Lowering ALK?

SlugSnorter · May 24, 2022

Not dosing, this is saltmix issue (15 gal, redsea coral pro). Alk is at 12, is there a decent way to lower it?

nereefpat · May 24, 2022

Yep. Muriatic acid. I believe about 20 mLs in a 50 gallon mix will lower it a couple points.

You'll want to aerate and mix for a while to get the pH back to 'normal'.

nbagnardi · May 24, 2022

Order the blue bucket Red Sea. It has a lower alk and calcium

SlugSnorter · May 24, 2022

nereefpat said:
Yep. Muriatic acid. I believe about 20 mLs in a 50 gallon mix will lower it a couple points.

You'll want to aerate and mix for a while to get the pH back to 'normal'.

I know this'll sound a bit odd, but looking for short term solutions, getting a new saltmix this weekend. have no Muriatic acid on hand, and LFS is not open on week days

nbagnardi said:
Order the blue bucket Red Sea. It has a lower alk and calcium

nbagnardi · May 24, 2022

12 isn’t unreasonably high and majority of corals and livestock will handle that number no problem. What’s the reason for lowering it? Personal preference or special tank parameters?

nereefpat · May 24, 2022

SlugSnorter said:
I know this'll sound a bit odd, but looking for short term solutions, getting a new saltmix this weekend. have no Muriatic acid on hand, and LFS is not open on week days

This is as short term as you can get, I think. You can buy muriatic acid at other places besides a fish store (actually, I'd be surprised to see it at a fish store). Wal Mart, menards, pool supply place. It's used for cleaning up oil spots, or for lowering alkalinity in pools, among other things.

EricR · May 24, 2022

I think muriatic acid "IS" a short term solution.
I don't know enough to suggest which products are safe for this but Lowes / Home Depot / Ace Hardware sell some kinds of muriatic acid,,, wait for suggestions from others.

Long term I agree with pick lower alk salt.

SlugSnorter · May 24, 2022

nereefpat said:
This is as short term as you can get, I think. You can buy muriatic acid at other places besides a fish store (actually, I'd be surprised to see it at a fish store). Wal Mart, menards, pool supply place. It's used for cleaning up oil spots, or for lowering alkalinity in pools, among other things.

EricR said:
I think muriatic acid "IS" a short term solution.
I don't know enough to suggest which products are safe for this but Lowes / Home Depot / Ace Hardware sell some kinds of muriatic acid,,, wait for suggestions from others.

Long term I agree with pick lower alk salt.

only muriatic acid products I can find near me are not super pure, and contain some other pool stuff. Furthermore I don't trust myself to not mess up something horribly and hurt my tank (or hands) with the stuff.

I've got a petco somewhat nearby, I know instant ocean isn't great, but do you think picking some of that salt up and doing a partial WC with it could help?

The Farmer · May 24, 2022

If you had a decent coral load it would show low in your tank do to consumption

SlugSnorter · May 24, 2022

The Farmer said:
If you had a decent coral load it would show low in your tank do to consumption

Ive got next to no coral.

The Farmer · May 24, 2022

ALK that high shouldn’t affect anything in ur tank. I have takin 2 type of salt and combined together to get a lower ALK reading in a pinch.
I combined both Red Sea pro and blue bucket to achieve my desired result

SlugSnorter · May 24, 2022

The Farmer said:
ALK that high shouldn’t affect anything in ur tank. I have takin 2 type of salt and combined together to get a lower ALK reading in a pinch.
I combined both Red Sea pro and blue bucket to achieve my desired result

could It harm inverts? (conchs, pom pom crabs in particular) getting a new shipment in, worried about their acclimation.