Help with alkalinity dropping

[livinlifeinBKK]

Just woke up (other side of the world) and found my alk has dropped from 10 to 9 in 1 day. It's possible that my kit is off...by the end of this week I'll have a Red Sea Pro kit instead, but what should I do right now since it's dropping as far as I know?

 

[MarshallB]

How long has your tank been up for, what kind of corals are in it if any at all, and are you dosing any alkalinity already?

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Tank is about 4 months old, I just put a few SPS in a few days ago to start acclimating them to the light but I also have a clam and sun coral. I'm not dosing anything

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

How long has your tank been up for, what kind of corals are in it if any at all, and are you dosing any alkalinity already?

Tank is about 4 months old, I just put a few SPS in a few days ago to start acclimating them to the light but I also have a clam and sun coral. I'm not dosing anything

 

[MarshallB]

I would test again to make sure you are getting an accurate reading. If it keeps dropping then you can dose baking soda to get it back in line.

Around the 4-6 month mark my tank started consuming alkalinity at an accelerated rate with little to no coral. I've read a few threads on here about other processes consuming alkalinity other than corals themselves.

Either way, some baking soda in the oven dosed into the tank at the proper amount will work like a charm.

Reef2Reef baking soda thread

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

I would test again to make sure you are getting an accurate reading. If it keeps dropping then you can dose baking soda to get it back in line.

Around the 4-6 month mark my tank started consuming alkalinity at an accelerated rate with little to no coral. I've read a few threads on here about other processes consuming alkalinity other than corals themselves.

Either way, some baking soda in the oven dosed into the tank at the proper amount will work like a charm.

Reef2Reef baking soda thread

ok, I'm glad to know this is a common problem and that there's an easy solution...I actually tested 3 times this morning because I didn't think it would drop like that. Again, my test kit is a cheap one made by Tetra so its possible it's off

 

[MarshallB]

ok, I'm glad to know this is a common problem and that there's an easy solution...I actually tested 3 times this morning because I didn't think it would drop like that. Again, my test kit is a cheap one made by Tetra so its possible it's off

That could be it. 1 full point drop over night is pretty extensive given not much is in the tank, so it could be dropping, but the test could be showing it worse than it is.

I wouldn't dose anything unless it drops under 7 until you get a more reliable test. Dropping from 10 down to 7 would be pretty drastic in a few days with just a few frags. I keep my alk at 10 and it drops .5 a day with a 160 gallons of water and about 2 dozen small corals of different varieties for reference. If you do dose, do it slowly and aim for 1DKH a day to get it back to the level you want it to stay at.

The corals are for sure using some. If your tank is small enough you can do a sizeable water change to get it back up.

 

[moz71]

My tank was one where the alkalinity absorbed into sand rock quickly. Btw do you have sand? Mine precipitated in the sand clumping it making large sections of sand into solid rock so you may want to watch for that. It eventually stoped and stabilized. I’ve read this happens because the higher alk levels like yours quickly adheres to the sand that doesn’t have bacteria on it yet.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

That could be it. 1 full point drop over night is pretty extensive given not much is in the tank, so it could be dropping, but the test could be showing it worse than it is.

I wouldn't dose anything unless it drops under 7 until you get a more reliable test. Dropping from 10 down to 7 would be pretty drastic in a few days with just a few frags. I keep my alk at 10 and it drops .5 a day with a 160 gallons of water and about 2 dozen small corals of different varieties for reference. If you do dose, do it slowly and aim for 1DKH a day to get it back to the level you want it to stay at.

The corals are for sure using some. If your tank is small enough you can do a sizeable water change to get it back up.

My tank was one where the alkalinity absorbed into sand rock quickly. Btw do you have sand? Mine precipitated in the sand clumping it making large sections of sand into solid rock so you may want to watch for that. It eventually stoped and stabilized. I’ve read this happens because the higher alk levels like yours quickly adheres to the sand that doesn’t have bacteria on it yet.

I'll perform a water change since the tank is only 20 gallons and I already ordered a Red Sea Pro alkalinity test kit and it should be here this week.

Yes, I do have sand and live rock.

 

[MarshallB]

I'll perform a water change since the tank is only 20 gallons and I already ordered a Red Sea Pro alkalinity test kit and it should be here this week.

Yes, I do have sand and live rock

Most likely the sand. Mine went from 10 down to 7 about 3-4 months in. it will eventually even out, but you will just have to keep an eye on it and test every few days until it stabilizes. Either way with 20 gallons, water changes or a small amount of baking soda will do the trick just fine.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Most likely the sand. Mine went from 10 down to 7 about 3-4 months in. it will eventually even out, but you will just have to keep an eye on it and test every few days until it stabilizes. Either way with 20 gallons, water changes or a small amount of baking soda will do the trick just fine.

Thanks for the help! I know how important alkalinity is so I was pretty worried when I first noticed that!