Does chaetomorpha take up Alk and Ca?

[Duane Clark]

For what it’s worth I have seen the exact same thing in my tank. I love my chaeto reactor but almost from week one, my alk started dropping as soon as I added it. It is now something I constantly have to closely monitor. I have quite a few lps corals but did not add any after I added the chaeto. I doubt it’s the chaeto directly consuming alk but something definitely changed.

 

[fishbox]

For what it’s worth I have seen the exact same thing in my tank. I love my chaeto reactor but almost from week one, my alk started dropping as soon as I added it. It is now something I constantly have to closely monitor. I have quite a few lps corals but did not add any after I added the chaeto. I doubt it’s the chaeto directly consuming alk but something definitely changed.

So what are you watching closely?

 

[Duane Clark]

I am watching the alk more closely due to its propensity to drop more quickly then it had.

 

[jda]

Calcification can increase with lower N, P and CO2 levels. While the chaeto does not consumer calcium directly, it can have an indirect impact.

 

[Reefin Dude]

bacteria is one of the main consumers of alk. if alk is being used up faster than the Ca, than it is a good bet that it is due to bacterial activity.

G~

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

Chaetomorpha cannot consume carbonate and calcium. The most likely explanation is that as the chaeto lowered the nitrates and phosphates, calcifying organisms found conditions more favorable to build calcium carbonate skeletons. As they do so, they use calcium and carbonate alkalinity from the water.

If your tank contains stony corals and your calcium and carbonate do not change over time, something is wrong. Healthy stony corals use calcium and carbonate to build their skeletons. What you are seeing is completely normal, and desirable.