0
Calcium - 20 mg/L or less <--- Not good!
Phosphate - is at 0
Nitrate and Nitrite - Both @ 0ppm

Don't have my other tests yet so can't do them. I was going to do the KH test but I don't understand the instructions one bit!

 

What test kits did you get? Luna

 

With mine, you measure out a small amount of water in the tube that is given to you in the pack. Pour that water into the larger tube. Then start adding drops of the reagent until the water turns a green-yellow. Take your reading from there. Is that what you have?

 

.......and pH is a bugger to fix. Sooooooooo many variables. My problem was fixed with a water change. But my tank was cycled.

 

I bought the API kits........only recieved the REEF testing kit.....and forgot to order the Mag test kit:-/ My Calcium is really low and I have the ESV Bionic Calcium buffer kit (Calcium and Alkilinty). Will that halp me? Should I just wait after I put my rock in?

 

If you dont have corals, I wouldnt worry about the cal.