My ALK Won't Drop

[reeftilldie]

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

Excellent write up and I appreciate your input. Now i will head up to zeovit forum to ask about raising nutrient safely for zeo system and i will report this back soon.

 

[Donovan Joannes]

I was having the same issue like yours before (dumping 2 part into the sump). Alk never drop but my calcium and magnesium was dropping consistently. Mainly LPS/softies with a couple of SPS. When I start dripping, I was surprised my calcium and alk doesn't increase (because alk never drop before). Coral growth is increasing and so does the demand. I am not sure what was the issue and I never bother to investigate further. I have been drip dosing ever since.

 

[reeftilldie]

I was having the same issue like yours before (dumping 2 part into the sump). Alk never drop but my calcium and magnesium was dropping consistently. Mainly LPS/softies with a couple of SPS. When I start dripping, I was surprised my calcium and alk doesn't increase (because alk never drop before). Coral growth is increasing and so does the demand. I am not sure what was the issue and I never bother to investigate further. I have been drip dosing ever since.

Thank you for sharing, but its too risky for me to try this because its low nutrient system and 8.5 is already too high, if it goes a little further my system will crash

 

[Donovan Joannes]

Thank you for sharing, but its too risky for me to try this because its low nutrient system and 8.5 is already too high, if it goes a little further my system will crash

I understand your concerns. Sometimes it's very frustrating for not knowing the problem in hand. All the best my friend.

 

[reeftilldie]

Yay, finally my dhk down to 7.7 dkh today.
Should i start dosing B-ionic 2 parts as recommended doses of 1ml per 4 gallons now? or just rely on water change?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Yay, finally my dhk down to 7.7 dkh today.
Should i start dosing B-ionic 2 parts as recommended doses of 1ml per 4 gallons now? or just rely on water change?

What is your target alk level?

 

[reeftilldie]

What is your target alk level?

I keep it 7.5-8 dkh

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

If it is right at your target now, you need not dose anything now.

You demand is very low, and water changes might suffice. If it seems as if your regular water changes do not maintain alk, then the B-ionic is a good choice.

 

[reeftilldie]

If it is right at your target now, you need not dose anything now.

You demand is very low, and water changes might suffice. If it seems as if your regular water changes do not maintain alk, then the B-ionic is a good choice.

Thank you

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

You're welcome.

Good luck.