Low Alkalinity in New Tank

[BradVol]

This is my first reef tank and I'd rather be safe than sorry.

I have a Red Sea Reefer 170. Did a fishless cycle with ammonia and took about a month. I put in the first livestock 5 days ago. It seems like my Alkalinity is dropping. In the last 3-4 days it's gone from 8.1 to 7.4. The pH also rose from 8.1 to 8.25 in the last couple days.

Other parameters:
Ammonia & Nitrite 0
Nitrate 20
pH 8.2
Temp 77
Phosphate 0
Calcium 420
Magnesium 1500 (and seems to have risen from 1400)

Livestock:
2 ocellaris
Small cleanup crew
6 small corals added 2 days ago

I'm using Fritz RPM salt mixed with 0ppm water. No dosing or chemicals.

Is the alkalinity change normal?
Is it something I need to address or let it go on its own?
Should it be addressed with water changes or dosing Alk, if it needs addressing?

I have a dosing pump setup and ready to go. Should I just use Baking Soda for now if I need to dose?

 

[Flippers4pups]

What test kit do you use for alkalinity?

How often do you do water changes and how much?

 

[Josh_boss]

This is my first reef tank and I'd rather be safe than sorry.

I have a Red Sea Reefer 170. Did a fishless cycle with ammonia and took about a month. I put in the first livestock 5 days ago. It seems like my Alkalinity is dropping. In the last 3-4 days it's gone from 8.1 to 7.4. The pH also rose from 8.1 to 8.25 in the last couple days.

Other parameters:
Ammonia & Nitrite 0
Nitrate 20
pH 8.2
Temp 77
Phosphate 0
Calcium 420
Magnesium 1500 (and seems to have risen from 1400)

Livestock:
2 ocellaris
Small cleanup crew
6 small corals added 2 days ago

I'm using Fritz RPM salt mixed with 0ppm water. No dosing or chemicals.

Is the alkalinity change normal?
Is it something I need to address or let it go on its own?
Should it be addressed with water changes or dosing Alk, if it needs addressing?

I have a dosing pump setup and ready to go. Should I just use Baking Soda for now if I need to dose?

Hi, so I have a 180 and my alk is at 4.8 and everything is growing strong. Don’t worry too much as long as you don’t up it too fast or lower it too fast you’ll be fine. Mine was still growing corals and great color with no deaths at 3.7. I dose equal amounts of calcium and alkalinity to keep it at that level. I use a Hanna alk tester.

 

[OREGONIC]

What test kit are you using? Replicating the test the same exact way every time is very important. Seems very early for alk to be dropping that fast, I would guess it was a testing error. Getting testing consistent is a growing pain of starting in the hobby.

 

[Josh_boss]

This is my first reef tank and I'd rather be safe than sorry.

I have a Red Sea Reefer 170. Did a fishless cycle with ammonia and took about a month. I put in the first livestock 5 days ago. It seems like my Alkalinity is dropping. In the last 3-4 days it's gone from 8.1 to 7.4. The pH also rose from 8.1 to 8.25 in the last couple days.

Other parameters:
Ammonia & Nitrite 0
Nitrate 20
pH 8.2
Temp 77
Phosphate 0
Calcium 420
Magnesium 1500 (and seems to have risen from 1400)

Livestock:
2 ocellaris
Small cleanup crew
6 small corals added 2 days ago

I'm using Fritz RPM salt mixed with 0ppm water. No dosing or chemicals.

Is the alkalinity change normal?
Is it something I need to address or let it go on its own?
Should it be addressed with water changes or dosing Alk, if it needs addressing?

I have a dosing pump setup and ready to go. Should I just use Baking Soda for now if I need to dose?

I would say if your corals are consuming that much everyday (must be big colonies?)you should test daily with a reliable tester and dose for they daily consumption plus upping it by like 0.25ppm and let it climb from there, also dose equal parts calcium because too much calcium will lower the alk and too much alk will lower the calcium. Try see if you can use the BRS pharma pouches and dose is according to the BRS calculator. I’ve had luck with it!

 

[BradVol]

What test kit are you using? Replicating the test the same exact way every time is very important. Seems very early for alk to be dropping that fast, I would guess it was a testing error. Getting testing consistent is a growing pain of starting in the hobby.

I'm using the Red Sea Pro test. It's pretty straightforward. I thought it might be testing error so I tested 3 times last night and I had 7.3, 7.7, 7.1.

The highest test I've had for alkalinity is 8.1.

I've only had livestock in for 5 days so I haven't done a water change yet. I be did a few changes during cycling and the last one was about 22 gallons.

 

[GoVols]

Is the alkalinity change normal?

Brad,
If your calcium is staying solid, but your alkalinity dropped, your alk drop could be from going thru the nitrogen cycle.

Bump your alk up to what you like and just keep on testing your parameters.

 

[lapin]

Brad,
Is your calcium is staying solid, but your alkalinity dropped, your alk drop could be from going thru the nitrogen cycle.

Bump your alk up to what you like and just keep on testing your parameters.

+1 to this.
Look up Randys new and improved 2 part alk / calcium solutions. Make the alk one that is for high ph tanks Dose the alk part.

Or try a water change.

 

[BradVol]

Brad,
If your calcium is staying solid, but your alkalinity dropped, your alk drop could be from going thru the nitrogen cycle.

Bump your alk up to what you like and just keep on testing your parameters.

I didn't expect a new tank to need supplementation within a week. I guess I watched too many videos saying water changes are enough for a while. My Duncan is closing up a bit later in the day but I don't know if that's a water parameter or light or acclimation issue.

I measured everything yesterday, did a 20% water change, measured alkalinity, then waited 24 hours and just measured again.

On 5/2 dKH was 8.7 after adding baking soda. A day later is was 8.1. Did the WC and it was 8.4. Now a day later it's 8.0 again.

Ca went from 420 to 380 in a day, then after the WC is back up to 405.
Mg was 1500 2 days ago. It was 1380 the next day. After the WC tonight it's 1560. I was surprised how high it was, but I measured it twice and got the same number. I guess the Fritz is just really high.

Salinity ended up down to 1.024 from 1.025 after the WC. Nitrate is down from 20ppm to 10. pH is steady.

Does any of this seem out of whack? I'm going to keep the Alkalinity up with baking soda until my dosing kit is here later this week. Sorry if I over explained but I didn't want to leave anything out that might be relevant.

 

[GoVols]

I didn't expect a new tank to need supplementation within a week. I guess I watched too many videos saying water changes are enough for a while. My Duncan is closing up a bit later in the day but I don't know if that's a water parameter or light or acclimation issue.

I measured everything yesterday, did a 20% water change, measured alkalinity, then waited 24 hours and just measured again.

On 5/2 dKH was 8.7 after adding baking soda. A day later is was 8.1. Did the WC and it was 8.4. Now a day later it's 8.0 again.

Ca went from 420 to 380 in a day, then after the WC is back up to 405.
Mg was 1500 2 days ago. It was 1380 the next day. After the WC tonight it's 1560. I was surprised how high it was, but I measured it twice and got the same number. I guess the Fritz is just really high.

Salinity ended up down to 1.024 from 1.025 after the WC. Nitrate is down from 20ppm to 10. pH is steady.

Does any of this seem out of whack? I'm going to keep the Alkalinity up with baking soda until my dosing kit is here later this week. Sorry if I over explained but I didn't want to leave anything out that might be relevant.

The Fritz has kinda been know for high mag, over the past few years.

Some of those params may have moved with the water change.

Next time, test your freshly mixed saltwater for SG and make sure it's at 1.025, then test cal, alk and mag, before using it.

That will give you a baseline to what the Fritz is mixing to for cal, alk and mag at 1.025 SG

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Hi, so I have a 180 and my alk is at 4.8 and everything is growing strong. Don’t worry too much as long as you don’t up it too fast or lower it too fast you’ll be fine. Mine was still growing corals and great color with no deaths at 3.7. I dose equal amounts of calcium and alkalinity to keep it at that level. I use a Hanna alk tester.

IMO, that is not a good plan, if you mean 3.7 dKH.

What corals are in this tank?

Hard corals will be seriously stressed. If the pH also drops to the low end of the "normal" range (say, pH 7.8), coral skeletons can slowly dissolve.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

On 5/2 dKH was 8.7 after adding baking soda. A day later is was 8.1. Did the WC and it was 8.4. Now a day later it's 8.0 again.

A half dKH per day seems no big deal, and is cheap and easy to dose.

 

[Josh_boss]

IMO, that is not a good plan, if you mean 3.7 dKH.

What corals are in this tank?

Hard corals will be seriously stressed. If the pH also drops to the low end of the "normal" range (say, pH 7.8), coral skeletons can slowly dissolve.

Yeah I would think the same but have proven results to show. I have plenty of sps and they thrive better than most so.......... enjoy

 

[Josh_boss]

A half dKH per day seems no big deal, and is cheap and easy to dose.

I have a sps that will get burned tips from alk being upped by .5dkh a day. Everyone’s corals adapt to different environments they live in, yours might be okay with that amount of dosing and some Burn at .5dkh a day.

 

[GoVols]

I have a sps that will get burned tips from alk being upped by .5dkh a day. Everyone’s corals adapt to different environments they live in, yours might be okay with that amount of dosing and some Burn at .5dkh a day.

If you feed your reef and keep you nutrients up with dosing things like Reef Energy it will not burn sps raising .5 dKH a day.

I would suggest to @BradVol to buy some Brighwell Neophos to bring up his phosphates (slowly) to .03 to .05 ppm and to keep an eye on his nitrates during that time.

Your at 3.7 dKH what does your reef's ph come in at?

 

[Josh_boss]

If you feed your reef and keep you nutrients up with dosing things like Reef Energy it will not burn sps raising .5 dKH a day.

I would suggest to @BradVol to buy some Brighwell Neophos to bring up his phosphates (slowly) to .03 to .05 ppm and to keep an eye on his nitrates during that time.

Your at 3.7 dKH what does your reef's ph come in at?

Sorry I don’t test my Ph anymore because it harder been an issue. I only test my alk and dose accordingly to make it stay stable. My old 75 gallon reef was 3.7DKH my 180 gallon in the pics os 4.8 lol as if that’s any better. But my tank is healthy and I don’t do anything but dose calcium and alk also tap water to top off and today I started acro power. very low maintenance tank.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Yeah I would think the same but have proven results to show. I have plenty of sps and they thrive better than most so.......... enjoy

FWIW, I don't think it is proven to be OK to have alk at 3.7 dKH and don't want newbies in this forum to think it is OK. That said, I recognize that you have the opinion that it is OK.

Many reefers have demonstrated the negative effects of excessively low alkalinity.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I have a sps that will get burned tips from alk being upped by .5dkh a day. Everyone’s corals adapt to different environments they live in, yours might be okay with that amount of dosing and some Burn at .5dkh a day.

Maybe. Burnt tips generally comes from insufficient sources of nutrients (N and P) to support the rate of skeletal growth at the given alkalinity. Your 0.5 dKH jump might have spurred more growth without sufficient N and P.

Many people dose 0.5 dKH once a day without issue.

That said, my advice did not state to add it all at once. Sorry If you misread my words. I was saying an alk need of 0.5 dKH per day is not much and is easy to dose to offset it.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Sorry I don’t test my Ph anymore because it harder been an issue. I only test my alk and dose accordingly to make it stay stable. My old 75 gallon reef was 3.7DKH my 180 gallon in the pics os 4.8 lol as if that’s any better. But my tank is healthy and I don’t do anything but dose calcium and alk also tap water to top off and today I started acro power. very low maintenance tank.

You sure your kit is working properly? How do you know?

Sure it is not reading in meq/L?

 

[BradVol]

FWIW, I don't think it is proven to be OK to have alk at 3.7 dKH and don't want newbies in this forum to think it is OK. That said, I recognize that you have the opinion that it is OK.

Many reefers have demonstrated the negative effects of excessively low alkalinity.

Thanks. I'm new. And that may work for him but I'm going to stick with the guidelines recommended by most people.

I've been dosing baking soda by hand until my Red Sea Ca/Alk/Mg gets here.

I'm excited I need to start dosing already. It means things are happening. I've done a ton of reading and watching videos and I'm going to try to keep the big 3 on the high side to encourage growth.