wheres my alk going?
- Thread starter coralcor
- Start date
naturebatslast
Senior Toad Licker
High Ca can drive your alk down, and vice versa. Very low Mg levels can have a similar effect of depressing the values.
dcforester1
Finally enjoying my tank
I was just having this problem about a month ago. I talked to several people and got a ton of information, and mis information. Like joel said some things just use it. I was told to check these things,
Make sure salinity was up, low salinity can affect it. Make sure Mag is at 1350-1400, and also check your calcium. For every point your alk drops, your calc is dropping 10. Its just not showing up on a test kit.
I was topping off with Kalk, and it took about 3-4weeks until my levels stayed up. Keep with it, and dont try to raise it to much to fast. I was raising mine 3-4pts/day, and my coral really suffered. take it one step at a time.
Im sure someone with more exp will chime in, but I did these things and mine has been at 9 for about a month now with no trbl
Good luck
Make sure salinity was up, low salinity can affect it. Make sure Mag is at 1350-1400, and also check your calcium. For every point your alk drops, your calc is dropping 10. Its just not showing up on a test kit.
I was topping off with Kalk, and it took about 3-4weeks until my levels stayed up. Keep with it, and dont try to raise it to much to fast. I was raising mine 3-4pts/day, and my coral really suffered. take it one step at a time.
Im sure someone with more exp will chime in, but I did these things and mine has been at 9 for about a month now with no trbl
Good luck
MikeG
Non-member
What is in the tank?
What test kits do you use?
What are calcium and magnesium?
Did you retest? A lot of test kits you can double the amount of water tested to get higher resolution say 0.5dkh per drop instead of 1dkh. Have you tried this to get a better reading if you can with your kit?
What test kits do you use?
What are calcium and magnesium?
Did you retest? A lot of test kits you can double the amount of water tested to get higher resolution say 0.5dkh per drop instead of 1dkh. Have you tried this to get a better reading if you can with your kit?
i have mostily lps..
40-50 head frog spawn
few heads of torch
xenia
athelia
zoas...
hammer
bubble coral
mushrooms
some acans...(not doing so great with alk problems)
bunch of dendros...
toad stool
rics
candy canes...
going to go do some tests now... will let you know the results.
naturebatslast
Senior Toad Licker
I'd stop dosing and adjust your alk with baking soda. Wait a couple days until your Ca comes down to the balanced alk equivalent, then start dosing kalk again.
The reef chemistry calculator will tell you what you need to shoot for as far as a balance alk and Ca are concerned.
FWIW, as a kalk doser, I find my alk dips while my Ca will climb after large water changes.
The reef chemistry calculator will tell you what you need to shoot for as far as a balance alk and Ca are concerned.
FWIW, as a kalk doser, I find my alk dips while my Ca will climb after large water changes.
but if i wait for the ca to drop wont the alk drop too... an then everything in the tank is mad....
stingythingy45
Well-Known Member
Where and how fast do you add your alk supplement?
When doing this add it into the flow of a power head(slowly),so you dont get areas in the tank that have excessive pockets of supplement.
When doing this add it into the flow of a power head(slowly),so you dont get areas in the tank that have excessive pockets of supplement.
i usily add it when i get home at ~3:30 ish.. and i put it in the back chamber of my tank.. so the flow through there takes it in to the DT
Reefried
In need of Reefhab
First you should read up on calcium alk and mag and their balance with each other, then you also need to use the reef chemistry calculator to find out what BALANCED alk for your calcium level (which seems to be the more stable param in your tank) is......
.....ie my tank volume is about 47 galls and if i want my alk to be at 9 DKH then balanced calcium is 425ppm so when my tank gets to those exact params then i can figure out how much calcium/alk my tank uses each week, then i can use an equal dose of each two part or B-ionic in my case.......but if i didnt find out and reach balance then adding the same amount of part 1 and part 2 would make the levels un-even in short time.....
...also to show how delicate the balance is for my system balanced alk for a calcium of 425 is 9.....but a balanced alk with a calcium level of 420 (ONLY 5 parts per million of calcium difference) is 8.25 dkh which is a big difference for only a 5 ppm shift in calcium.....and you should keep mag at higher than nsw levels to make balancing alk/calcium easier
.....ie my tank volume is about 47 galls and if i want my alk to be at 9 DKH then balanced calcium is 425ppm so when my tank gets to those exact params then i can figure out how much calcium/alk my tank uses each week, then i can use an equal dose of each two part or B-ionic in my case.......but if i didnt find out and reach balance then adding the same amount of part 1 and part 2 would make the levels un-even in short time.....
...also to show how delicate the balance is for my system balanced alk for a calcium of 425 is 9.....but a balanced alk with a calcium level of 420 (ONLY 5 parts per million of calcium difference) is 8.25 dkh which is a big difference for only a 5 ppm shift in calcium.....and you should keep mag at higher than nsw levels to make balancing alk/calcium easier
some things work and some don't.
I had same problem with my 210. I tried it all. 2 part adds, baking soda, alk add ect.
I added ro right to my make up water.......everything
The best thing that i could understand was this. If you can imagine a large bowl and alk(red balls) filled to half way up and take calcium(blue balls) and fill it the rest of the way so that no more can be added. Just say 50 red balls and fifty blue balls. This make maximum saturaton. If you add more calcium(blue) there has to be an equal and opposite reaction for every action. Every 1 ball of calicum causes 1 ball of alk. to fall out, and same goes for alk. balls added causes calcium balls to fall out.
The best way I was able to combat this was a calcium reactor. About a month of reactor running problem was solved and never had to look back.
I had same problem with my 210. I tried it all. 2 part adds, baking soda, alk add ect.
I added ro right to my make up water.......everything
The best thing that i could understand was this. If you can imagine a large bowl and alk(red balls) filled to half way up and take calcium(blue balls) and fill it the rest of the way so that no more can be added. Just say 50 red balls and fifty blue balls. This make maximum saturaton. If you add more calcium(blue) there has to be an equal and opposite reaction for every action. Every 1 ball of calicum causes 1 ball of alk. to fall out, and same goes for alk. balls added causes calcium balls to fall out.
The best way I was able to combat this was a calcium reactor. About a month of reactor running problem was solved and never had to look back.
JasonandRay
Non-member
a calcium reactor on a what 34 gallon tank is kind of ridiculous.
