Alkalinity slowly rising

[Lavey29]

Does dosing amino acids several times a week cause a slow alkalinity increase? My alk has gone from 9 to 9.8 past several weeks and only change was weekly dosing of acrowpower now. Nitrates are stable at 12. Salinity consistent at 1.026. I do use coral pro salt which does have higher alk level but only doing 15% water change every 3 weeks now. I dose ESV bionic 2 part 18ml of alk and cal daily. Are the corals just not uptaking as much? Feed fish a little less?

What causes slow alk increase?

 

[amazongb]

What test kit are you using for Alk?

 

[MnFish1]

According to another thread dosing amino acids can boost alkalinity per @Randy Holmes-Farley. I would also verify your measurements, make sure you're taking them at the same time of day, etc.

PS - It also sounds like there are a number of things that could be raising your alkalinity (you could just consider dosing less if your results are accurate?)

 

[Lavey29]

What test kit are you using for Alk?

Hanna

 

[Lavey29]

According to another thread dosing amino acids can boost alkalinity per @Randy Holmes-Farley. I would also verify your measurements, make sure you're taking them at the same time of day, etc.

PS - It also sounds like there are a number of things that could be raising your alkalinity (you could just consider dosing less if your results are accurate?)

I do test same time of day. 9dkh has been consistent for past 6 months or so and only past 3 weeks noticed the creep up. My calcium is 420 so that is not causing it. Yes, various things can raise alk so I'm guessing my recent addition of acrowpower is the source but wanted some expert input. I'm not going to dose this week and see if the number still rises.

 

[vetteguy53081]

What is your calcium level?
Both work together.

 

[Lavey29]

What is your calcium level?
Both work together.

420

 

[vetteguy53081]

420

Assure youre not getting false test results. Another cause for rise in alkalinity is decline in nitrate levels. Test your nitrate levels to see if this is may be the reason for the increase in your alk

 

[amazongb]

Hanna

Did you change reagents recently? I've noticed newer reagents are always higher than the older reagents. I now double check with Salifert..

 

[Lavey29]

Assure youre not getting false test results. Another cause for rise in alkalinity is decline in nitrate levels. Test your nitrate levels to see if this is may be the reason for the increase in your alk

Nitrates are fine. I may try my red sea kit for a second type of test

 

[Lavey29]

Did you change reagents recently? I've noticed newer reagents are always higher than the older reagents. I now double check with Salifert..

I did open a new bottle of alk reagent.

 

[Lavey29]

Any thoughts on coral amino raising alk?

 

[amazongb]

I did open a new bottle of alk reagent.

Pretty sure that solves the mystery

 

[Lavey29]

Pretty sure that solves the mystery

I would say you are right if it just increased to a specific level and stayed there but mine has slowly increased over the last 2 or 3 weeks. Just like .2 every few days or so.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Any thoughts on coral amino raising alk?

It depends on how they are formulated. They can be designed to boost alk, be alk neutral, or deplete alk.

 

[Lavey29]

It depends on how they are formulated. They can be designed to boost alk, be alk neutral, or deplete alk.

thank you for the reply, Don't see anything specific on the bottles indicating a direction either way so I am guessing like a lot of the hidden ingredients in reef tank supplements, they try and keep this a mystery also but I will email them to find out. I am skipping dosing this week to see if my alk stabilizes again.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

thank you for the reply, Don't see anything specific on the bottles indicating a direction either way so I am guessing like a lot of the hidden ingredients in reef tank supplements, they try and keep this a mystery also but I will email them to find out. I am skipping dosing this week to see if my alk stabilizes again.

I actually doubt whether most hobby manufacturers of amino acid supplements even know whether they boost alk or deplete alk, or neither. It’s a fairly sophisticated chemistry question.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

As an example, sodium aspartate will raise alk when fully metabolized, while arginine hydrochloride depletes it.