dkh issue not sure what to do.

e34stx · Sep 5, 2017

hi there im new to this forum and appreciate any help/advise from other members.i have just started the triton method and i have a few questions im hoping you can answer. i have a reefer 350 and experienced a variety of different nuisance algae so i cooked my live rock in muriatic acid. when doing this to neutralise the acid i used baking powder recommended by my local reef shop. after a few months of rock cycling i put the rock back into my display tank. my issue is my dkh was around 20 ph around 8.4-8.5. i dosed some diluted hydrochloric acid to slowly lower the dkh to around 10. there was a strange side effect to this whole process as the dkh does not go down. the dkh has stayed around 10. calcium is very slowly going down but stays around 450. mg was low from my last icp test at 1230. my problem is if i dose the recommended amount my alk will rise(now at 8 dkh)..what should i do? i dont want to replace my rock. thanks i look forward to your replies.

Tim@Triton · Sep 5, 2017

I would not start dosing anything until you have restored some kind of balance to your system. Continue water changes until your parameters even out, obviously this relies on you using a salt mix with favourable levels, Tropic Marin Pro is closest to our set points.

Do you have any consumption at the moment? Coral stock?

e34stx · Sep 5, 2017

hi thanks for your reply. i have around 5 relatively small sps the rest is lps and softies. i dont seem to have any consumption. the corals have and are growing well in the last 2 months.

Tim@Triton · Sep 5, 2017

Well if they are growing then they must be consuming, maintain a small dose to keep your Alk between 7-8. Correct the low levels from your ICP (Mg).

e34stx · Sep 6, 2017

i assume the only liquid i can change is number 2? which i think is calcium. i will revert back to water changes for 3-6 months and keep an eye on alk usage. whats the lowest dose i could use in my 350? i take it such a small dose say 5ml of each a day would not supply enough trace elements etc? thanks