Am I over thinking this precipitation thing?

[Lavey29]

I have bumped up to 30mls for the dose today also which completes around 700pm tonight. This is really perplexing to me why it just stays at that 7 range though. even with over a 50% increase now in my dose.

 

[homer1475]

I would test at 7:10 then to see how much your actually dosing DKH wise.

 

[Lavey29]

I would test at 7:10 then to see how much your actually dosing DKH wise.

now I spready my doses out as small amounts throughout a 12 hour day and the cal doses overnight. thats right yes rather then less doses but large amounts?

 

[homer1475]

Generally speaking yes. I dose 24/7 both alk and cal. Just have always done it that way.

But for that small of a dose, one shot wouldn't be bad either. You just don't want to go over 1DKH in 24 hours(unless obviously your using it) for stability reasons.

 

[KrisReef]

Thanks for double checking! I'm glad I am over thinking the thing.

The fact is we are all trying to ensure your "full tank stock of corals are really flourishing " and stay that way as you start pushing the Alk up a bit. The other side of the story is when you discover that the corals are consuming the Alk to keep it low because THat Is WHere THey Like it. Keep a sharp eye out for changes and remember coral happiness is the goal and the parameters are only guidelines.

 

[ReefMasta]

Also a tank full of softies and lps will consume very little all, compared to an sps dominant tank.

 

[Lavey29]

Thanks for double checking! I'm glad I am over thinking the thing.

The fact is we are all trying to ensure your "full tank stock of corals are really flourishing " and stay that way as you start pushing the Alk up a bit. The other side of the story is when you discover that the corals are consuming the Alk to keep it low because THat Is WHere THey Like it. Keep a sharp eye out for changes and remember coral happiness is the goal and the parameters are only guidelines.

Thanks for suggesting to check the reagent.

 

[Lavey29]

Also a tank full of softies and lps will consume very little all, compared to an sps dominant tank.

I've got 25 SPS frags along with LPS and soft.

 

[Wrassenaround]

So, my tank had been running consistent around 8 to 8.4 DKH for over a year and over the past month I noticed that it dropped to 7 DKH. My full tank stock of corals are really flourishing so I just figured that it was normal consumption combined with all the coraline developing also. The tank seemed to like the 7 range so I started to slowly increase my alk dose to balance it at 7.5 which gives me a little buffer in case it drops again. over a period of time I noticed my alk level was not increasing. I have slowly been adding more to my daily dosage but the alk just sits at 7 (checked daily at the same time). I have increased 40% from 18ml to 26ml per day and it doesn't move. I started to focus on precipitation but did not see any of the obvious indicators. Sand is not hard or clumpy. I don't see calcium build up on my equipment. My magnesium is normal and dosed once per week currently at 1410 via ICP test. My calcium has not been rising even though I matched the dose increase to pair with the alk increase. Shows about 460 currently on hanna checker. My salinity stays at 1.026. I don't really test PH other then basic test strips which always show around 8.0 but I run a fuge overnight to balance PH and the office where the tank is located is fairly well ventilated with a fan and AC. I think I have precipitation going on but can't say for certain.

The caveat is that the tank is running perfect with significant SPS growth and color and also my LPS and softs are thriving. So, should I be concerned at all or just let the tank to do its thing and not chase numbers at all? I do water changes of 15% every 3 weeks with coral pro salt. This situation is perplexing to me though which is why I like to defer to the brain trust here for advice...thanks in advance for your suggestions.

Without reading what everyone else had said I think if your corals are growing and coloration is good I would leave everything the way it is. I always let my corals tell me how the water is, I don't chase numbers but let my corals tell me what they need. Based on what you said your corals seem perfectly happy with the conditions.

I also tried to change my ALK levels in my old tank to try and stimulate better growth and I ended up doing more harm than good.

 

[Lavey29]

Without reading what everyone else had said I think if your corals are growing and coloration is good I would leave everything the way it is. I always let my corals tell me how the water is, I don't chase numbers but let my corals tell me what they need. Based on what you said your corals seem perfectly happy with the conditions.

True, I'm just concerned with 7 DKH. If I go a week between tests it may fall into unhealthy range. Secondly, why can't I get my DKH to increase?

 

[Wrassenaround]

True, I'm just concerned with 7 DKH. If I go a week between tests it may fall into unhealthy range. Secondly, why can't I get my DKH to increase?

25 sps frags is a lot of sps corals which use a lot of ALK/CAL consumption. Your corals could be consuming it all very quickly or your method of measuring could be faulty. (expired reagent or user error) I would hate for you to try and get your DKH increased and your corals end up suffering when they aren't used to those parameters.

 

[Lavey29]

25 sps frags is a lot of sps corals which use a lot of ALK/CAL consumption. Your corals could be consuming it all very quickly or your method of measuring could be faulty. (expired reagent or user error) I would hate for you to try and get your DKH increased and your corals end up suffering when they aren't used to those parameters.

Yes, Krisreef was kind enough to recommend checking my reagent which I did. The Hanna alk test is pretty simple. I can go to my LFS for second alk test to verify. Tank seems perfect so perhaps all these small dosage increases are being used up rapidly but then the tank goes into a holding pattern at 7 DKH, very strange. I used to be able to adjust my alk by small amounts like .1 or .2 DKH with slight increase or reduction in my dosing amount but can't do that currently. Cal has not been increasing so that is a positive sign.

 

[ReefMasta]

I've got 25 SPS frags along with LPS and soft.

frags not colonies and you can hardly even see them if in fact there are 25 which I doubt by looking

 

[Lavey29]

frags not colonies and you can hardly even see them if in fact there are 25 which I doubt by looking

Yes frags, few are mini colonies now and it's 32 not 25. Sorry my bad.

 

[Lavey29]

Ok, so bumping up to 30ml per day of alk has raised the DKH slightly and it is now sitting at 7.4DKH at the end of my dosing for the day. I dose my alk during the daytime because it seems like the corals are obviously more active with the light to. I tested it at 730PM after the last dose was completed so it appears as several of you mentioned already that i am just getting a lot more consumption then a few months ago. I increased my dose by 66% over the past week to get a ,4 DKH rise. I guess I can now understand how you guys with full SPS colony tanks burn through the alk and cal.

 

[homer1475]

Yup I use 2DKH a day or roughly 104ml in an 80G tank. I'm almost to the point I have been thinking about switching to a CalRx at this point.

 

[Lavey29]

Yup I use 2DKH a day or roughly 104ml in an 80G tank. I'm almost to the point I have been thinking about switching to a CalRx at this point.

thats crazy amount of alk and cal. I would have to buy 2 gallon jugs of bionic a month to keep up with that level.

 

[homer1475]

Yes, I go through roughly 1 gallon every other week, or 2 gallons a month.

It's not bad using baking soda for ALK, but the calcium chloride from BRS is getting stupid expensive(finding DIY calcium chloride of decent purity is tough to find, or not much cheaper).

Of course I'm not complaining, it's a decent problem to have.

 

[Lavey29]

Yes, I go through roughly 1 gallon every other week, or 2 gallons a month.

It's not bad using baking soda for ALK, but the calcium chloride from BRS is getting stupid expensive(finding DIY calcium chloride of decent purity is tough to find, or not much cheaper).

Of course I'm not complaining, it's a decent problem to have.

I just got 3 more SPS frags today. I couldn't stop myself. I am an addict destined for reef rehab at some point.

 

[Miami Reef]

Yup I use 2DKH a day or roughly 104ml in an 80G tank. I'm almost to the point I have been thinking about switching to a CalRx at this point.

thats crazy amount of alk and cal. I would have to buy 2 gallon jugs of bionic a month to keep up with that level.

I’m dosing 260mL of each 2 part in my 260 gallon tank.