Alk usage!

[Treefer32]

Well, interesting change of events. My 230gallon display setup is approaching 5 months mature now. I've added a fair number of SPS, LPS, and Softies (zoas and ricordia).

However, my alk usage just jumped this week, almost overnight and fairly dramatically.... I'm thinking this may be a good sign (that corals are finally acclimated and starting to grow? or coraline is taking hold on the rocks)?

So, my parameters last week were (with salifort test kits):

MG: 1500: No dosing of MG.
Ca: 420 Dosing 12 Ml 6 times a day of Bionic 2 part.
Alk: 9.0 Dkh (lower than I like but I had be raising the dosage to keep it steady with low swings). This was dosing 16ml 8 times a day of B-Ionic 2 part alk.


Testing as of Monday:
MG: 1500
Ca: 440 (climbed a little or within margin of error). NO change in dosing amount.
Alk: 7.0 Raised dosing to 24 Ml 8 times a day.

Testing as of Yesterday:
MG: 1500
Ca: 420
Alk: 7.0-7.1 (Very little to no change). Raised dosing from 24 ml 8 times a day to 32 ml 8 times a day. And dosed a little extra manually to get it to baseline a little higher.

In 3-4 days I've doubled the dosage amount and it's using as much as I dose...


Salinity is (with calibrated refrac): 1.026
Temp remains stable between 75.5 and 77.
PH swings between 7.5 and 8.16.


Is it normal to experience a huge jump in alk usage a few weeks after adding new corals?

 

[beaslbob]

Yes. alk consumption will jump with new growing sps types.

I recommend you do the diy two part. Which is in the stickies at the top of the forum.


my .02

 

[StikHedRon]

My guess would be that with your mag being out of balance that is why your having a hard time keeping your alk stable.

 

[Treefer32]

I'm using red sea coral pro salt. And the mag comes at that high of a level. With the water mixed at 1.026-1.027, alk is at 11 and Calcium just a little over 500 (around 510).

So, it's pretty high parameters initially in the salt. I tried the bionic for the initial setup. I'll probably be switching to baking powder (the arm and hammer stuff) when I run out of the b-ionic.

I'ved used that before on my old setup and it seemed pretty potent... I'll have to go through a new dosing management phase though, which sucks....

 

[StikHedRon]

Man, that just seems rediculously high. I have heard that Red Sea Coral Pro salt has high parameters, thats why I don't use it. Tropic Marin Bio Actif for me, all parameters are perfect.

 

[Treefer32]

Hi mag though, may help keep some algaes and some species of briopsis at bay... I kinda like the high mag to limit algae growths... (If it does that.)