Alk question

[Eoka]

I tested with salifert and my alk is 9.1 and it's barley going down I have the blue box and red box for fritz. They say they'll bring it to7-8 and 9-10 I was hoping to lower my alk but I need to do a large water change because my tds of my water has been around 12 ever since I setup the tank and now I have it at 0 but I'm having some problems with my corals that I believe is caused by the 12 tds building up overtime. So should I just use the higher alk solution just so I don't make a change in my alk?

 

[nothing_fancy]

9.1 dKh is no problem, IMO chasing lower dKH will not help you. If you've fixed your water quality issue, do your water changes and move on. Test a bit more to judge stability and you might start to narrow down why you are having issues with coral.

 

[Eoka]

9.1 dKh is no problem, IMO chasing lower dKH will not help you. If you've fixed your water quality issue, do your water changes and move on. Test a bit more to judge stability and you might start to narrow down why you are having issues with coral.

Well I'm just wondering what would be the best action because I don't mind running it higher. I just don't know I'm kinda in the middle of what the 2 salts say they bring your alk to so is it better to raise it or lower it quickly and will 1 dkh change be fine?

 

[dwest]

I would just do 10% weekly water changes for now. Either salt mix is fine. When alkalinity starts dropping because of usage, then decide where you want to control it, then add 2 part (or kalk or calcium reactor, etc) to maintain alkalinity.

 

[Eoka]

I would just do 10% weekly water changes for now. Either salt mix is fine. When alkalinity starts dropping because of usage, then decide where you want to control it, then add 2 part (or kalk or calcium reactor, etc) to maintain alkalinity.

I used to dose kalkwasser but my corals don't consume anything anymore I went from a .4 drop to .1. I'm assuming it's because 2 of my acro frags and my coraline started yo die off

 

[Eoka]

I would just do 10% weekly water changes for now. Either salt mix is fine. When alkalinity starts dropping because of usage, then decide where you want to control it, then add 2 part (or kalk or calcium reactor, etc) to maintain alkalinity.

I feel like everytime I do a wc I always 0 my nitrates not really sure why

 

[o2manyfish]

There is no reason to check the TDS of your aquarium water. You test the clean source water you use to mix the salt water.

Once you add the salt to the water - With all the other elements and trace elements (that are in the salt mix) - now you have TDS in the water.

A salt water aquarium with 0 TDS would be a sterile environment - and not what we want in our aquaria.

Dave B

 

[dwest]

I used to dose kalkwasser but my corals don't consume anything anymore I went from a .4 drop to .1. I'm assuming it's because 2 of my acro frags and my coraline started yo die off

just do water changes until coralline starts back up and starts consuming again.

 

[dwest]

I feel like everytime I do a wc I always 0 my nitrates not really sure why

A 10% water change will drop your nitrates about 10%. The test kit might tell you something different.

 

[Eoka]

There is no reason to check the TDS of your aquarium water. You test the clean source water you use to mix the salt water.

Once you add the salt to the water - With all the other elements and trace elements (that are in the salt mix) - now you have TDS in the water.

A salt water aquarium with 0 TDS would be a sterile environment - and not what we want in our aquaria.

Dave B

Yea I meant my ro/di water was at 12 tds because I didn't have a di filter

 

[Eoka]

A 10% water change will drop your nitrates about 10%. The test kit might tell you something different.

Well I have a 120g and I'm doing about a 20g water change. I just mix in a 30g brute trash can.

 

[Eoka]

just do water changes until coralline starts back up and starts consuming again.

Yea I just don't want the cyano to come back from low nutrients it's mostly gone.

 

[nothing_fancy]

Well I'm just wondering what would be the best action because I don't mind running it higher. I just don't know I'm kinda in the middle of what the 2 salts say they bring your alk to so is it better to raise it or lower it quickly and will 1 dkh change be fine?

Best Action IMO is to just do your 10% weekly changes and not worry about it. I don't know what your stock is but eventually dKH will get consumed and you will be back to dosing 2 part. I always get a spike when I do a WC, usually still within the 1 dKh range, and its back to normal the next day

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Well I'm just wondering what would be the best action because I don't mind running it higher. I just don't know I'm kinda in the middle of what the 2 salts say they bring your alk to so is it better to raise it or lower it quickly and will 1 dkh change be fine?

The salt mixes do and "bring" your tank to a certann alk. They just provide a certain level in the new salt water.

Not sure why exactly you are doing a water change.

 

[Eoka]

The salt mixes do and "bring" your tank to a certann alk. They just provide a certain level in the new salt water.

Not sure why exactly you are doing a water change.

Acropora RTN. I thought it was a nutrient thing but now I believe it's because my I was using ro water not ro/di water.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Acropora RTN. I thought it was a nutrient thing but now I believe it's because my I was using ro water not ro/di water.

That does not sound likely to me. Possible, but far from the most likely explanation.

 

[Eoka]

That does not sound likely to me. Possible, but far from the most likely explanation.

Whats the most likely also I test my phos with the red sea test kit and it was saying my phos was in-between 0 and 0.01 is that a problem

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I don't know how well that kit can read low levels, but you need to be below about 0.02 ppm phosphate for low P to be an issue for an acropora, IMO.

Other issues are unstable alk, bacterial pathogens, organisms nipping the corals.

Are you monitoring nitrate?

How old is the tank?

 

[Eoka]

I don't know how well that kit can read low levels, but you need to be below about 0.02 ppm phosphate for low P to be an issue for an acropora, IMO.

Other issues are unstable alk, bacterial pathogens, organisms nipping the corals.

Are you monitoring nitrate?

How old is the tank?

It's about a year old. My nitrates are around 3. I'm trying to raise them but at the same time I'm trying to get new water in. So I don't have whatever is in my 12tds of ro water.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

It's about a year old. My nitrates are around 3. I'm trying to raise them but at the same time I'm trying to get new water in. So I don't have whatever is in my 12tds of ro water.

IMO, the only thing possible within the 12 ppm TDS that could be an ongoing issue is copper. If you did not use this water regularly, I can't see it being what is causing coral issues.