I need to dose Alkalinity

[MombasaLionfish]

My tank is low on alkalinity resulting in massive GHA outbreaks. Any recommendations on how to dose it?

 

[Webslinger]

use kalk in a ato which will regulate alk

 

[Larry L]

I've never heard of low alk causing a GHA outbreak. What are your nitrate and phosphate levels?

 

[Webslinger]

Using RODI?

 

[bdare]

As a few others have eluded to, it's not likely that low alkalinity has contributed to the GHA outbreak. Can you post your parameters here? What test kits are you using? At a mininum, please try to include the following parameters so folks can help you out:

Alk - Helps maintain pH.
Magnesium - Helps maintain alk without precipitation
Phosphate - Contributes to algae growth
Nitrate - Contributes to algae grown

 

[MombasaLionfish]

Using RODI?

Yes

I've never heard of low alk causing a GHA outbreak. What are your nitrate and phosphate levels?

Nitrite 0 Nitrate 0 Phosphate a little high
I was told that low Alk and low magnesium can cause it

As a few others have eluded to, it's not likely that low alkalinity has contributed to the GHA outbreak. Can you post your parameters here? What test kits are you using? At a mininum, please try to include the following parameters so folks can help you out:

Alk - Helps maintain pH.
Magnesium - Helps maintain alk without precipitation
Phosphate - Contributes to algae growth
Nitrate - Contributes to algae grown

I am using red sea test kits I will test my water again to get new results.

 

[MombasaLionfish]

Phosphates: 0.25
DKH: 6
Mg: 1600

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I was told that low Alk and low magnesium can cause it

That would be wrong. I suggest not taking advice from those same folks.

 

[MombasaLionfish]

This is my tank at the moment.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I think manual algae removal and getting a tang known to be a great algae eater, along with more nutrient export are all good steps.

 

[MombasaLionfish]

Ok thanks. So keep doing water changes and pulling out algae. Also my tank is a 60gl I don't think it is big enough for a tang but I was thinking about acclimating a few mollies they are known to eat algae.

 

[HellaDudes]

You can use baking soda. Everything you need to know about that is on the BRS Aquarium Calculator.

 

[MombasaLionfish]

Baking soda I've never heard of that method before.

You can use baking soda. Everything you need to know about that is on the BRS Aquarium Calculator.

Tell me how it works.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Dissolve the recommended amount of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) in any reasonable amount of fresh water and add it to a sump or other place away from corals.

This calculator is more general than the BRS one:

Reef Chemistry Calculator

 

[MombasaLionfish]

Thanks and what does the baking soda do? Dose it help with phosphates or alkalinity?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thanks and what does the baking soda do? Dose it help with phosphates or alkalinity?

Alkalinity is primarily bicarbonate and carbonate.

Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) adds the bicarbonate of alkalinity.

 

[Albertan22]

I’ve had low alkalinity indirectly cause gha problems early in my reefkeeping career by letting it slip and triggering my coraline algae to die off, which was then colonized by gha within a few weeks. I doubt that is the cause of this fellows problems though.

 

[MombasaLionfish]

Alkalinity is primarily bicarbonate and carbonate.

Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) adds the bicarbonate of alkalinity.

Thanks I will start this method and update this thread in a moth or week to tell you how it went.

 

[MombasaLionfish]

I’ve had low alkalinity indirectly cause gha problems early in my reefkeeping career by letting it slip and triggering my coraline algae to die off, which was then colonized by gha within a few weeks. I doubt that is the cause of this fellows problems though.

Maybe phosphates? I cut back on feeding and added a skimmer a few months ago it has been helping.

 

[Albertan22]

Algae like that is usually a result of high phosphate and Nitrate. The problem you will find is that with that much green hair algae in the tank your test will show near 0 of these things because the algae is eating it up faster than you can test for it. You need to manually (by hand) remove as much as you can, then add some clean up crew to help. Look at inverts like turbo snails or urchins and algae eating fish appropriate for your tank size. Most of these won’t eat the algae when it’s as long as you have so manual removal is a must before these animals can help you out. At the same time, tackle the source of the nutrients and improve your export through your method of choice (skimmer, refugium, GFO (careful with this one), chemical means, etc). It will take a few months to get everything under control so don’t get discouraged, just keep up with the manual removal and nutrient management and you will win the battle.