Adding Buffer/is This Normal

[Mermaids Purse]

Hi To all at Reefland,
I find myself getting a bit concerned with the amount of Buffer I have to add to my Reef Tank, Is it normal to add Buffer everyday to maintain the PH to around 8.0-8.3, I do have a lot of Coraline Algae in the tank which does pull the Cal down quite a lot each day but I'm just not sure if this is the cause of the PH drop.
Perhaps one of you guys can tell me if its normal or not, if its the latter what do you think could be wrong??

Regards
Mermaids Purse

[Reefland]

If you don't add the buffer what does your pH drop to?

[Mermaids Purse]

Hi Reefland,
Thanks for the reply, I dont really know I've never let it drop by leaving it to see what it drops to, Yesterday afternoon it was 8.2 today at about the same time is was 7.9 yesterday I added some Kent KHD buffer which has upped my Alk to 10 which I think is OK but my PH was still a bit low.
I just wanted to know if its normal to keep adding buffer each day.
Thanks again
DM

[Reefland]

Seems aggressive to me and you might be doing something that isn't needed. I would let the tank run without the buffer for a few days to see what the low and high pH levels were.

[Mermaids Purse]

OK Reefland, thanks for your advice I'll give that a try, as long as it dont upset the corals what do you think?? theres not any days that I havn't had to add something either the Alk or the Cal is low or is the PH and then its all three, like I said I do have a load of coraline Algae in the tank I think at times that I have far to much everything seems to be purple or pink all the live rock the back and sides of the tank its so thick on the sides of the tank that its flaking off as thick as an egg shell and in places even thicker, I was told by my LFS that such a large growth was a sign off good water is that true or not ??? like I said yesterday with such a large covering it does suck the Cal very quick.
As much as I like the Coraline Algae do you think I should add a urchin that will eat some of it and perhaps wont be such a drain on the Cal each day?? .
I've always felt that theres something not quite right with my water but I've never beeb able to pinpoint it, all my tests seem to turn out OK
Tank 200ltr
SG 1.023-1.024
Temp 79deg
PH 8.0-8.3 ( after buffer) ( Seachem Reef Buffer)
Cal 400-420 ( Seachem Reef Complete)
Alk 8-10 ( after buffer) ( Seachem Reef Buffer) & ( Kent Reef Buffer DKH)
Nitrates 5-15
Amm 0
Nitrites 0
10% water change every week using Reef Crystals or Seachem Reef Salt
which is about 20-25ltrs or 5 UK gallons ( no sure what that is in USA gallons)
Thanks again Reefland
Hope U can throw some light on the problem if there is one
Regards
DM

[whatevva]

There are a couple other things to check on.

First, do you have adequate surface agitation to help remove the nitrogen from the water? trapped nitrogen can lower the ph.

Secondly, if your home is fairly tight, you may have a buildup of C02 and that is injected directly into the skimmer. A few people have run a large diameter air line from the skimmer to outdoor air to correct this problem.

I'd also be checking Magnesium. Lower Mag reading can cause the Alk to fluctuate.

If you're not using all Salifert Test kits, then I'd recommend making the swich ASAP.

[whatevva]

PS..I keep my dkh at 12

[Mermaids Purse]

Thanks WHATEVVA, I think my Mag is quite high I think this is due to adding Seachem's Reef Complete, to up the Cal level from now on I'm just using Seachem Calcium until I need to up the Mag.
You say that you keep your KH at 12 what do you think I should do or add to raise it ??? I dont want to over do the dosing.
Kind Regards
DM

[whatevva]

I would add Kent Super Buffer to your water change water. Bring it up to around 13 dKh. Again, make sure you're using Salifert test kits. The kits vary widely on results and I've found these to be superior.

[Mermaids Purse]

Thanks Whatevva,
Just a couple of things, do you mean Kent Supper Buffer DKH?? also do you mean add to top up water ?? I didnt think that you could add it to a salt mix I thought it was added to a cup of fresh water or do you mix it with fresh water first then add it to your water change???
Thanks for the help, sorry to seem such a wally but trying to keep up with all these additives is a bit mind blowing
REGARDS
DM

[whatevva]

Yes, Kent SuperBuffer dKh, and yes, you canadd it to a fresh batch of salt water that you'll use for a water change. Just use TINY amounts. It's powerful stuff! Add a little and test...add a bit more if nessesary...bit it to around 13 and do a water change. Once you get the alk to where you like it, mix your salt water and match the alk to what's in the tank. As long as the magnesium and calcium aren't fluctuating, the alk should stay fairly stable.

Good luck!

Butch