Alk Rising
- Thread starter Drichards
- Start date
OP
OP
Drichards
Well-Known Member
Salinity is 1.025 and ATO Reservoir reads 0
OP
OP
Drichards
Well-Known Member
Ohhh, gotcha. Ato is fully functioning
shrimpchips
Well-Known Member
Ive read lowering nitrate can result in increased alk, although can’t remember off the top of my head the mechanism for it. The other that pops up is checking your salinity/calibration - higher salinity might not be being picked up, but the kit to measure all might be.
Chris A.
Formally toomanyfish
Lowering nitrate would increase alk because the bacteria consumes alk as well as nitrate, so if you are dosing alk and reduce nitrate the alk will go up not from the reduction itself but lack of consumption. In this case it doesn’t work since he’s not dosing anything. By the way what’s your ph at? Low enough ph will break down aragonite sand.
OP
OP
Drichards
Well-Known Member
Yes
DylanCameron
Treasurer/BOD 2023
You’re not dosing anything, at all? Some companies have products to increase pH that claim not to affect alkalinity, but they absolutely do
OP
OP
Drichards
Well-Known Member
No, it's a new tank. Four or five months old. One torch and two long fins in it. I've seen weird things happen before when dosing vibrant to a separate system but this one has been dosed with nothing. No aminos, nada. It's thriving with pods and Coraline is just starting to grow. I should see it drop soon due to the Coraline. Just perplexed by this? Using my Hannah ALK test that I use on my other three systems and everything checks out
Duds
Formerly Known as SrDudley25
I have the same thing going with my tank about the same age. It’s been about the same alk level for a month haven’t dosed anything if anything my alk has increased as well and I have a lot of corals. I was battling some uglies and they are coming to an end by the looks of it and my alk consumption has stopped. Things to note I switched to full ac not opening windows so drop in ph also I’m struggling with low nitrates around 2ppm and phos barely detectable. But all corals are happy thriving growing I just look at it as saving money for the time being lol.
dz6t
Acro Garden, BRS Sponsor
My suspicion is on the test kit.
For example, a titration test kit such as salifert or red sea, when the titration fluid is contaminated, it could take more fluid to reach the point where there is a color change, hence the Alk reading is higher. For a hanna tester, all bets can be off…
For example, a titration test kit such as salifert or red sea, when the titration fluid is contaminated, it could take more fluid to reach the point where there is a color change, hence the Alk reading is higher. For a hanna tester, all bets can be off…
Duds
Formerly Known as SrDudley25
I was hoping you were right, I had a brand new Salifert test kit on the shelf so compared against the remainder of the open kit I have. However they are coming back just about the same maybe .1dkh different. I have not dosed any alk since the 25th of June and have only done one water change since which was mixed to my “target” 9.3dkh. I have had no consumption just seems to rise ca is 470 and mg 1380 nitrates 2ppm and phos barely detectable with a Salifert kit. I’ve read low nutrients can sometimes play a role thoughts on that?
Duds
Formerly Known as SrDudley25
No I dosed with Red Sea foundation abc for ca alk and mg. I do use Red Sea ab+ coral food daily but not sure that would do anything like that. Randomly do a diy coral snow floculant for some extra water clarity again don’t think that does anything like that either.
