High Alk

[Bitewing]

My alk went way up (16) when I started using a 2 part calcium supplement, I stopped dosing the alk part which lowered it slowly. If my ph lowers after a water change I add the ph buffer which raises the alk again. Should I not worry so much about the ph and just concentrate on keeping the alk around 9-10?

 

[Boomer]

Well, try NOT to use buffers to raise the pH. They are only for Alk. 9 -10 is fine. Usually, when you first add buffers there is usually a slight drop in pH. After 24 hrs the pH should be back to where it was. Most tanks should have a pH of around 8.2 unless there is to much CO2 input, where the pH will then be lower than that 8.2. If your night pH is 7.9 or so and the day pH is around 8 - 8.2 leave it alone. A good way to mess up a tank is to keep trying to get some magic pH value. The ocean on reefs is only 8.2. And when you try to get higher than that you are just fighting things. Kinda hard to drive out CO2 to try and get a pH of higher than 8.2 as you are up against a positive pressure gradient.