Help me understand alk consumption.

[Heres_doe_]

Ok so before my ALK and calcium went down quicker per day. I've added more corals and been dosing a bit but now everything seems to sit kinda where it's at and a bit more stable. Does something else come into play for how much daily ALK and calcium corals uptake? Like temps, feeding and things like that.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

pH and alk levels impact consumption, as can disrupting corals.

I'd just keep watching and observing and not worry about small changes.

 

[Heres_doe_]

pH and alk levels impact consumption, as can disrupting corals.

I'd just keep watching and observing and not worry about small changes.

I'm not worried about it I just don't want to test everyday and it drops really low. When my ALK was bigger they would take more in quicker when it sits where it sits at it's pretty much stable. I added more corals and nothing really changed. So i should be ok with texting about weekly right?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I'm not worried about it I just don't want to test everyday and it drops really low. When my ALK was bigger they would take more in quicker when it sits where it sits at it's pretty much stable. I added more corals and nothing really changed. So i should be ok with texting about weekly right?

Yes, weekly alk testing seems reasonable, and less frequent calcium.

Nitrate declining adds alk, so nitrate moving up or down substantially can alter the apparent alk demand as well.

 

[Heres_doe_]

Yes, weekly alk testing seems reasonable, and less frequent calcium.

Nitrate declining adds alk, so nitrate moving up or down substantially can alter the apparent alk demand as well.

Makes perfect sense. Because when I'm nitrates we're much higher that's when i was getting the most daily consumption

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Makes perfect sense. Because when I'm nitrates we're much higher that's when i was getting the most daily consumption

In that case, it wasn't necessarily use by corals, but just the formation of the nitrate. If nitrate has stabilized (at any level), you may see less demand for a long time.