Alk keep Rising without any dosing
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branbray07
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@Randy Holmes-Farley . What do you recommend Mr Holmes. Im going nuts here. Ty so much
Biokabe
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My personal opinion:
Your increase in alkalinity is a symptom, not the cause.
I had a similar experience some time ago, which persisted for some time. During that time, I was losing corals left and right, and I tried everything I could to drop alkalinity. Nothing I did, including water changes, had any meaningful impact.
Finally I decided to just ignore the alkalinity and focus on just maintaining good water quality - no dosing, no buffering, just regular water changes, proper maintenance, regular adjustments to the skimmer for optimal performance, replacing filtration media on schedule.
Well, I stopped losing corals... and my alkalinity started dropping exactly as logic dictated it should.
Ultimately, I don't think my problem was rising alkalinity. My problem was something else, which was leading to coral deaths. As corals died their skeletons stopped growing (alkalinity depletion stopped). Additionally, I believe that some combination of rocks, sand and dead coral skeletons were contributing to alkalinity in the tank, so left to its own devices the alkalinity would naturally rise. Once I stopped the cycle of coral death, the alkalinity started dropping. It's now down to 7.2 (from a high of about 11.5, where it was stuck for months while I obsessed about ways to lower it).
Your increase in alkalinity is a symptom, not the cause.
I had a similar experience some time ago, which persisted for some time. During that time, I was losing corals left and right, and I tried everything I could to drop alkalinity. Nothing I did, including water changes, had any meaningful impact.
Finally I decided to just ignore the alkalinity and focus on just maintaining good water quality - no dosing, no buffering, just regular water changes, proper maintenance, regular adjustments to the skimmer for optimal performance, replacing filtration media on schedule.
Well, I stopped losing corals... and my alkalinity started dropping exactly as logic dictated it should.
Ultimately, I don't think my problem was rising alkalinity. My problem was something else, which was leading to coral deaths. As corals died their skeletons stopped growing (alkalinity depletion stopped). Additionally, I believe that some combination of rocks, sand and dead coral skeletons were contributing to alkalinity in the tank, so left to its own devices the alkalinity would naturally rise. Once I stopped the cycle of coral death, the alkalinity started dropping. It's now down to 7.2 (from a high of about 11.5, where it was stuck for months while I obsessed about ways to lower it).
kindafun
Active Member
I recently had a problem with my RODI filter. RO wasn't filtering but the DI produced 0 TDS (with new resin in it). The DI got used up quickly and I was soon getting straight tap water, not knowing it. That spiked my Alk. Found the problem, and It's fixed now, but the symptoms were the same as what you have.
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branbray07
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Yea could be, but i do or have been doing weekly water changes with @Aquaforest reef salt. Changing out carbon every 60 days, and skimming wet to dry ishh. Besides idk what else
Randy Holmes-Farley
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The 2.3 dKH rise per 50 ppm nitrate decrease is correct.
I may have mistyped it elsewhere. here’s where the 4.5 fits in:
for example, nitrate averages 50 ppm at each water change, then over the course of a year with 10 water changes of 20% each, the alkalinity will be depleted by 1.6 meq/L (4.5 dKH) over the course of that entire time period. This process is one of the primary reasons that fish-only aquaria that often export nitrate in water changes need occasional buffer additions to replace that depleted alkalinity.
Randy Holmes-Farley
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Alk can also rise by slow dissolution of sand. In most cases that addition goes unnoticed against a bigger demand, but if there is very little demand, that could do it.
Water changes with a very low alk mix can help. You can drop alk as low as you want in a salt mix.
Much more tricky is very slow addition of sodium bisulfate or muriatic acid to the tank itself.
Water changes with a very low alk mix can help. You can drop alk as low as you want in a salt mix.
Much more tricky is very slow addition of sodium bisulfate or muriatic acid to the tank itself.
Randy Holmes-Farley
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It could have been my mistake. If you see it somewhere let me know so I can fix it. A quick glance at my paper that lists both values may have stuck the 4.5 in my mind just before posting somewhere.
