PH buffer closed corals

[UMan101]

I like to post my noob mistakes for others to learn from and not have to go through what I did. It's the best way I can contribute until I'm a seasoned vet like others on the forums. Heres today's lesson:

I bought kent ph buffer when I started out in the hobby. Today I noticed my ph was a little low so I put some into the display. HUGEEEE mistake!

I've never had my heart sink like this with anything in the hobby. Every single one of my corals closed up immediately. All of them even spewed out some slime. I totally freaked out. I was going to shed man tears lol. In a panic I immediately did a water change and started to use a turkey baster to get any buffer off of the corals (I don't know if that actually helped or not). After a few long long hours, I finally started to see them reopening and now everything is back to normal. Phewwww. I know it's close to halloween and all but this is one scare I never wanna experience ever again lol

So any idea what I did wrong? Do I have a bad ph buffer product? Should I mix the buffer in water beforehand? Maybe I needed to put it in the sump? Or should I not even be using ph buffer at all? Let me know what you guys think

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[KSC]

Never use "ph buffer". Though it will raise your ph, it will also raise your KH. You need to add a 3 part CA/ALK/MG combination. Most people don't need to chase a PH number, let it fall where it falls. If you find you have a chronic low PH problem there are other ways to help this.

You had a precipitation event which is usually harmless and you handled it correctly. Check your CA/ALK/MG levels again a adjust accordingly.

 

[frank180reef]

Hi
I believe you spiked you r alkalinity.....

Others can chime in but I believe all that stuff is , baked out baking soda,,,,,


Like someone else on here said, never ever chase ph

 

[frank180reef]

Ksc you beat me to it

 

[KSC]

You should try to attend this meeting too. Perfect timing...

http://www.bostonreefers.org/forums...Meeting-with-Dong-Zou-(dz6t)-Dosing-your-Reef

 

[IPWitan]

Besides what others have said, I would recommend not putting powder chemicals in the display. I would always mix with water to dissolve. Then, I would pour in sump or back overflow. You probably got some of the powder on the corals. It could have slightly burned them. Another possibility is that the solution precipitated. The precipitate is likely harmless but may have tasted bad, so the corals got rid of it.

Dong's presentation should be very interesting.

 

[Chlorinated]

I used to use the buffer in my top off water. Worked great at keeping pH stable and my alk. ALWAYS mixed in water first. After some research i learned many of these buffers contail extra high levels of Borate. Borate has a better buffering ability than bicarbonate so it is better at buffering the tanks pH.

However, our alk test kits cant differentiate bicarbonate from borate, its just the overall total. I learned that youre bicarbonate level....the one that corals use for growth....may actualy be significantly lower than indicated by your test due to the increased borate levels...that the corals DONT use......from the alk buffer.

I switched to soda ash...sodium carbonate....to control my alk and have since seen great growth on my corals. This...for me anyway...proves the affect of borate in the system.

Also, if your alk level is in the appropriate range, your pH should handle itself. I have learned to never chase pH, watch your alk and you will be fine.

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[jamesdong009]

Like others have mentioned. there's no need to chase your pH unless it's chronically low. It will tend to fluctuate throughout the day as well.

What was your pH to begin with?

 

[UMan101]

Sorry for the late response. Just got back from traveling. Appreciate everyone's responses. I think I'll stay away from the buffer. Lesson learned haha. I'll do a solid water test tonight just to confirm everything is good. Thanks guys!

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[JohnK]

Another way to put it is to say don't bother chasing PH, but do monitor and correct for alk (as well as Ca and Mg). PH in seawater is determined by alk and Co2 levels in the water. If your alk is in the normal range, your ph WILL be fine (unless you have significantly elevated co2 in your home). If you alk drops, you will have PH dropping AND coral health will be affected.

Ca and alk are used up together in a fairly steady ratio as corals grow. As your alk drops, your Ca will too, hence the need to monitor and supplement both. Mg is part of the same process, but it's used up much more slowly so it can be tested and corrected far less frequently.