Alk swings and confusion

[UnderseaOddities]

If it were me I would start testing more religiously everyday like brushing your teeth get a dry erase boar write down salinty cal alk mag n and p then get a calendar to and write that then write what time you tested and how much your gonna dose, test again tommorow differnt time



I would say ditch the bottles and fancy salt go to basic tried and true

Try cheaper lower alk base salt for a less demanding tank it's not needed and just a waste of money that could be spent else where


And then maybe try esv bionic as it's good 3 part been used since the 90s


Brs also has 3part mix which is easy to mix aswell and will save you money over glorified snake oil in a bottle anyone that's done this long enough usually mixes they're own 3 part over paying 3x as much for 3x less

 

[UnderseaOddities]

Even keep a journal lik a captain's log and log ur data

 

[Screwgunner]

Yes yes yes I log everything I do. I can tell you when I put each of my fish in. Ect. Ect.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Why do this if I can test at the same time for at least 3-4 days in a row and use that as the consumption rate why would I wait a week to change the water again and then calculate. I’m curious?

No plan that involves not dosing is a perfect determination of demand because demand drops as the alk drops, but that plan can work.

 

[Alex's Nano Reef]

No plan that involves not dosing is a perfect determination of demand because demand drops as the alk drops, but that plan can work.

The plan is I did a water change yesterday. I mixed the dry salt to make sure nothing settled to the bottom of the bucket and I also heated up water before mixing and mixed 100% properly. When I tested my water a few hours after the water change. My Alk was 8.4 so I think that the 13 DKH must have been a error or I don’t know what happened. But I will check the alk tonight at 630 same time as yesterday. I’ll do that until tommorow night and if there is consumption I’ll dose that. But I was thinking that now I will test before I dose and after so I can calculate the consumtion hopefully a little better instead of taking one days consumption and applying it to the rest of the week or month.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

The plan is I did a water change yesterday. I mixed the dry salt to make sure nothing settled to the bottom of the bucket and I also heated up water before mixing and mixed 100% properly. When I tested my water a few hours after the water change. My Alk was 8.4 so I think that the 13 DKH must have been a error or I don’t know what happened. But I will check the alk tonight at 630 same time as yesterday. I’ll do that until tommorow night and if there is consumption I’ll dose that. But I was thinking that now I will test before I dose and after so I can calculate the consumtion hopefully a little better instead of taking one days consumption and applying it to the rest of the week or month.

Sounds like a good plan.

 

[Alex's Nano Reef]

Sounds like a good plan.

2 things have crossed my mind. That a Co2 deficiency is possible giving me high ph or the salt just mixes that high but when I dose the 2 part the Alk part raises Ph probably to a level that’s too high for a long enough period to tick some things off. Or it’s not my water chemistry at all and it’s my light schedule or heater.

 

[Screwgunner]

I do not know if it makes a big differance or not but sea water is 7 dkh so I try to keep mine alittle higher around 7.5 i use reef builder and i dose 1/2 teaspoon a day but it climbs alittle and a 1/4 teaspoon a day it goes down slowly so I try to alternate the two amounts so far it seems to be working.

 

[((FORDTECH))]

Can someone please link me to a article that explains the common alk swings throughout the day of a reef tank with no controller. At 2:30pm it’s like 9.2 and at 8 o’clock pm it’s at 13 and then I assume it swings back after the lights turn off over night. I don’t really understand what causes this and how to mitigate it

Wow that swing is huge and no way can be good for your system. I’d suspect testing g error

 

[((FORDTECH))]

@Randy Holmes-Farley when I dose after figuring out the consumption rate should I take the tube I have from my skimmer intake that runs outside out and allow the higher co2 levels in my house take over the intake?

No why would you do this

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

2 things have crossed my mind. That a Co2 deficiency is possible giving me high ph or the salt just mixes that high but when I dose the 2 part the Alk part raises Ph probably to a level that’s too high for a long enough period to tick some things off. Or it’s not my water chemistry at all and it’s my light schedule or heater.

Have you measured pH? CO2 deficiency is not really a thing in reef tanks unless you dose a lot of hydroxide.

 

[Alex's Nano Reef]

No why would you do this

Yeah I didn’t remove it. But the reason I did put it in in the first place was because I’m in a tiny apartment that’s doesn’t get much ventilation with a ton of Co2 2 adults and a cat.

 

[Alex's Nano Reef]

Have you measured pH? CO2 deficiency is not really a thing in reef tanks unless you dose a lot of hydroxide.

Recalibrated the checker yesterday and then I checked last night it was at about 8.4 and this morning at 8.2 yeah I don’t think it’s a Co2 deficiency cuz it just doesn’t make sense.

 

[UnderseaOddities]

.2 to .3 is about a normal swing for about 24 to 48 hours depending on coral stocking level which determines daily consumption aswell as evaporation and how much freshwater is going into system day to compensate for said evaporation which can also lower ph and dkh over time as chloride ions become more prevalent with more evaporation, over or under dosing and less frequent water changes



Think about it this way wholesalers have a routine where they feed in the morning then test salinty then alk cal mag then water change then dose if needed

In the ocean in the pacific a fresh swell known as a surf tide comes through the reef and sweeps away waste and death, and bring new fresh water rich in 23 ions and oxygen into surf zones multiple times a day


This is why water change is detrimental it matches / replicate a natural occurrence aswell is important to keeping nutrients low numbers on point and less of your 3 part used.and salinity stable

I guarentee even if u try weekly or bi weekly water change and figure out daily consumption you'll be alot better of in a month

Weekly bi weekly or daily 10 25 or 35% water volume

3 part is the most crucial thing to coral health, and it all comes down to knowing your system, daily and weekly consumption and linear notes

Or else things can go awry quickly

Knowing the how when and why is half the battle and what makes this hobby challenging sometimes but rewarding once you figure it out

 

[Alex's Nano Reef]

.2 to .3 is about a normal swing for about 24 to 48 hours depending on coral stocking level which determines daily consumption aswell as evaporation and how much freshwater is going into system day to compensate for said evaporation which can also lower ph and dkh over time as chloride ions become more prevalent with more evaporation, over or under dosing and less frequent water changes



Think about it this way wholesalers have a routine where they feed in the morning then test salinty then alk cal mag then water change then dose if needed

In the ocean in the pacific a fresh swell known as a surf tide comes through the reef and sweeps away waste and death, and bring new fresh water rich in 23 ions and oxygen into surf zones multiple times a day


This is why water change is detrimental it matches / replicate a natural occurrence aswell is important to keeping nutrients low numbers on point and less of your 3 part used.and salinity stable

I guarentee even if u try weekly or bi weekly water change and figure out daily consumption you'll be alot better of in a month

Weekly bi weekly or daily 10 25 or 35% water volume

3 part is the most crucial thing to coral health, and it all comes down to knowing your system, daily and weekly consumption and linear notes

Or else things can go awry quickly

Knowing the how when and why is half the battle and what makes this hobby challenging sometimes but rewarding once you figure it out

I must be missing something LOL. Why would you do a water change after testing alk and ca how could you come to a conclusion about the consumtion rate if you test then change the water? But I’m doing weekly water changes atm but they aren’t to big maybe 3 gallons of water at a time I might bump it up to 5 a week.

 

[Alex's Nano Reef]

@UnderseaOddities @Randy Holmes-Farley @tikireefer have seen a steady .2 DKH drop a day.

but previously I’ve Seen .4-.5 drop with less coral. Should I keep monitoring the Alk because this past week I stuck my hand in multiple times aswell as pulled a big part of the aqua scape out cuz I had to frag some zoas off it.

 

[gbru316]

Recalibrated the checker yesterday and then I checked last night it was at about 8.4 and this morning at 8.2 yeah I don’t think it’s a Co2 deficiency cuz it just doesn’t make sense.

What do you mean by "recalibrated" the checker?

AFAIK there is no real way to calibrate them. You're limited to calculating an offset -- is this what you're doing?

 

[Alex's Nano Reef]

What do you mean by "recalibrated" the checker?

AFAIK there is no real way to calibrate them. You're limited to calculating an offset -- is this what you're doing?

 

[gbru316]

Gotcha. You're not really calibrating -- you're just verifying the factory calibration.

(I know BRS says it calibrates -- it doesn't. They're wrong).

 

[homer1475]

All those standards do is to check to make the electronics are working properly.

There is no way to "calibrate" a hanna egg.