My ALK Won't Drop

[reeftilldie]

Hello Reefer,
At this point, I'm starting to loose patient on my ALK, i've been waiting a month without dosing 2 parts and my alk still won't drop below 8 DKH (CA wont drops either but i have to dose 60ml per week on Mag to keep it stable at 1400)

Current parameters:

10 months old 40 Gallon SPS running Zeovit.

Ca: 450
Mag: 1400
Dkh: 8.5

i started the tank with Reef Crystal salt and dosed B-ionic balance at rate of 21ml equally and my DKH staying ok at 7.5-8 DKH.
Since i switched to Fritz salt, the demand of my alk decreased from 21ml per day to 15ml then 10ml then only 4ml and then.... i stopped dosing 2 parts for a month but alk still at 8.5-8.7.
I do only 2 gallons water change per week (except last 2 weeks for 15 gallons) with 8.0-8.4 alk tested in new batch of salt mix and i don't think it affects too much on display tanks alk.
Lucky that my SPS still doing ok, encrusted and dont show any kind of bleaching just yet.

What can i do to get my alk back to 7.0-7.5?

Thank you

 

[Lninwa]

Idk much about zeovit but why do you want your alk below 8?

 

[reeftilldie]

Zeovit or Low nutrition system requires dkh close to NSW .

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I'd just keep waiting. If there's no coral growth going on, it won't hurt anything for the alk to be 8 dKH.

On the face of it, this doesn't sound like a positive change after changing salt mixes.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

You may be starving the corals. You might let the nutrients rise.

 

[reeftilldie]

Thank you for the advice Randy. I may shoot N and P up just a little and wait to see what will happen.
Are there an alternative ways to bring alk down safely?

 

[reeftilldie]

Hi Randy, I really have no idea whats going on in my system right now.
As you know i had an alk issue after changing salt mix from reefcrystal to frizt . I used seachem acid buffer to lower alk slowly to 7.5 then its always rise back up to 8.5 the next few days ( i tried twice already )without dosing anything except zeovit regiments.
No artificial rock, no alk,ca dosing, top off with rodi water.
Can you please explain why it always rise back up without dosing or water change?
Thank you for ur help

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Can you list all the products you are adding (the zeovit products, for example).

The rise goes to 8.5 and stops there? Might just be the water changes?

 

[reeftilldie]

This is what i've been dosing. Yes , it goes to 8.5-8.7 and stop there like forever and my tank has about 25 sps 2-3 inches frags encrusted well however i had have lost some of them with burning tips since i used seachem acid buffer ( dont use it no more ).

Before i changed the saltmix, my alk drop about ~0.2-0.3 a day.

During using the seachem i did not do any water change. And now, i use the regular red sea salt mix.

Any recommendations?

 

[jsker]

What are the parameters of the fritz salt? Looking at the fritz site link the salt is between 8-9 dkh and making water changes would keep the alk at higher levels. I would suggest using a different salt that is closer to natural sea level parameters What are you testing with (kit)?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I expect the salt mix is keeping up with the demand, but zeovit products are remarkable poorly described and we have no way to know if they are adding some alkalinity. Asking them might be worthwhile, but that doesn't guarantee they will say or know.

 

[leptang]

What is the pH?
If the pH is too low, maybe the corals aren't taking up the dKh?

 

[reeftilldie]

What are the parameters of the fritz salt? Looking at the fritz site link the salt is between 8-9 dkh and making water changes would keep the alk at higher levels. I would suggest using a different salt that is closer to natural sea level parameters What are you testing with (kit)?

I mixed Frizt between 8-8.5 dkh everytime. I have already changed again to the regular Redsea. I'm not so sure why my coral doesn't consume alk but still encrusting though, this drive me banana lol.
I use both salifer and hanna with same reading.

 

[reeftilldie]

What is the pH?
If the pH is too low, maybe the corals aren't taking up the dKh?

My Ph really stable between 8.1-8.4.My coral still encrust but not sure why alk doesn't drop.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Maybe the nutrients are too low and they are starving.

 

[jsker]

Maybe the nutrients are too low and they are starving.

I think he is running a ultra low system??

@reeftilldie after I switching salts(even away from RS regular salt) it took time as Randy stated for my alk to come down. Once you alk settles in, your demand will go back up again. Your test are good with both, just had to ask One other question; what salinity are you keep the system at?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I think he is running a ultra low system??

Yes, that's why it concerned me.

 

[jsker]

Yes, that's why it concerned me.

Good point

 

[reeftilldie]

I think he is running a ultra low system??

@reeftilldie after I switching salts(even away from RS regular salt) it took time as Randy stated for my alk to come down. Once you alk settles in, your demand will go back up again. Your test are good with both, just had to ask One other question; what salinity are you keep the system at?

I keep them at 1.025. And yes it's ultra low nutrient system.

When i started to change the salt, i did not do big water change i instead do 3 gallons per week and i noticed my alk demand became lesser every week.
Then i do 15 gallons water change after Prazipro treatment, I noticed alk demand literally 0 and alk rose to 8.5 few weeks after.
Hopefully everything will be like u said, it will be settled in and the demand will rise.

 

[jsker]

My story I have been messing around with my numbers for the past couple of weeks and today they are were I would like them to be. Next week will be another story Yes let the alk drop and even try skipping a week between water changes. My system is over 2.5 years and I am still messing around with parameters and your system being newer (under a year) the parameters are going to bounce around. I did not start dosing a method like two part until my system was a year old. It took me several months to get the alk in line before my Ca, and Mg also was consistent. One of the things I discovered was, the more I spread out my dosing the more consistent my number were with a auto doser.

There are several threads going about salts and what are the parameters when mixing. Most have high alk, Mg and Ca and the salts are manufactured for the average salt tank that dosing is not need between water changes. Higher demand systems with a bunch of corals will eat up more of the big 3 and elements, that is where dosing comes in for growth and color. As Randy stated with the concern of low nutrients the corals my the starving and not importing the big 3 and elements.

I am sure Randy can give you a better direction, but I would like to suggest bumping up your nutrients for a couple of months, let the alk drop naturally and base more off of how the tank looks by eye. I have run some of the zeovit products, Zeovit can be run in all kinds of systems, low or high nutrient. Zeovit is based on probiotic and adding bacteria to systems and is a good product. Finding the happy place for your system will be a long patient process for each of our system are different.

Randy