Keeping ALK up..

[JoeJoe822]

Hey guys Im new to dosing 2part. Im trying to figure out the daily doses. Ive been keeping a log each day. It drops quite a bit, especially after water changes. Whats the best way to determine the daily dose? I test alk daily, calcium about every week, and magnesium a bit more frequently.Thank you in advance!

 

[Dr. Reef Verified Sponsor]

through your logs, find out how much average alk consumption is daily. for example if daily alk drop on average of 1 dhk. then you take that number and place it in reef calculator and select the product you are using to bring alk up and find out the dosing amount,
Bulkreefsupply has a good calculator.
using it for example:
my tank vol is 250 gal, my avg alk drop is 0.4 dkh per day. i use soda ash solution for dosing.
Plugging this info in the calculator tell me i need to dose 71.4 ml per day.
Hope this helps

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

How much does it drop each day,a nd from what to what?

The higher the alkalinity (and pH), the more alkalinity will drop each day. So it takes a lot more daily alk addition to maintain 11 dKH compared to 7 dH, but for most tanks with adequate nutrients, anywhere in that range is OK.

This has more:

The Many Methods for Supplementing Calcium and Alkalinity - REEFEDITION
https://www.reef2reef.com/blog/the-many-methods-for-supplementing-calcium-and-alkalinity

 

[JoeJoe822]

How much does it drop each day,a nd from what to what?

The higher the alkalinity (and pH), the more alkalinity will drop each day. So it takes a lot more daily alk addition to maintain 11 dKH compared to 7 dH, but for most tanks with adequate nutrients, anywhere in that range is OK.

This has more:

The Many Methods for Supplementing Calcium and Alkalinity - REEFEDITION
https://www.reef2reef.com/blog/the-many-methods-for-supplementing-calcium-and-alkalinity

I did a waterchange 2/3 Alk155 ppm
2/4 Alk 147
2/5 Alk140
2/6 Alk 143
Ive been dosing using brs calculator, but doesn’t seem to keep it at a stable rate. Im trying to keep it around 150 ppm or so

I dosed 20 ml and checked again tonight (2/7) it went up to 153
(Using a Hannah Checker)
Its a JBJ28 gal Nanocube, with reactor, and skimmer id say around 29-30 gal?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I did a waterchange 2/3 Alk155 ppm
2/4 Alk 147
2/5 Alk140
2/6 Alk 143
Ive been dosing using brs calculator, but doesn’t seem to keep it at a stable rate. Im trying to keep it around 150 ppm or so

I dosed 20 ml and checked again tonight (2/7) it went up to 153
(Using a Hannah Checker)
Its a JBJ28 gal Nanocube, with reactor, and skimmer id say around 29-30 gal?

It looks to me like just a bit more each day will get you where you want to be. The drop you show is pretty small, but dosing does not stop the daily decline, it just boosts it back to your target (or above your target) each time.

 

[JoeJoe822]

It looks to me like just a bit more each day will get you where you want to be. The drop you show is pretty small, but dosing does not stop the daily decline, it just boosts it back to your target (or above your target) each time.

So maybe 25 ml a day?
Thank you for the information!!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Yes, an extra 5-10 mL per day sounds good as a start.