CaRx ph daily adjusting input/thoughts plse

[2una]

Hi guys,interested to hear some thoughts on this please.

I'm running a fixed ph \co2 saturated Dastaco carx on a sps tank.
After having a alk controller for awhile i have a 0.6 -0.8 daily dkh swing that i'm not entirely happy about & i've been thinking what can i do to perhaps smooth that swing out.

If i was to put this dastaco over to manual control by fitting a ph probe to it do you think i would get any success by doing something like

If time 0800 to 1800 then
If ph 6.5 then off
If ph 6.7 then on

If time 1801 to 0759 then
IF ph 7.0 then off
If ph 7.2 then on

Basically just setting a higher dkh output during lights on hours & a lower dkh output during dark hours, Do you think that would work ? Or would the carx lag too far behind to get it to work you think?
Any other ideas? Increasing/decreasing flow somehow i guess would be another option but nothing is coming to me for how to do that.
I have a fixed speed peri.

I keep hearing voices in the back of my head saying keep alk stable then look at a 3/4 dkh daily swing & think something can be improved on here,just not sure how other than retur ning to doser

 

[JDtimk]

I don't think a cyclical swing of .6 or .8 dkh over a 24 hour period is anything to worry about. I have an alk controller too and I see the same consumption patterns ramp up and down over the 24 hour period.

I think you could find some success with your plan, but to be honest I feel like the more variables in a system the more opportunities for something to break or go wrong.

I would definitely be interested to hear how it goes if you do attempt to program the daily alk swing out.

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

Maybe you will find this helpful.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/calcium-reactor-cant-keep-up-with-alk.484529/page-3#post-5379876

 

[2una]

Maybe thought up something more simple, leave carx running as per normal but drop the effluent into a smaller size bottle on the inside of the sump area & use that bottle as a dosing reservoir, dose from that bottle where i can up the input over lights on hours & drop it over lights out hours.
Keeping it a small bottle will put a safety net there for the extra doser failing - if the doser fails the carx peri will make the small bottle overflow & the tank will be just back to square one dosages from the peri.
I've seen people speaking of pushing or pulling with peri so there musn't be an issue with effluent & dosing pumps hopefully.
Think this plan is the most comfortable plan i've thought up so far - Anyone have any holes to shoot in it? Fire away

 

[2una]

Well the simple of that plan didn't last very long - gross underestimation of what i'm really pumping thru the carx
275 ml per 10min = 1.650L per hour = 39.6L per 24 hour
so much for small container, i really didn't think it was anywhere so high

 

[Janci]

Well the simple of that plan didn't last very long - gross underestimation of what i'm really pumping thru the carx
275 ml per 10min = 1.650L per hour = 39.6L per 24 hour
so much for small container, i really didn't think it was anywhere so high

@2una , this post is already from a while ago, but I have a Dastaco as well, without a kh controller.
I am seeing the kh drop between day/night as well, but do no see it as a problem or something to worry about.
Still, I like to hear if you found a way to solve this?

I hear you have an Alkatronic kh controller?

 

[2una]

@2una , this post is already from a while ago, but I have a Dastaco as well, without a kh controller.
I am seeing the kh drop between day/night as well, but do no see it as a problem or something to worry about.
Still, I like to hear if you found a way to solve this?

I hear you have an Alkatronic kh controller?

Hi,, i ended up taking the dastaco peri off the dastaco controller & putting it on apex & making different flow rates for different hours - that took away a lot of the swing i was getting before. Was still very difficult to get it to stay stable tho( a lot of fiddling).
I was going close to 1dkh down & 1 dkh back up each day & got rid of half of that swing

 

[ca1ore]

Once you were able, at least in part, to mitigate the swings did you see any kind of appreciable improvement in the health of your tank? I think the risk of these kinds of continuous monitoring devices is the urge to intervene when left alone is the better course.

 

[Maacc]

I agree, probably going to create more problems than it solves.
I also wonder even though no shifts in temp alk etc. results in faster growth, does it come at the cost of resiliency? Where if your temp fluctuates only a quarter degree or dkh only fluctuates 0.2 per day, that over time the coral loses some of its ability to cope with the changing conditions.

 

[2una]

Once you were able, at least in part, to mitigate the swings did you see any kind of appreciable improvement in the health of your tank? I think the risk of these kinds of continuous monitoring devices is the urge to intervene when left alone is the better course.

I agree, probably going to create more problems than it solves.
I also wonder even though no shifts in temp alk etc. results in faster growth, does it come at the cost of resiliency? Where if your temp fluctuates only a quarter degree or dkh only fluctuates 0.2 per day, that over time the coral loses some of its ability to cope with the changing conditions.

I was getting random coral loss from time to time & that was my point in doing it thinking maybe the swing was being a stressor.
I still had those random losses after flattening out the dkh anyway & think it is rather carbon/bacteria/pathogen issue.
Whilst i generally agree with you that maybe its best left alone where does one draw the line?...i was going 1 down + 1 up a day.....is 2 down 2 up also ok? who knows.... Whilst the corals do adapt to it I do think it must bring some stress point into play somewhere.
Ca1ore - growth no change , health i thought a little better but as i say still had what i suspect is pathogen problem raise its head occasionally(icp elements ruled out)

 

[Janci]

Hi,, i ended up taking the dastaco peri off the dastaco controller & putting it on apex & making different flow rates for different hours - that took away a lot of the swing i was getting before. Was still very difficult to get it to stay stable tho( a lot of fiddling).
I was going close to 1dkh down & 1 dkh back up each day & got rid of half of that swing

I find it strange that you had these alk swings. The dastaco is designed to avoid that.
My daily swing is about 0.2dKH.
I do have a light sensor connected which auto reduces the night dosings.
That is all part of the dastaco setup.

 

[2una]

I find it strange that you had these alk swings. The dastaco is designed to avoid that.
My daily swing is about 0.2dKH.
I do have a light sensor connected which auto reduces the night dosings.
That is all part of the dastaco setup.

All to do with stock level & water volume i think - the light sensor only reduces output 30%