Have You Checked Your Alkalinity Today?

[Nano sapiens]

Yes. I've settled on 8.5 dKh. Checked 2x week. Hardly moves over the week (Kalkwasser dosed via gravity fed ATO units). Very rarely do I need to add an Alk booster due to dosing just enough of the Kalkwasser to keep the Alk level stable. Cal naturally stabilizes since both Alk and Cal are used in the exact same ratio in a reef tank, or the ocean.

Alkalinity stability issues seem to vex a lot of people, unfortunately.

 

[fjpod]

I have trouble keeping my alk stable in my 14 gal biocube. I have a mixed reef of softies, lps, and two small fish. I use RC, which seems to mix up at 8 or so, but my tank will go as low as 6 even right after a 15% water change. Right now I top off with rodi mixed with baking soda, which does the job, but it is unstable. I would have to dose it all day long.

 

[Ike]

I have trouble keeping my alk stable in my 14 gal biocube. I have a mixed reef of softies, lps, and two small fish. I use RC, which seems to mix up at 8 or so, but my tank will go as low as 6 even right after a 15% water change. Right now I top off with rodi mixed with baking soda, which does the job, but it is unstable. I would have to dose it all day long.

Your test kit or your refractometer is WAY off if your consistently getting 8 dKH from RC. What SG are you mixing it to? RC at 1.025-1.026 should be 11-12 dKH.

Also, trouble maintaining alkalinity band calcium if you don't think it's being depleted at a normal rate could point to precipitation and/or magnesium being too low.

 

[ritter6788]

I have trouble keeping my alk stable in my 14 gal biocube. I have a mixed reef of softies, lps, and two small fish. I use RC, which seems to mix up at 8 or so, but my tank will go as low as 6 even right after a 15% water change. Right now I top off with rodi mixed with baking soda, which does the job, but it is unstable. I would have to dose it all day long.

Investing is a dosing pump may be the best option for you.

Your test kit or your refractometer is WAY off if your consistently getting 8 dKH from RC. What SG are you mixing it to? RC at 1.025-1.026 should be 11-12 dKH.

Also, trouble maintaining alkalinity band calcium if you don't think it's being depleted at a normal rate could point to precipitation and/or magnesium being too low.

I've never had RC mix up higher than 10 with a Hanna Checker mixed at 1.026. Usually in the 9 dkh range.

 

[Ecvernon]

i ditched my hannah checker for alkalinity. It always measured alkalinity too low, it is not accurate. The 9 dkh you are getting probably is really 10-11 with an salifert, elos or red sea test kit

Investing is a dosing pump may be the best option for you.



I've never had RC mix up higher than 10 with a Hanna Checker mixed at 1.026. Usually in the 9 dkh range.

 

[ritter6788]

i ditched my hannah checker for alkalinity. It always measured alkalinity too low, it is not accurate. The 9 dkh you are getting probably is really 10-11 with an salifert, elos or red sea test kit

You're right but what makes those other test kits right either? All hobby test kits are going to vary from each other. I picked the Hanna because I can repeat the result over and over each test. The important thing is to keep it stable and not swing too high or low.

 

[creefer]

Great thread and great reminder, ritter. I've been chasing some issues in sps and have started to test daily and track alk swings to see if that's the issue or not.

Thanks for the reminder.

 

[Rikerbear]

Tested again this morning after a 20% water change last evening....still at 12.5. Think its fime to change salts.......

 

[Ecvernon]

You are right also. Stability is key. It's just that if some one was using that test kit and was shooting for a dkh of 8 but is problems.
I just think when it comes to alkalinity there is a big difference between RC measuring around 9 dkh and Around 11 dkh at 1.026. I learned about how important alkalinity is the hard way.

 

[BfishLpond78]

Tested mine yesterday...I'm.embaressed to say what I let it get to....what's the recommended amount to bring up dKH per day or week.

This was on my temporary holding tank while my new build is in progress.

sent from never never land...

 

[joeyhatch11]

I tested mine both yesterday and this morning using a API kit. Yes I know there aren't the best but I always come back with 8-9 depending on the week. I also never dose alk. Just mag and calcium and it stays stable. I keep my mag at 1280-1300 and calcium at 420-440. It seems my alk never drops below 8 and never measured above 10. I do bi-weekly 6g water change on a 39g system. Is it normal to not have to dose alk?

Sent from my LG-C800 using Reef2Reef Aquarium Forum mobile app

 

[ReefMunchers]

Alkalinity is key!

 

[ritter6788]

You are right also. Stability is key. It's just that if some one was using that test kit and was shooting for a dkh of 8 but is problems.
I just think when it comes to alkalinity there is a big difference between RC measuring around 9 dkh and Around 11 dkh at 1.026. I learned about how important alkalinity is the hard way.

I have no reason to doubt the Hanna test. I've tested other salts and the results fall in line with predicted ranges. Coralife salt is known to have an alk of 8 and I get 8 dkh with the Hanna checker. Red Sea coral pro has a higher alk of 12 or more and I get those numbers with the Hanna. I've also run into low alk issues and high alk issues and the Hanna checker supported those numbers along with locals testing the same batches of water getting the same results. I've seen tests with a difference of 1 dkh but not 2 or 3 dkh.

Tested mine yesterday...I'm.embaressed to say what I let it get to....what's the recommended amount to bring up dKH per day or week.

This was on my temporary holding tank while my new build is in progress.

sent from never never land...

No more than 1 dkh per day is acceptable. If you're not sure, do it slower and dose less. Always better to under dose than overdose when raising alk.

 

[ritter6788]

I tested mine both yesterday and this morning using a API kit. Yes I know there aren't the best but I always come back with 8-9 depending on the week. I also never dose alk. Just mag and calcium and it stays stable. I keep my mag at 1280-1300 and calcium at 420-440. It seems my alk never drops below 8 and never measured above 10. I do bi-weekly 6g water change on a 39g system. Is it normal to not have to dose alk?

Sent from my LG-C800 using Reef2Reef Aquarium Forum mobile app

Should be the other way around. Alk is the first to go. Then calcium then mag. Dosing anything else?

 

[BfishLpond78]

Thanks ritter, brought it up .5 dKH in 24 hours.

sent from never never land...

 

[joeyhatch11]

I was dosing iodine for a little while but have since stopped. Every morning I dose 10ml of mag and 5ml of calcium. I check my kH once a week and with my API kit I get 8-9 all the time. Maybe its just the Red Sea coral pro salt that keeps it in check. I mix at 1.025. Next time I make a batch ill check the kH before doing the WC.

Sent from my LG-C800 using Reef2Reef Aquarium Forum mobile app

 

[Nano sapiens]

I have trouble keeping my alk stable in my 14 gal biocube. I have a mixed reef of softies, lps, and two small fish. I use RC, which seems to mix up at 8 or so, but my tank will go as low as 6 even right after a 15% water change. Right now I top off with rodi mixed with baking soda, which does the job, but it is unstable. I would have to dose it all day long.

Mine's a 12g with everything (Zoas, Rics, LPS, SPS). You need some type of dosing system that can add a balanced Cal/Alk product (Kalkwasser or 2-Part) continuously over a 24 hr period. The simplest/least expensive solution I could come up with was to add a predetermined amount of clear, saturated Kalkwasser to a pair of gravity fed ATO bottles, which effectively doses Cal/Alk all day long (with a 2-Part product, the parts would have to be dosed separately).

 

[navila06]

ran into this while reading on a tank crash post, I'm going to check my alk now.

 

[Jay6363]

i have been having one heck of a time getting my alk dialed in via my dosing pump, its all over the place. I use Brs additives. up till this point my mag and calcium have been rock solid, to day I checked it was below 250ppm. y alk varies from 7-9 dkh and i try to adust according ly......im getting very frustrated please help

 

[navila06]

I have been adding a buffer to my top off water, and keep it at around 18° , that high number has been keeping my tanks alk steady at about 3 [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]meq / l. [/FONT]