How to drop Alk quick?

[DoINeedAName?]

My alkalinity is almost at 13, it’s messing with my nems. How do I drop it?

 

[Queen City Corals]

The best way is just to do water changes but you don't want to drop it too quickly as it can shock your corals and end up doing more harm. Also I'm not sure if it is the alkalinity that is messing with your nems they usually aren't very affected by alkalinity and 13 isn't crazy high there are people who run their tanks at 12 all the time so I would make sure that is the issue first, what are your other parameters? have you added anything recently, what kind of anemones are they, and what do they look like?

 

[HeyLookItsCaps]

My tank was up at 15 for months without my knowledge (bad batch of salt/settled too much). Been slowly bringing it down with a good salt mix. I would see if theres anything else you could point to also

 

[vetteguy53081]

Nothing is quick in reefing
QUICK = DISASTER in many cases.
Gradually is best and benefits aquatic life at the same time

 

[DoINeedAName?]

The best way is just to do water changes but you don't want to drop it too quickly as it can shock your corals and end up doing more harm. Also I'm not sure if it is the alkalinity that is messing with your nems they usually aren't very affected by alkalinity and 13 isn't crazy high there are people who run their tanks at 12 all the time so I would make sure that is the issue first, what are your other parameters? have you added anything recently, what kind of anemones are they, and what do they look like?

Two Haitian (Condy) Nems. Still good in color. They scrunch up sometimes, but I’ve gotten a lot of mixed answers on what that is.

 

[MaxTremors]

Personally, and I know some will disagree, but I would not have a problem dropping my Alk a point or two if it was that high. My mind is that allowing them to sit in alk that is too high is more damaging than a one time drop. More than a point or two, I would do it more slowly, but I don’t think you’re going to harm anything by doing a water change to lower it down to 11 or 12. I would then either keep it stable there (if that’s where you want it), or slowly lower it down to wherever it is you usually keep it.

 

[DoINeedAName?]

My tank was up at 15 for months without my knowledge (bad batch of salt/settled too much). Been slowly bringing it down with a good salt mix. I would see if theres anything else you could point to also

We need to buy better salt, ours adds about 11 in alk

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

My tank was up at 15 for months without my knowledge (bad batch of salt/settled too much). Been slowly bringing it down with a good salt mix. I would see if theres anything else you could point to also

Did you just not test for that long? I don't know how that even happens

 

[Little c big D]

Do condys care? I swear those things can live through a nuclear holocaust

 

[HeyLookItsCaps]

Did you just not test for that long? I don't know how that even happens

No, bad batch of salt or a bag sepeeated elements from sitting too long. Just popped a bucket and started mixing, did a 25% on a 150 gal system and when testing later it was way up

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

No, bad batch of salt or a bag sepeeated elements from sitting too long. Just popped a bucket and started mixing, did a 25% on a 150 gal system and when testing later it was way up

But how was it sitting at 15 for months? A bad batch of salt should show up the first time you tested alk no?

 

[HeyLookItsCaps]

But how was it sitting at 15 for months? A bad batch of salt should show up the first time you tested alk no?

Yea I kept texting it with salifert, and couldn’t get it to go down with water changes, then bought a trident to make sure my alk test were good, and then finally narrowed it down to salt. I’ve never experienced a batch of bad salt before so it was the last thing I tested

tank wasn’t showing any ill effects and it was only when I started buying more acros it came to light, but I got it down to 9.5 over time with auto 2 gal water changes