tuan
31-10-03, 12:19
Extract from this article by Randy Holmes Farley:- CHEMISTRY AND THE AQUARIUM (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2004/chem.htm)
pH - what is it?
pH is a measure of how acidic the aquarium is. We measure it because:-
- aquatic organisms only thrive in a particular pH range
- moving away from the pH of natural seawater (down to 7.3, for example) is stressful to fish
- there are some fundamental processes taking place in many marine organisms that are substantially impacted by changes in pH. One of these is calcification, and it is known that calcification in corals is dependent on pH, with it dropping as the pH is lowered
Ideal range:
- NSW (natural sea water) has pH of about 8.2
- the pH range from 7.8 to 8.5 is an acceptable range for reef aquaria
How to raise/lower:
- opening windows or ventilating the room may help as the air may be stale with high levels of CO2
- check and keep alkalinity in acceptable range (2.5-4 meq/L)
- increase circulation
- grow macro algae on reverse lighting cycle to counter-act night time downwards spikes
How to test/monitor:
- a properly calibrated pH probe/monitor is a very handy tool in reef aquaria
- test strips are not reliable & accurate, so do not "take action" base on readings from a test strip.
Further readings:
Solutions to pH problems (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/june2002/chem.htm)
The relationship between ph and Alkalinity (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/may2002/chem.htm)
pH - what is it?
pH is a measure of how acidic the aquarium is. We measure it because:-
- aquatic organisms only thrive in a particular pH range
- moving away from the pH of natural seawater (down to 7.3, for example) is stressful to fish
- there are some fundamental processes taking place in many marine organisms that are substantially impacted by changes in pH. One of these is calcification, and it is known that calcification in corals is dependent on pH, with it dropping as the pH is lowered
Ideal range:
- NSW (natural sea water) has pH of about 8.2
- the pH range from 7.8 to 8.5 is an acceptable range for reef aquaria
How to raise/lower:
- opening windows or ventilating the room may help as the air may be stale with high levels of CO2
- check and keep alkalinity in acceptable range (2.5-4 meq/L)
- increase circulation
- grow macro algae on reverse lighting cycle to counter-act night time downwards spikes
How to test/monitor:
- a properly calibrated pH probe/monitor is a very handy tool in reef aquaria
- test strips are not reliable & accurate, so do not "take action" base on readings from a test strip.
Further readings:
Solutions to pH problems (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/june2002/chem.htm)
The relationship between ph and Alkalinity (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/may2002/chem.htm)