Can’t get my Alakalinity right

[aquakj]

Hey guys so I’ve been in a constant back and forth with my alakalinity , it has remained constant at 7 , I’m using IO reef crystals and dosing Red Sea alkalinity currently was at 15ml per day on 90 gallons which bumped it up to a dig of 10 however that killed my torches and my birds nest (mixed reef, LPS, but mainly softies )so I recently stopped dosing for a couple days as I didn’t notice my doser was out of liquid then I did a 10% water change which dropped my alkalinity to 6 , which I was not trying to do! I’m trying to just get my alkalinity between 8-9 and keep it thier consistently as consistency is key, so I was thinking about switching salts a lot of LFS have recommended me to switch to Red Sea coral pro but I’m open to using the best salt out there so if you have any recommendations let me know , also was considering tropic marine salt , or if you think I should keep what I have and just bring up the alkalinity by dosing any advice is welcomed ! Thanks

 

[Dburr1014]

Why switch?
Your first sentence was it is constant at 7.
IO is a fine salt.

Do you have your calcium and magnisium test numbers?
A low magnisium may mess with alk stability.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Hey guys so I’ve been in a constant back and forth with my alakalinity , it has remained constant at 7 , I’m using IO reef crystals and dosing Red Sea alkalinity currently was at 15ml per day on 90 gallons which bumped it up to a dig of 10 however that killed my torches and my birds nest (mixed reef, LPS, but mainly softies )so I recently stopped dosing for a couple days as I didn’t notice my doser was out of liquid then I did a 10% water change which dropped my alkalinity to 6 , which I was not trying to do! I’m trying to just get my alkalinity between 8-9 and keep it thier consistently as consistency is key, so I was thinking about switching salts a lot of LFS have recommended me to switch to Red Sea coral pro but I’m open to using the best salt out there so if you have any recommendations let me know , also was considering tropic marine salt , or if you think I should keep what I have and just bring up the alkalinity by dosing any advice is welcomed ! Thanks

Instant Ocean has relatively high alk among the salt brands... How often are you doing water changes, and what percentage?

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I did a 10% water change which dropped my alkalinity to 6

I can't imagine this is correct. Maybe raised it to 6...?

 

[aquakj]

Why switch?
Your first sentence was it is constant at 7.
IO is a fine salt.

Do you have your calcium and magnisium test numbers?
A low magnisium may mess with alk stability.

Every time I test my LFS is telling me to bring my alk up to at least 8 or 9, I don’t have the numbers in mind but I can post my recent test once I get home from work

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Every time I test my LFS is telling me to bring my alk up to at least 8 or 9, I don’t have the numbers in mind but I can post my recent test once I get home from work

Stop listening to your LFS.

 

[aquakj]

Instant Ocean has relatively high alk among the salt brands... How often are you doing water changes, and what percentage?

I do water changes once a month and I do about 10-12 gallons

 

[Dburr1014]

Every time I test my LFS is telling me to bring my alk up to at least 8 or 9, I don’t have the numbers in mind but I can post my recent test once I get home from work

7 is not a bad number. Lots of people run there.
I run at 8.

 

[homer1475]

Nothing wrong with an ALK of 7. Nominal ocean ALK is 7.

As @EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal said, stop listening to your LFS.

 

[aquakj]

 

[Reefering1]

In would be most concerned about the zero phosphate. Don't fight the tank, if it likes to stay around 7 dkh, maintain 7 dkh. The ocean is 6 point something, if I remember correctly

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Please invest in your own test kits.

 

[aquakj]

I have the Hannah Ca, Mg and Alk but I’m not sure if they test accurate, any recommendations ?

Please invest in your own test kits

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I have the Hannah Ca, Mg and Alk but I’m not sure if they test accurate, any recommendations ?

If you're asking for suggestions to replace the Hannas, I am a fan of the Salifert tests for most things.

If you're asking how to calibrate the Hannas, I'll defer to those that actually use them

My point was, assuming you're using the LFS to test your water, you will be better off testing yourself.

 

[Reefering1]

I have the Hannah Ca, Mg and Alk but I’m not sure if they test accurate, any recommendations ?

How do your test results compare to the lfs results? Are they consistent?