ca1ore
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I have always assumed that my tank experiences alkalinity fluctuations - higher first thing in the morning than when the lights go down. Consumption will vary but addition is constant. I recently won a trident (only cost me $645 in S&H) and can now actually measure that rather than assuming. At the end of the light period alkalinity is nominally 8.75; by the morning it is 9.1. Calcium also fluctuates in the same way, but to not the same percent variation. It is in the 425-440 range. Magnesium is essentially stable at 1350. This is based in only a few days of measurements, and I have not yet used the calibration solution. Once I do, and if there is enough left, I may use it in my Hanna alk tester. My Hanna runs almost 1.0 alk units higher than the trident.
I’ve not seen, that I can recall, any measurements of alkalinity on wild reefs; though I would expect given the infinite reservoir of the oceans that there would be no alk fluctuations. Question is whether there’s any benefit to attempting to smooth these variations in our tanks. If there is benefit, is there a way to accomplish this reliably without creating a worse problem than that attempted to solve. I’m inclined to do nothing for now since my tanks have been growing well for years now.
I do wonder that just as some run macro refugia on a reverse light cycle to mitigate pH swings at night, there might be some logic in running a connected frag tank on a similar revere cycle to mitigate alk swings. Perhaps a more elegant approach than messing with dosing levels. Might have to experiment with this. Food for thought though.
I’ve not seen, that I can recall, any measurements of alkalinity on wild reefs; though I would expect given the infinite reservoir of the oceans that there would be no alk fluctuations. Question is whether there’s any benefit to attempting to smooth these variations in our tanks. If there is benefit, is there a way to accomplish this reliably without creating a worse problem than that attempted to solve. I’m inclined to do nothing for now since my tanks have been growing well for years now.
I do wonder that just as some run macro refugia on a reverse light cycle to mitigate pH swings at night, there might be some logic in running a connected frag tank on a similar revere cycle to mitigate alk swings. Perhaps a more elegant approach than messing with dosing levels. Might have to experiment with this. Food for thought though.
