Reefs.org Forums

[cpeluso]

I was wondering why my pH was staying low (about 7.8) in both my 34 and 12 gallon reefs despite buffers, water changes, etc.
I did a CO2 test. A cup of tank water aerated outside for one hour went from 7.8 to 8.8. A cup of tank water aerated inside stayed at 7.8. So the result means that I have excess CO2 in my house.

Is this common in the summer or winter with windows and doors shut and A/C or heat running all the time? Do I need to get it checked out somehow? If so - who checks this sort of thing and how can it be fixed?

By the way, I just bought a new whole house air conditioner (heat pump) a few months ago. Could this have anything to do with it? Do A/C companies usually have equipment to check CO2 levels in a house?

I'd really appreciate any advice you might have.

Thanks!
Chris :( [/b]

[Chris Jury]

That's a common problem. In order to raise the pH you need to reduce the amount of inorganic carbon in the tank without changing alkalinity(i.e., consume CO2). You can aerate with outdoor air which has a lower pCO2 than the tank water and will drive off CO2. For some folks this is very effective, for others not so much. It depends on how much aeration there is and a number of other factors. You can also consume CO2 with photosynthesis and a lit refugium can be very useful. You can also consume CO2 by converting it over to HCO3- and CO3-- with kalkwasser. Typically a combination of these proves effective.

cj