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Thread: PH Controller & UV steralizer Advise

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    PH Controller & UV steralizer Advise

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    New to these equipm. Anyone using it in your tank? What is the importance of having the PH controlled? Will UV ster. helps to remove/prevent algae grow? Which brand with reasonable price would you recommend?

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    pH controller

    Quote Originally Posted by Kevino
    New to these equipm. Anyone using it in your tank? What is the importance of having the PH controlled? Will UV ster. helps to remove/prevent algae grow? Which brand with reasonable price would you recommend?
    Here is my thoughts on a pH controller. The experienced enthusiast might be comfortable without one, which is kind of ironic that pH controllers tend to pitched to this audience and seen as “over-kill” for the newbie. I disagree in the tank [sea] of unknowns for the new enthusiast, knowing something for certain is worth its weight in gold. So many events & actions around the tank environment which one responds too have a link back to pH.

    The pH controller probe is great for testing the water in which your newly bought critters are swimming in, allowing the variance to be worked out, thus giving you a better chance of correctly determining the acclimation period and give them a better chance of surviving it.

    The real time pH information at your finger tips gave me a better appreciation of the speed in which changes can occur, add some NACO3 and watch the pH go up within seconds, or just the daily ebb and flow of pH during the 24hr cycle is interesting.

    Then there is the piece of mind in that when one is away that it will do its job of turning on /off the co2. Plus anyone can read the controller reading and tell you over the phone if required.

    What is missing and what would make it the pH controller and other devices perfect is to be able to have internet access to view the statistics of the aqua environment. The ability to store/download/chart/graph the pH levels, temperature over a weekly cycle, visibility index, CO2 inject times & durations… I bought mine second hand but the pH controllers are expensive and one expects a richer functionality now a days.

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    Plants only use CO2 when there is light..adding it at night serve no purpose and there are risk involved when using controllers. Murphy's law ain't funny.

    Regards
    Peter Gwee

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    Regards

    Cheem ah. Sorry don't really know what you are talking about. Is PH controller related to CO2? I've a CO2 cylinder connected to soleniod will there be any problem if I would introduce PH controller?

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    a ph controller is used to stabilise your tank ph to a fixed value, so that the only thing you need to control your co2 levels in the tank is adjustments of KH

    it is used in conjuction with a selenoid.

    if you want cheaper, you can try the milwaukee brand. *check with c328*

    I use a uv steriliser as well, I use it for pathogen control (just in case) . it may or may not kill algae spores. but algae control would be more of a nutrient/light balance situation.

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    Do you mean the more CO2 it is the KH will go higher? What is the maintenance of a PH controller? What is pathogen control?

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    Regards

    Since like you are and expert. Can you advise as I'm about to set up a 3'x1.5'x1.5' tank, what lights requirement will you recommend? Mr Chan from NA recommend 2 sets of 2 x 36w will be good enough. What do you recommend? And my intention is to inject 0.5bps into the tank. Is it good enough?

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    you do not measure by bubble count. bubble count doesn't tell you exactly how much co2 there is in a tank.

    for a neutral ph tank. there is a relationship between kh and ph

    http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/CO2/kh-ph-co2-chart.html

    eg; for a tank of ph 6.6 and a kh of 4, there is co2 concentration of 30ppm.

    since you can set the ph controller to ph 6.6 , all you need is to set the kh to 4 using various kh up compounds (like sodium bicarbonate), your co2 controller will control the amount of co2 being released until the ph reaches 6.6 thus achieving the desired concentration.

    chan's reccomendation is good enough.

    pathogen = bacteria and other disease causing agents (eg: ich, velvet etc)

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    Regards

    Very technical. Will try to digest it. Thanks.

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    The pH controller keeps the water at a preset pH by turning on and off the CO2 supply via the solenoid valve. To use it, you raise the water KH to a fix level, then use the CO2 chart to determine a desired CO2 level and the corresponding pH value. You set the pH controller to that pH value and the controller will maintain that pH value in your water by introducing/stopping the CO2. Thus, it will also help to maintain a constant CO2 level in the water.

    However, you must take note of the following:

    1. KH You need to monitor and maintain a fixed KH level so that the correct level of CO2 is maintained. However, the tendancy is for the KH to drop instead of rising, so you will end up with lower CO2 then you desire if you fail to maintain the KH level. There are cases when you have substrate/rocks that raise KH, e.g. Onyx sand. Then you must be careful. If you have set your controller based on the initial KH, when the KH slowly creeps upwards, you are going to end up with more CO2 then you initially wanted. That will kill your critters.

    2. Calibration pH probes will drift as time passes. You have to calibrate the probes regularly to ensure correct pH reading and thus, correct CO2 level.

    3. Organic buffers When there are organic buffers (e.g. peat, ADA soil, etc.) in the water, the CO2-KH-pH relationship becomes complex. The CO2 chart no longer apply. To get a correct pH for the desired CO2 level becomes tricky. However, the fortunate thing is that you tends to err on the lower side for CO2 level.

    BC

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    Thanks. Seems like a real troublesome thing to have for controlling the PH.

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