ALK dosing based on test results

[Waters]

How often do you check your ALK.....and when you do, how often do you have to modify the amount of 2-part that you are currently dosing based on those test results?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Now that ive mostly dialed in my dose , only weekly. When I was adjusting initially twice a week for the first few weeks at first.

I adjusted both ca and alk only once a week after the test and increased the dose evenly and only by 5 to ten mil each time.

I have , since then followed that pattern and will only increase evenly in small increments. IMO it helps mitigate possible test error and human error.

Now I alsmost never have to increase increase it depending on the tank. But the trend has been over several months of very small increase adjutments due to the increased size of the corals.

 

[Waters]

Now that ive mostly dialed in my dose , only weekly. When I was adjusting initially twice a week for the first few weeks at first.

I adjusted both ca and alk only once a week after the test and increased the dose evenly and only by 5 to ten mil each time.

I have , since then followed that pattern and will only increase evenly in small increments. IMO it helps mitigate possible test error and human error.

Now I alsmost never have to increase increase it depending on the tank. But the trend has been over several months of very small increase adjutments due to the increased size of the corals.

This kind of relates to my other post regarding growth to RTN, but I was just curious how often people are modifying their dosing. I seems like I am changing it by 1-10ml almost daily, trying to keep a consistent ALK as coral stops and starts growing.

 

[jda]

I have to dial my CaRx up ever few months. If stuff is growing, you will have to routinely bump whatever you use up a bit.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

This kind of relates to my other post regarding growth to RTN, but I was just curious how often people are modifying their dosing. I seems like I am changing it by 1-10ml almost daily, trying to keep a consistent ALK as coral stops and starts growing.

IMO , don't try to chase it that fast. Look for trends over time.
Just cuz you can change it doesn't mean you should.
And we do know that corals prefer long slow periods of change or decreases and increases.
I.e. Accidentally high alk is cured by just waiting for the tank to use it.

Add that to the hobby grade tests we use and the amount of error involved. Randy Farley alludes to this quite often. Both points in fact.

 

[zsuzsu]

daily

 

[madweazl]

After getting the dosing pumps dialed in, I usually only check every three weeks or so unless I notice something odd.

 

[Scorpius]

I try to test every other day for alkalinity. I've gone longer and that's usually when I run into alkalinity swings I could have caught earlier. I've spent too much on Acros to not test regularly.

 

[AdamNC]

I test Alk twice a week and adjust only 1ml at a time. While waiting for it to restablize I manually dose it up to my desired amount. If it’s less than my ideal level the next time then I adjust the doser again and manually dose again. Usually when I do have to manually dose it’s only about 1/4 tsp of Seachem Reef Builder, but I auto dose BRS.

 

[Waters]

Thanks everybody...just curious if people were able to leave their dosing alone (except for accounting for coral additions or growth obviously)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

This kind of relates to my other post regarding growth to RTN, but I was just curious how often people are modifying their dosing. I seems like I am changing it by 1-10ml almost daily, trying to keep a consistent ALK as coral stops and starts growing.

Why is it starting and stopping growth?

Most people get to a stable dose that only drifts slowly unless something substantial impacts the tank.

Over-correcting for what just be test error/variation is likely worse than slowly monitoring trends and only responding after several tests.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Thanks everybody...just curious if people were able to leave their dosing alone (except for accounting for coral additions or growth obviously)

I did leave my dosing alone. The small amount of kalk impacted my numbers very little. The change to ph seemed effective.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I did leave my dosing alone. The small amount of kalk impacted my numbers very little. The change to ph seemed effective.

Adding limewater raises pH, and the raised pH increases demand for calcium and alkalinity, so there's a negative feedback loop to using limewater which makes its exact dose somewhat less critical than other means of dosing might be.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Adding limewater raises pH, and the raised pH increases demand for calcium and alkalinity, so there's a negative feedback loop to using limewater which makes its exact dose somewhat less critical than other means of dosing might be.

Exactly.
I learned that from a really smart guy here or R2r. Thank you.

 

[Waters]

Why is it starting and stopping growth?

Most people get to a stable dose that only drifts slowly unless something substantial impacts the tank.

Over-correcting for what just be test error/variation is likely worse than slowly monitoring trends and only responding after several tests.

I actually started another large thread called SPS Growth to RTN/STN that talks about that issue........I don't know what is causing the growth to start and stop unfortunately. I get unbelievable growth and ALK consumption for a couple of weeks, followed by a rise in ALK due to coral growth stopping. At that point, RTN normally starts and the cycle starts all over again. Haven't been able to pin point what is causing the issue although the other thread has given me a bunch of ideas to look at.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

A case such as yours certainly isn't typical in terms of alk consumption frequently going up and down.

I don't know what it is from, but be sure to have plenty of nutrients available so that high alk and low nutrients don't coincide.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I actually started another large thread called SPS Growth to RTN/STN that talks about that issue........I don't know what is causing the growth to start and stop unfortunately. I get unbelievable growth and ALK consumption for a couple of weeks, followed by a rise in ALK due to coral growth stopping. At that point, RTN normally starts and the cycle starts all over again. Haven't been able to pin point what is causing the issue although the other thread has given me a bunch of ideas to look at.

A case such as yours certainly isn't typical in terms of alk consumption frequently going up and down.

I don't know what it is from, but be sure to have plenty of nutrients available so that high alk and low nutrients don't coincide.

Fluctuating ph?
Not daily swings but differences from the begging of the month to the end of the month.


My only other thought would be contaminant. You'd see a correlation in your water change schedule and the stn. Better after the wc as the contamination is diluted then slow growth and the STN as concentrations increase.
I.e. My recent rusty razor blade.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Exactly.
I learned that from a really smart guy here or R2r. Thank you.

lol

Thanks.

 

[Waters]

A case such as yours certainly isn't typical in terms of alk consumption frequently going up and down.

I don't know what it is from, but be sure to have plenty of nutrients available so that high alk and low nutrients don't coincide.

Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how you look at it lol) I am not giving my ALK a change to climb high enough to cause any issues......which is why I started this thread. I have been changing the dosing almost daily trying to keep it somewhat stable until I can figure out what is causing my issues. I learned my lesson in the past of having high ALK (was using Reef crystals) and 0 nutrients

 

[Waters]

Fluctuating ph?
Not daily swings but differences from the begging of the month to the end of the month.


My only other thought would be contaminant. You'd see a correlation in your water change schedule and the stn. Better after the wc as the contamination is diluted then slow growth and the STN as concentrations increase.
I.e. My recent rusty razor blade.

Definitely no fluctuating PH reading since I hooked up my skimmer to a canister of Soda Lime. Finally it reads consistently between 8 and 8.2. Could be a contaminant of some sort though.....just gotta figure out what it might be.