Alk spiked when dosing seachem calcium

[Paul24]

As the title says, I dosed seachem calcium and somehow my alk spiked from 9.2 to 10.2 in 5 minutes or less. Why would that happen? Alk was supposed to go down when dosing cal. This spiked caused all my corals (LPs and mushrooms) to close up very tightly. I’m now worried I may lose some or all cause of this. Is there a chance for my corals?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Which Seachem calcium?

Seachem has a very poor understanding of their own products. One of them (Seachem reef Calcium) does add alkalinity despite them not mentioning it. I told them this many years ago, and they ignore reality.

Pitiful, really, that they keep raking in money from reefers and do not serve them with suitable products.

You are better off using brands that understand chemistry, such as ESV and Tropic Marin.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

FWIW, I'm surprised that such an alk increase would cause coral deaths, or raise alk quite so fast.

How much did you add (in ppm calcium)?

Maybe the product bottle was adulterated, or mispackaged.

In general, dosing calcium causes no rapid change in alk (up or down) when dosing a suitable calcium supplement.

 

[Paul24]

Which Seachem calcium?

Seachem has a very poor understanding of their own products. One of them (Seachem reef Calcium) does add alkalinity despite them not mentioning it. I told them this many years ago, and they ignore reality.

Pitiful, really, that they keep raking in money from reefers and do not serve them with suitable products.

You are better off using brands that understand chemistry, such as ESV and Tropic Marin.

Yea that one. No mention of it at all. Just says that it won’t drop alkalinity.

 

[Paul24]

FWIW, I'm surprised that such an alk increase would cause coral deaths, or raise alk quite so fast.

How much did you add (in ppm calcium)?

Maybe the product bottle was adulterated, or mispackaged.

In general, dosing calcium causes no rapid change in alk (up or down) when dosing a suitable calcium supplement.

I calculated to add 25 ppm worth. The bottle must have been more concentrated though cause I got a 35 ppm

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Yea that one. No mention of it at all. Just says that it won’t drop alkalinity.

Of course it won't. lol

Seachem claims the polygluconate is metabolized, but they fail to remember (even after I told them) that metabolism of anionic organics boosts alkalinity. That is how Tropic Marin All for Reef (calcium formate) works, and also Salifert All In One (calcium acetate).

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I do not know how long it will take the polygluconate to be metabolized (5 min seems too short), but the polygluconate in that 25 ppm of calcium is enough to boost alk by 3.7 dKH.

 

[Paul24]

I do not know how long it will take the polygluconate to be metabolized (5 min seems too short), but the polygluconate in that 25 ppm of calcium is enough to boost alk by 3.7 dKH.

It only went up 1 dKH and my corals all shut tightly. Two tests were used (Hanna and salifert) both gave same result. I’m definitely going to check again today.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

It only went up 1 dKH and my corals all shut tightly. Two tests were used (Hanna and salifert) both gave same result. I’m definitely going to check again today.

It may take days for all the alk to show on a kit as it needs to be metabolized first to see it all.

 

[Paul24]

It may take days for all the alk to show on a kit as it needs to be metabolized first to see it all.

I dose all for reef and that doesn’t take long to show up. It’s a small tank too. I hope I don’t get a huge spike. It’s dropped from 10.2 to 9.9 so I’ll let it drop slowly back to where it was and Continue to monitor

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I dose all for reef and that doesn’t take long to show up. It’s a small tank too. I hope I don’t get a huge spike. It’s dropped from 10.2 to 9.9 so I’ll let it drop slowly back to where it was and Continue to monitor

It's a little bit of a complicated situation. With just polygluconate added to water, the alk will appear to rise a bit when its first added, and more will come later for whatever fraction of it is metabolized to bicarbonate.

 

[fishgirljockey]

As the title says, I dosed seachem calcium and somehow my alk spiked from 9.2 to 10.2 in 5 minutes or less. Why would that happen? Alk was supposed to go down when dosing cal. This spiked caused all my corals (LPs and mushrooms) to close up very tightly. I’m now worried I may lose some or all cause of this. Is there a chance for my corals?

I like the fluval brand of calcium. That one doesn't raise the ALK

 

[Paul24]

It's a little bit of a complicated situation. With just polygluconate added to water, the alk will appear to rise a bit when its first added, and more will come later for whatever fraction of it is metabolized to bicarbonate.

Yea that’s why I lowered my daily dose to allow it to drop and rise without hopefully spiking it. Trying to slow it down. From what I’ve seen from my tank bicarbonate gets metabolized within a day or so

 

[Paul24]

It's a little bit of a complicated situation. With just polygluconate added to water, the alk will appear to rise a bit when its first added, and more will come later for whatever fraction of it is metabolized to bicarbonate.

Well my alk spiked up from 9.9 to 11 and my tank is super cloudy. No death from what I can tell.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Well my alk spiked up from 9.9 to 11 and my tank is super cloudy. No death from what I can tell.

The cloudiness may be bacteria.

 

[Paul24]

The cloudiness may be bacteria.

That’s what I’m thinking. All that extra food for them they went wild. I have a uv sterilizer in chamber 3 I’ll turn on for a day. Hopefully that helps a little