best time to test for ph...

[fishsticks]

i hope you guys understand my question.....

around what time is the best time to test for ph and go by that time to set my ph....

ph is lower when you first turn your lights back on in the morning.

ph is around its level when the lights have been running for a few hours..

ph is higher when the day is almost over and your about to turn your lights off...

in the a.m. my ph is around 7.8-7.9 after a few hours of running the lights my ph climbs to about 8.1-8.2

so my question is, is this ok or should i add more ph buffer

 

[Bifferwine]

It's normal for pH to drop at night, and your levels are not unsafe. You can prevent this from happening by running a refugium with macro algae on an opposite light schedule from the main tank, but without a fuge, you can't prevent a slight pH drop. I would not add buffer.

 

[McCrary]

Most pH problems will correct themselves in time, as long as the person isn't dosing anything that would affect the pH. A pH of 7.8-7.9 is fine for the morning and a pH of 8.1-8.2 is fine for the evening. Mine is around 8.0 in the morning and 8.3 in the evening. As long as the pH isn't like 7.6 in the morning and 7.8 in the evening you should be fine, every tank is a little different.

 

[Doc]

test at night. that is what I do

-Doc

 

[fatman]

A swing not excedding 0.3 is considered acceptable. That is for a maximum swing between the high and the low. Not good, but acceptable. Any more swing than this is considered too stressful. Your pH reading is really an avergae of the two extremes. So your pH is (7.8 + 8.2)/2 = 8.0 This means your pH should probably read around 8.0 a few hours after your light has been running. I really would not worry a whole lot about the amount of your swing, but I would check the alkalinity to make sure it is high enough. I personally run my pH (8.3 to 8.6) and alkalinity (11 to 13) higher than some and my calcium a little lower than some (375 to 400). Calcium amd akalinity are really a balancing act. You can have one high, but not both. I prefer the safety of a higher alkalinity and therefore more stable pH, as I can supply calcium easily on a daily basis with my ATO water, and I do not like the stress caused by swinging or declining pH.