Need help with alk problem...

[tankaholic]

My boyfriend and I have 3 tanks...a 20 gal long, 40 gal breeder, and a 55 gal.
We tested the tanks and our alk is 11 in both 20 and 40 gal and 13 in 55 gal.
We took water samples to lfs (one we trust) and they got same numbers.
The lfs store said the readings are nothing to fear..and to do nothing.
We did however do recent water changes in tanks...just a 20% water change in all 3.
We are starting to have some acans in 55 die off. had a frogspawn and a couple acans
die off in 40 along with plate or cap coral...not sure which..it was a flat coral purple
with green dots...
What could we do to lower the alk? We use store bought water and rodi water.
we use the seachem balance to adjust ph. We have had the 20gal and 55 gal
up for a yr now. 40 gal went up around oct of 2015. 40 and 55 have always had alk between 8-9.
So not sure what is going on with tanks...and if we found an honest lfs.
one store here went on rant to another customer about people going to frag shows and it
hurting business. And they did give us bad info. when we were first starting out. thus we dont use them anymore.
Anyone thoughts, suggestions, or help would be great...Dont want to lose anymore corals.

thanks in advance,
Betty

 

[brownsalt92]

Anything you use to buffer ph adds alk from what I've read. I beleave in adding a air stone. I have one in my 110 it also has a protein skimmer. I maintain a 8.2 and rarely have to add ph. I do weekly 10% water changes. You could ease up and do smaller water changes also. Corals will take the alk out and let it fall naturally.
Just my .02

 

[tankaholic]

Hmmm well from what Lfs said seachem balance doesn't affect alk. Was gonna email seachem to verify this...
I thought airstone in tank lowered ph in saltwater tanks

 

[vladandlilith]

Balance does temporarily raise the alkalinity. Only for about an hour or so, but, it will raise it despite claims otherwise.

 

[vladandlilith]

You probably have a co2 problem with the tanks if your ph is consistently low.

 

[tankaholic]

Ph only drops when he adds ro water to tanks when he checks salinity and then tops off with salt or ro then after he tops off tanks he checks ph and it's usually 7.4-7.6. So then he adds Bal to raise it to 8.2-8.4. And does the salinity check and ph check after water changes. And adjusts ph after checking ph and water change.

 

[peter fumo]

Try testing the water that you are putting in your tank

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Hmmm well from what Lfs said seachem balance doesn't affect alk. Was gonna email seachem to verify this...
I thought airstone in tank lowered ph in saltwater tanks

That's wrong. Aquavitro balance is an alkalinity supplement. It is too bad they either do not understand their own product, or they don't care that their advertising is wrong.

That said, my general recommendation for a mixed reef that is not an ultra low nutrient system is for the alk to be 7-11 dKH, so I do not believe the alk is the cause of the coral deaths in this situation.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Ph only drops when he adds ro water to tanks when he checks salinity and then tops off with salt or ro then after he tops off tanks he checks ph and it's usually 7.4-7.6. So then he adds Bal to raise it to 8.2-8.4. And does the salinity check and ph check after water changes. And adjusts ph after checking ph and water change.

The RO water is something he is making himself, or getting from a store?

 

[tankaholic]

We get both saltwater and the ro water from fish store.
What do you think is the cause of the die off then?

 

[tankaholic]

In the 20 gal I'm losing a chalice and a galaxea frag...but I think the galaxea is more a placement issue...which I'm gonna move closer to where it was in tank.

 

[jsker]

Being in Florida our house are closed up most of the year with the air on. I drilled a hole in the side of the house and ran my airlines out through the wall to the outside and now draw my air for my skimmer from the outside. My PH has been steady since I ran the airlines out. I also bought a new PH test kit and after using the new test kit my PH was were it is supposed to be. I now have an Apex and yes my PH fluctuates a couple of 10th of a point through out the day but does not go below an 8.

 

[tankaholic]

Still kinda new to this...just started with saltwater last year.
Tonight after work I will check all parameters in tanks. And will check the saltwater and ro water going in tanks as well. Now what should the levels be in water going in?