Alkalinity issues...

[Chameleon]

Hey yall,
I have been having my alk drop slowly overtime. The first time that it got low I brought it back up with baking soda very slowly. When it happened again over the course of a few months I thought the magnesium was to blame so I ordered a Mg test kit. Well Mg levels are spot on and so are Ca. I dose seachem 2 part for Ca and KH. I do notice quite a bit of precipitation when I add the KH though. Maybe this is why it keeps getting low, because it precipitates out instead of going into the water. Any ideas why I am having this trouble maintaining good KH. Today it was all the way down at 5.6 dKh (2.0) when I tested. I am currently dripping somebaking soda overnight but I need to solve the cause of my problem. Corals aren't growing very fast with the unstable and low alk.
Thanks,
Cham

 

[m and m]

It sounds like you dont even have alot of alk demand if its taking months to drop to a unwanted lvl. Do you do water changes? Second I would look into dosing a little kalk in your top of. Can I have some more tank specs and maybe what it drops from day to to day 30 and what you do in that time.

 

[Chameleon]

It sounds like you dont even have alot of alk demand if its taking months to drop to a unwanted lvl. Do you do water changes? Second I would look into dosing a little kalk in your top of. Can I have some more tank specs and maybe what it drops from day to to day 30 and what you do in that time.

I am dosing 2 part so that is probably why it takes so long. I do water changes, but the tank is fairly new so I am only doing maybe 20% a month. not sure on the day to day drop however i know its a gradual depletion. I have Mg at 1380 and Ca at 440, alkalinity is only thing that is low. Salinity is 1.025 (refract) temp is 80 and nitrate at < 5 and phosphate at 0. All test performed with red sea pro tests and alk and calc verified with api.

 

[Heffe01]

How much two part are you dosing per day? I know alot of instructions say to add the same amount of both, but in all actuality you will burn through alk alot faster then calcium in a stocked tank. I dose alk at almost 2.5 times what I dose my calcium at each day.

I am dosing 2 part so that is probably why it takes so long. I do water changes, but the tank is fairly new so I am only doing maybe 20% a month. not sure on the day to day drop however i know its a gradual depletion. I have Mg at 1380 and Ca at 440, alkalinity is only thing that is low. Salinity is 1.025 (refract) temp is 80 and nitrate at < 5 and phosphate at 0. All test performed with red sea pro tests and alk and calc verified with api.

 

[Chameleon]

Thanks Heffe01. I have been following the directions and adding the same amount of both. I probably need to do as you say and add more alk. hope this will fix my issue