Alkalinity question

[christianscorals]

Hello. I recently learned a bit of information that i had not known previously about reef chemistry. It’s come to my understanding that when calcium is consumed, certain other elements are consumed as well (iron, iodine, potassium, etc)

i’m wondering if the same applies for alkalinity? is there something i should be dosing when alk gets consumed apart from cal/mag?

thanks for any help

 

[homer1475]

Question is, do you do WC's?

Those elements deplete much slower then your calcium, or alkalinity. Typically a commercially available salt will replenish though elements when doing your normal Wc's.

If you do not do WC's, then you would have to replace them. There are many ways of doing no WC's and they all add some of these elements through dosing.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Hello. I recently learned a bit of information that i had not known previously about reef chemistry. It’s come to my understanding that when calcium is consumed, certain other elements are consumed as well (iron, iodine, potassium, etc)

i’m wondering if the same applies for alkalinity? is there something i should be dosing when alk gets consumed apart from cal/mag?

thanks for any help

In not sure what you read is entirely accurate. Potassium and calcium, for example, are added and consumed by different processes and are not tied together.

That said, both biological and nonbiological (abiotic) processes deplete many ions, and foods add back many ions. The balance between these two causes a need for certain ions and not for others.

Reefers have learned over the years that calcium and alkalinity are rapidly depleted by hard and some soft corals. Magnesium is depleted much more slowly.

Iron and manganese are depleted rapidly by both abiotic processes and by many tank inhabitants.

commercial and DIY supplements are designed to offset these loses.