Is calculating ALK consumption this simple?

Dom · May 28, 2020

Is calculating the consumption of an element in an aquarium (in this case ALK) as simple as taking a reading on day one and deducting a reading from 24 hours later or are there other considerations?

Example:

Monday @ Noon ALK Reading = 9.5 dKH
Tuesday @ Noon ALK Reading = 8.0 dKH
----------------------------------------------------------
Daily Consumption = 1.5 dKH

Is that all there is to it? Is the above example correct?

muzikalmatt · May 28, 2020

Assuming you aren't doing any dosing or water changes in between these measurements, that's pretty much all there is to it. It might be good to take additional measurements over 1-2 more days (or even a full week)so you can make sure your consumption is consistent. Then just take the average of the consumption across all of those days/measurements. In general though, that's how you determine your consumption. From that you can extrapolate how much you need to dose to maintain a stable alkalinity from day to day.

DudeBoy · May 28, 2020

That's what I've been doing......my calcium and magnesium seem to always be in the mid to upper range so I haven't started dosing them yet but I did JUST start dosing alkalinity.

After some trial and error, I've found that I can add 2 tablespoons of soda ash to my 5 gallon RODI top off water containers and it keeps my alkalinity roughly 10.5 dKH

Randy Holmes-Farley · May 28, 2020

It is that simple, but it only at the alkalinity you start at. Higher alk will yield a higher daily drop, as will higher pH (say, if you open windows that are normally closed).

Dom · May 28, 2020

muzikalmatt said:
Assuming you aren't doing any dosing or water changes in between these measurements, that's pretty much all there is to it. It might be good to take additional measurements over 1-2 more days (or even a full week)so you can make sure your consumption is consistent. Then just take the average of the consumption across all of those days/measurements. In general though, that's how you determine your consumption. From that you can extrapolate how much you need to dose to maintain a stable alkalinity from day to day.

This is about dosing. And I need to determine how much consumption before I start. I haven't started yet and just received my Red Sea Foundation B today.