aquavitro eight.four Marine pH and Alkalinity Buffer

A marine buffer built around a pK of 8.6, so it settles a reef tank at 8.3 to 8.5 instead of pushing past it. aquavitro eight.four is a blend of bicarbonate and carbonate salts rather than straight sodium bicarbonate. That matters: a plain bicarbonate buffer has a lower pK, so it tends to add alkalinity without bringing pH along with it. eight.four raises marine pH and carbonate alkalinity together, and restores the carbonate to bicarbonate ratio when it has drifted. Browse the rest of our additives and supplements and saltwater supplies.

Why the pK Matters

A buffer holds pH near its own pK. Sodium bicarbonate sits well below reef range, which is why dosing it can leave you with alkalinity climbing while pH stubbornly stays at 8.0. aquavitro states eight.four has a pK of 8.6, so it will carry pH up to about 8.4 and then resist going further. You get the alkalinity you were after and the pH you actually wanted, from one bottle.

How to Dose

• Standard dose: 5 mL per 80 L (20 US gallons), daily, until pH reaches the level you want
• One 5 mL dose raises alkalinity by about 0.25 meq/L (0.7 dKH) in 80 L
• Expect anywhere from a day to a week to stabilize, depending on where your pH, alkalinity and buffer balance started
• Once stable, dose as needed to hold it there
• Can be dosed daily, and within minutes of aquavitro calcification, balance or ions

Do not exceed the recommended dose without testing. aquavitro is explicit that alkalinity should not go past 6 meq/L, and that significantly overdosing can drive KH high enough to affect calcium.

If Alkalinity Climbs but pH Will Not

This is the case the manufacturer calls out directly. If alkalinity reaches 6 meq/L and pH still has not made it to 8.20, test magnesium before adding anything else. Magnesium holds the calcium and alkalinity balance in place, and when it is low the tank fights you on both. If magnesium is low, aquavitro points to ions. If magnesium is in range, the carbonate to bicarbonate ratio itself is disrupted, which is the problem eight.four is built to fix.

Choose Your Size

At the standard 5 mL per 80 L, a 350 mL bottle is 70 doses.

Specifications

Test Before You Dose

This is a buffer, not a conditioner, and it moves two parameters at once. aquavitro recommends testing with a marine pH and alkalinity kit, and for a full picture, a kit that reads magnesium alongside carbonate and borate alkalinity. Browse our water testing range.

FAQ

How is this different from a plain alkalinity buffer?
Plain sodium bicarbonate has a pK well under reef range, so it raises alkalinity but leaves pH behind. eight.four blends bicarbonate and carbonate to sit at a pK of 8.6, which brings pH up with the alkalinity.

Will it overshoot my pH?
aquavitro says it raises pH to about 8.4 without being overshot, because the buffer resists going past its own pK. What you can overshoot is alkalinity, so stay inside the dose and keep it under 6 meq/L.

My alkalinity is fine but my pH is low. Is this the right product?
Possibly not. eight.four moves both. If you only want pH up without touching KH, calcium or magnesium, aquavitro makes balance for exactly that.

Can I dose it the same day as my calcium supplement?
Yes. aquavitro states it can be dosed daily and within minutes of calcification, balance and ions.

Is it reef safe with corals and inverts?
Yes, it is made for reef tanks. The risk is not the ingredients, it is moving alkalinity too fast. Corals dislike swings more than they dislike a number, so go gradually and test.

Freshwater too?
No. This is a marine buffer aimed at 8.3 to 8.5, well above freshwater range.