Alkalinity won’t raise or stablize

[Brew132]

I’ve been using a doser for the past 6 weeks. it’s a 65 gallon tank and I says 70 total including live rock and sump.

Monday - Usually I keep ALK at 11 but on Monday it dropped to 9.8 So I added liquid soda ash mix and brought to raise the ALK by 1dkh according to the calculator and I retested and it was at 9.7 that’s odd...

Tuesday I retested and then noticed it dropped again to 8.2 added about alk to raise it 1dkh and it raised it to 8.8 (odd).

I read somewhere that perhaps there’s something wrong with the ionization or something with the water and it calls you to do a water change.

I did 10 gallons of water of Red Sea Coral Pro. It raised my dkh to 9.2

Wed - checked the alk and now it’s at 8.1. I added about to raise it by 1 dkh and it only raised it to 8.8

What is going on?! Thank you

 

[Greg P]

Do you have any LPS or SPS?
If not, don't worry about it for now.

Keeping your water at a higher elevation is not required with newer tanks.
Natural sea water runs about dKH 7.0


Does this help you?
Just let it run it's course if you have no corals

 

[Krissreef]

watch this video.



I also have the same question, why do you want you alk that high in the first place?

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

What is your magnesium level? Magnesium allows for higher alkalinity numbers.

 

[Greg P]

Magnesium allows for higher alkalinity numbers.

Not quite true, but you're on the right path.
Running Mag at levels above NSW (natural sea water) allows our tanks to operate in an environment above the levels we would normally see in a natural environment.
Having Mag at or above NSW levels allows Alk and Ca levels to be run higher for faster skeletal growth.

EDIT: not sure I'm stating it properly ...

Hopefully someone more schooled will chime in here to fill in the holes and/or correct me.

@Randy Holmes-Farley

 

[Brew132]

Do you have any LPS or SPS?
If not, don't worry about it for now.

Keeping your water at a higher elevation is not required with newer tanks.
Natural sea water runs about dKH 7.0


Does this help you?
Just let it run it's course if you have no corals

Yes it’s a mature tank of four years but just started dosing. I’ve seen huge growth in both LPS and SPS since rising higher. This is also because of the BRS video on elevated levels and I want to match the Coral Pro Salt.

 

[Brew132]

What is your magnesium level? Magnesium allows for higher alkalinity numbers.

I’m going to check again tonight but I left it alone since it wasn’t falling. Finally after a month it was at 1200 and dosed it to 1400 I believe right before the water change.

 

[DEWreefing]

When running that high of alk you will tend to participate alot higher levels of mag are need to keep the calcium and alk ions from coming together and participating out.

 

[Brew132]

When running that high of alk you will tend to participate alot higher levels of mag are need to keep the calcium and alk ions from coming together and participating out.

higher than 1400? Do you know why it’s happening now all of the sudden?

 

[DEWreefing]

I run 9.8dkh and I keep my calcium at 480 and mag 1460

 

[DEWreefing]

higher than 1400? Do you know why it’s happening now all of the sudden?

Could be your corals are using mag as a calcium supplement and your alk is participating out due to changing mag.

 

[DEWreefing]

I would never run 11dkh it's just 2 high

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

Not quite true, but you're on the right

Magnesium is a critical element that molecules that make up alkalinity bond with. You don't need elevated magnesium levels to run higher alk numbers. But if your magnesium levels fall, you can add all the bicarbonate you want but your alk will not raise.

I have experienced this trying to get alk to 9 while my mag was at around 800.

Aquarium Chemistry: Magnesium In Reef Aquaria

This article details the nature of magnesium in seawater, how it is added, measured, and removed from marine aquaria, and how it impacts the maintenance of calcium and alkalinity.

www.advancedaquarist.com