Can't get my alkalinity above 6.4

[BAUCE]

I switched from manually dosing 2 part to a dosing pump about 2 months ago. Before I added the pump I kept my alk pretty steady at around 8-8.5 dkh by manually dosing 12-15 ml of each part at night. My alk has slowly dropped to 6.4 while my calcium has stayed the same at 440ppm. I am up to 28ml of each now and they are being dosed 8 times over the course of a day.

My coral growth has been pretty good but some of the SPS are a little pale. I had to add a fan to my sump around the same time I switched to the dosing pump because of the summer heat. The only other thing that has changed somewhat recently was my switch from LEDs to T5s.

Anyone have a guess to why I cant seem to get my ALK up?

Tank info:

-40 gallon total water volume
-Stocked with mostly SPS

-Calcium 440 (Salifert)
-Alkalinity 6.4 (Salifert - have used two seperate test kits + used the check fluid)
-Magnesium 1330 (Salifert)
-Phosphates 0 (Hanna checker)
-No3 0 (Salifert)

 

[KoleTang]

They don't need to be added equally. If it is low then your tank is just using more of it. The lighting switch may have something to do with it.

Calcium is a bit high BTW.

 

[BAUCE]

I've always thought b-ionic was generally dosed in the same amount? Think the high calcium is making the alk lower?

 

[NanaReefer]

I disagree with your Ca being high. Been running mine at 440 for 4+yrs
You can/will find the need to dose more/less of the 2 parts often. Not unusual Heat/Co2 will affect ALK, but not Ca.

Do you run an ATO? Might want to look into adding a supplement to your top off water. Kalkwasser, Baking Soda or Pickling Lime. All are used with great results. Personally I use the Kalkwasser in my ATO and have a steady balanced ALK reading of 9.2



Sent from my iPhone 4s using Tapatalk

 

[Reef4reef]

keep Mag around 1400

 

[feh]

advanced aquarist had a really good article on how alk mg and ca are balanced and how to troubleshoot problems. also it still could be as said your tank uses more alk.

 

[MHG]

I had a similar problem except my calc was rising without dosing or water changes. I found most of those articles on alk and calc are a bit heady and confusing...the corals might be responding favorable to the more consistent dosing and thus consuming more....it takes a while and a lot of testing to get it right.. Keep it up.

I dose 22 ml a day or alk and only 16ml of calc. ESV... My growth has recently taken off and I am also trying to get the right level of dosing.

I also disagree that 450 is too high... It is the target most often mentioned in everything I read and in every TOTM on reef keeping.com.

Your pale colors could be from other factors such as no nitrates or too much light... My corals lose all their color on zero nitrates so I keep mine at 2ppm and they look crazy....

 

[db1317]

I use ESV 2-part and my alk drops pretty quickly from growth, too. I dose the same amount of 2 part and then every 2-3 days when I test I'll bring up alk with baking soda if it's low.

 

[duke4130]

I disagree with your Ca being high. Been running mine at 440 for 4+yrs
You can/will find the need to dose more/less of the 2 parts often. Not unusual Heat/Co2 will affect ALK, but not Ca.

Do you run an ATO? Might want to look into adding a supplement to your top off water. Kalkwasser, Baking Soda or Pickling Lime. All are used with great results. Personally I use the Kalkwasser in my ATO and have a steady balanced ALK reading of 9.2



Sent from my iPhone 4s using Tapatalk

+++1

 

[zemuss]

Isn't it possible that if you are dosing both parts at the same time one is cancelling the other out? Maybe dose Alk and then dose calc ten minutes later.

 

[BAUCE]

I use ESV 2-part and my alk drops pretty quickly from growth, too. I dose the same amount of 2 part and then every 2-3 days when I test I'll bring up alk with baking soda if it's low.

You just mix a certain amount to some RO/DI water and toss it in?

I disagree with your Ca being high. Been running mine at 440 for 4+yrs
You can/will find the need to dose more/less of the 2 parts often. Not unusual Heat/Co2 will affect ALK, but not Ca.

Do you run an ATO? Might want to look into adding a supplement to your top off water. Kalkwasser, Baking Soda or Pickling Lime. All are used with great results. Personally I use the Kalkwasser in my ATO and have a steady balanced ALK reading of 9.2



Sent from my iPhone 4s using Tapatalk

I set up a chiller last night. It's saying my temp is at 83 but my reefkeeper which I've had since day one says 78. Maybe my reefkeeper is off and I need recalibrate it?

I do run an ATO and will look for information on which of those three to add.

Isn't it possible that if you are dosing both parts at the same time one is cancelling the other out? Maybe dose Alk and then dose calc ten minutes later.

I'm dosing them 5 minutes apart. When I did it manually I only waited a minute or two with no issues

 

[Frick]

I had a 40 breeder set up with full SPS, and had the same issue with alk drops and swings. The only long term solution i found was a calcium reactor. If you want to use a two part still then maybe think about investing in a doser. The problem with small SPS tanks is it is nearly impossible to stabilize the big 3 by manual dosing. It's like trying to balance ice blocks on a teeter totter in Arizona. Alk can swing all over the place in one day given your situation. The best way to raise and stabilize it is by automated dosing of a bicarbonate supplement, with either the CO2 from a Calcium reactor or a automated doser.

I did Kalk in my top off which I would not recommend if you are dosing as well. You will shoot your Ca up over 500 and then really have some problems with your Alk.

 

[bct15]

You need to make them more than five minutes apart, they need to be more like 1 hour apart. Also, when one is low you should stop dosing the other one completely if you have wiggle room, you have plenty of room for your cal to drop. I think your cal dosing is precipitating the alk out, if you look online you'll find a chart that has hte maximum calcium per alk level before precipitaion, at your alk level the calcium in your tank is way past that. You need to balance them out by stopping adding calcium and bringing up only alk, then when they're balanced bring them up together where you want them.

 

[BAUCE]

You need to make them more than five minutes apart, they need to be more like 1 hour apart. Also, when one is low you should stop dosing the other one completely if you have wiggle room, you have plenty of room for your cal to drop. I think your cal dosing is precipitating the alk out, if you look online you'll find a chart that has hte maximum calcium per alk level before precipitaion, at your alk level the calcium in your tank is way past that. You need to balance them out by stopping adding calcium and bringing up only alk, then when they're balanced bring them up together where you want them.

So just leave the alk dosing at 28ml a day and cut the calcium till my alk is up to where I want it? (8dkh)

 

[KoleTang]

I disagree with your Ca being high. Been running mine at 440 for 4+yrs
You can/will find the need to dose more/less of the 2 parts often. Not unusual Heat/Co2 will affect ALK, but not Ca.

Do you run an ATO? Might want to look into adding a supplement to your top off water. Kalkwasser, Baking Soda or Pickling Lime. All are used with great results. Personally I use the Kalkwasser in my ATO and have a steady balanced ALK reading of 9.2 .

Sent from my iPhone 4s using Tapatalk

Ca and Alk need to be balanced at certain levels or they will not bond as well.

Here is a helpful calculator. Calcium/Alkalinity Balance Calculator

440 is not balanced to 9.2

Isn't it possible that if you are dosing both parts at the same time one is cancelling the other out? Maybe dose Alk and then dose calc ten minutes later.

Good point. If I remember correctly, BRS recommends dosing at least 15 minutes apart from eachother.

 

[ParkerB]

What if you had this problem but vice versa? Idk how but the past couple weeks my Ca has been dropping and I've had to set my doser to dose more and my alk has stayed fine. It really puzzles me cause I really don't get how or why?

Hopefully someone has an answer.

I do have a 5" mosa and a 3" crocea and the whoe system is arguably 80l it also has grown two shelves pretty quickly (mosa). I was thing maybe this but I don't get why my alk would stay stable at dosing the same amount.

 

[BAUCE]

Ca and Alk need to be balanced at certain levels or they will not bond as well.

Here is a helpful calculator. Calcium/Alkalinity Balance Calculator

440 is not balanced to 9.2



Good point. If I remember correctly, BRS recommends dosing at least 15 minutes apart from eachother.

It's saying I need to be at 420 to be balanced with 8. Do you like the method of raising alk with calcium via baking soda or tweaking the amount of alkalinity 2 part? So lowering my calcium dosage while raising my alkalinity

 

[KoleTang]

Put the whole idea of raising them equally with kalk or baking soda out of your head for the time being.

Just dose more of the alk until it gets to the level you want and stop dosing the Ca until it drops to the level you want. Then find the daily dosage your tank needs to hold them at those levels.

Once you have them balanced and at the level you want, you can try using kalk to raise them equally if you want to.

BTW, don't raise alk too quickly.

 

[BAUCE]

Put the whole idea of raising them equally with kalk or baking soda out of your head for the time being.

Just dose more of the alk until it gets to the level you want and stop dosing the Ca until it drops to the level you want. Then find the daily dosage your tank needs to hold them at those levels.

Once you have them balanced and at the level you want, you can try using kalk to raise them equally if you want to.

BTW, don't raise alk too quickly.

Thanks for the help. I'll try getting it up to 7 over this next week

 

[bct15]

Don't dose calcium at all, just alk...monitor your calcium an if it gets to 380 or so then start dosing it again. Measure your alk every day while adding, and when your alk reaches 8 reduce the amount of alk your adding (remember you have to add more than your tank demand to raise the alk) and start dosing calcium again. Then monitor each one every day while you make small tweaks to dial them in just right. Bring your alk up slow over about two weeks from 6.4 to 8.

FYI I do my two part in six doses each evenly spaced apart (four hours), the calcium dosing is offset from the alk by two hours.