Help with ALK

[Ocho Cinco]

Hello,

I have been trying to get my ALK to about 8.5 to start the calculation on consumption. Problem is, I cant get to 8.5! Here is what has happened the last few days:

Day 1: Test - 6.7 dkh - Added 200 ML of BRS ALK Supplement to get to 8.1
Day 2: Test - 6.7 dkh again - Added 200 ML of BRS ALK Supplement to get to 8.1
Day 3 (today): Test - 6.7 again! - Added 200 ML of BRS ALK Supplement to get to 8.1

BRS recommends only increasing alk by 1.4 dkh per day so that why I have been doing 200 ml.

My system is at around 200 gallons. I'm at a loss, I cant be using that much per day. It's not heavily stocked with coral and only a few are SPS. I am using a Salifert test kit.

Any recommendations? I used Kalk on an old system which worked great, so maybe I will go back to that. I'm afraid to keep adding more alk in case something is reading wrong.

Thanks!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Hello,

I have been trying to get my ALK to about 8.5 to start the calculation on consumption. Problem is, I cant get to 8.5! Here is what has happened the last few days:

Day 1: Test - 6.7 dkh - Added 200 ML of BRS ALK Supplement to get to 8.1
Day 2: Test - 6.7 dkh again - Added 200 ML of BRS ALK Supplement to get to 8.1
Day 3 (today): Test - 6.7 again! - Added 200 ML of BRS ALK Supplement to get to 8.1

BRS recommends only increasing alk by 1.4 dkh per day so that why I have been doing 200 ml.

My system is at around 200 gallons. I'm at a loss, I cant be using that much per day. It's not heavily stocked with coral and only a few are SPS. I am using a Salifert test kit.

Any recommendations? I used Kalk on an old system which worked great, so maybe I will go back to that. I'm afraid to keep adding more alk in case something is reading wrong.

Thanks!

The recommended "increase" is very different than the dose required to maintain alk. You are not "increasing" it in this sense. Many people need more than 1.4 dKH per day to maintain I use more than that even with no SPS since coralline can use a lot.

So if you want it to climb, you will need to dose more.

 

[Ocho Cinco]

The recommended "increase" is very different than the dose required to maintain alk. You are not "increasing" it in this sense. Many people need more than 1.4 dKH per day to maintain I use more than that even with no SPS since coralline can use a lot.

So if you want it to climb, you will need to dose more.

Thanks for the quick response. I guess I'm a little confused to what the BRS calculator is telling me then. So, is it just saying 200 ML is enough to bump it up to that amount but after 24 hours it will be gone again? With those 3 tests, is it safe to say my tank consumes about 1.4 ML per day? What is a safe amount to add each day that wont raise PH too high?

 

[ThreeAces]

Hi, Im brand new to the forum. But I went through your problem when I first started keeping corals and I made the mistake of testing every few days and adding a lot of buffer al at once to my first tank,( a 35 gallon Hexagon freshwater tank I modified). What I came up with, is hook up a dosing pump of your choice and set it to release the 200ml your adding now throughout the course of a day. from there I would add an additional 50ml or so to get it to to where you want it.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thanks for the quick response. I guess I'm a little confused to what the BRS calculator is telling me then. So, is it just saying 200 ML is enough to bump it up to that amount but after 24 hours it will be gone again? With those 3 tests, is it safe to say my tank consumes about 1.4 ML per day? What is a safe amount to add each day that wont raise PH too high?

Demand depends on the alk and is not a fixed number. The drop in dKH starting at 11 dKH will be far faster than when starting at 6 dKH.

You tank is just consuming what you are adding, and if you want alk to be higher after 24 h, you need to either add more, or dose more often.

The calculator just tells you the amount needed for a particular boost, but the calculator knows knotting about how much your tank is using.

 

[nbagnardi]

check your test kit if possible, and also your calcium. i dose my tank with ME coral brand alk and i went from struggling at 7.9-8.0 to a steady 8.5 dosing only 16-20 ml a day throughout a 12 hour drip.

 

[Ocho Cinco]

Demand depends on the alk and is not a fixed number. The drop in dKH starting at 11 dKH will be far faster than when starting at 6 dKH.

You tank is just consuming what you are adding, and if you want alk to be higher after 24 h, you need to either add more, or dose more often.

The calculator just tells you the amount needed for a particular boost, but the calculator knows knotting about how much your tank is using.

OK that makes sense. How much do you think it is safe to dose at one time? I'm scared of raising the ph too high.

 

[Ocho Cinco]

check your test kit if possible, and also your calcium. i dose my tank with ME coral brand alk and i went from struggling at 7.9-8.0 to a steady 8.5 dosing only 16-20 ml a day throughout a 12 hour drip.

I thought my test could be the issue. I was using a hanna checker until i found out I had a bad regent batch. I tested the alk sample that comes with the salifert kit and it was very close.

 

[nbagnardi]

I thought my test could be the issue. I was using a hanna checker until i found out I had a bad regent batch. I tested the alk sample that comes with the salifert kit and it was very close.

go onto hanna's website and fill everything out along with your reagent number, i got my 2 replacements in 2 days!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

OK that makes sense. How much do you think it is safe to dose at one time? I'm scared of raising the ph too high.

If you use sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) the pH will not rise. Adding 1.4 dKH of sodium carbonate all at once boost pH by about 0.35 pH units. That's OK, but twice that is possibly not, so for larger additions, spreading it out is good.

 

[Ocho Cinco]

go onto hanna's website and fill everything out along with your reagent number, i got my 2 replacements in 2 days!

Ya I did that 3 weeks ago. Still have not received my replacement. Got an email a few days ago saying they received my order and will let me know when it ships. Sent 2 emails with no response.

 

[Ocho Cinco]

If you use sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) the pH will not rise. Adding 1.4 dKH of sodium carbonate all at once boost pH by about 0.35 pH units. That's OK, but twice that is possibly not, so for larger additions, spreading it out is good.

Ok thanks. I'm using the Bulk Reef Supply stuff which im guessing is sodium carbonate. Ill dose multiple times through out the day while testing AK and watching PH.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Yes, that is sodium carbonate.

Good luck.

 

[Ocho Cinco]

Ok so I got my alk up to 8.5. What's the best way to go from here? Test tomorrow and see how much has been used and does that daily? How soon after you dose can you test again?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Since you tank is using quite a bit of that dose, you'll need quite a bit but not as much as that last dose, since it raised the alk after 24 h.

I'd split the difference between what you had beren dosing and what you dosed this last time, and use that too see where it stabilizes, and adjust up or down as needed to maintain what levels you want.