Normal Alk Consumption? Reefer 170 with mostly LPS + Clam

[Macbalacano]

Photo and tank parameters below.

Started dosing about a month ago due to getting a Squamosa Clam, its currently about 4 inches. Tank is mostly LPS with a couple of montiporas. I'm continuously having to increase my two-part dosing. I'm currently dosing Alk + Calc ESV at 6ml a day. 1ml x 6 doses every 4 hours right into the sump. Alk and Calc dosing happens 1 hour apart from each other. I am not noticing any precipitate.

Current Parameters:

Alk: 8.5 dkh
Calcium: 430
Magnesium: 1350
Phosphate: 50ppb or 0.16
Nitrates: ~25
Ph: 8.15-8.30

Nitrates and Phosphates are a bit high I know, just started a refugium with chaeto 2 days ago to try to bring Phosphates and nitrates down.

Does the alk consumption seem normal?

 

[DC Reefer]

If you are keeping up with consumption then you should be ok and it is normal to increase the amount of dosing over time. In my lightly stocked 170 I’m dosing between 11-12 ml of soda ash each day.

 

[Snuggs]

SPS dominated reefer 170. I use 30 mls a day

 

[BigRed78]

I can’t really help with your question as I’ve never dosed before but I think it’s important to add if you have a lot of coraline growth that will affect your alk too

 

[Macbalacano]

Sorry, can't edit my original post, but just wanted to add additional information. With me adding 6ml a day to keep my Alk stable, that's equal to 0.6 dkh of Alk in terms of consumption per day.

 

[Deep]

Sorry, can't edit my original post, but just wanted to add additional information. With me adding 6ml a day to keep my Alk stable, that's equal to 0.6 dkh of Alk in terms of consumption per day.

is that 0.6 DKH for 6 ml ? or is it 0.06 ? 6 ml sounds less for 0.6 dkh in a 170 litre tank.

 

[Macbalacano]

is that 0.6 DKH for 6 ml ? or is it 0.06 ? 6 ml sounds less for 0.6 dkh in a 170 litre tank.

Sorry, I'm bad at math and might not be explaining properly. Based on what I recall on the bottle/calculations, 10 ml is about 1dkh for my tank, so 5ml is half of 1dkh.

 

[Dkmoo]

0.6dkh per day isn't bad at all - what's your CA consumption rate? since Calcium Carbonate formation is a fixed ratio, you should be consuming at a ratio of 6.4 - 7.1 ppm per DKH, so should be about 3 - 3.5ppm of CA daily if everything is normal. LPS/Softies doesn't consume as much as SPS.

my tank consumes 1.5dkh daily, you can check out my build thread for stock level. it's definitely more stocked than yours.

i probably have some wasted precipitation b/c i'm running elevated lvls - 9.5 - 10 dkh and 475 - 500 ppm CA, but you get the idea

 

[Uncle99]

Photo and tank parameters below.

Started dosing about a month ago due to getting a Squamosa Clam, its currently about 4 inches. Tank is mostly LPS with a couple of montiporas. I'm continuously having to increase my two-part dosing. I'm currently dosing Alk + Calc ESV at 6ml a day. 1ml x 6 doses every 4 hours right into the sump. Alk and Calc dosing happens 1 hour apart from each other. I am not noticing any precipitate.

Current Parameters:

Alk: 8.5 dkh
Calcium: 430
Magnesium: 1350
Phosphate: 50ppb or 0.16
Nitrates: ~25
Ph: 8.15-8.30

Nitrates and Phosphates are a bit high I know, just started a refugium with chaeto 2 days ago to try to bring Phosphates and nitrates down.

Does the alk consumption seem normal?

It doesn’t seem abnormal IMM, but additives come in different concentrations.
I’m 180g and dose 30ml in a mixed reef with 4, 5” and 1, 9” clams.
Using .6dkh in 24 hours is not abnormal and that flux is not unsafe.
If your maintaining a steady 8.5dkh, your good.

Love the tank....well done.

 

[Macbalacano]

0.6dkh per day isn't bad at all - what's your CA consumption rate? since Calcium Carbonate formation is a fixed ratio, you should be consuming at a ratio of 6.4 - 7.1 ppm per DKH, so should be about 3 - 3.5ppm of CA daily if everything is normal. LPS/Softies doesn't consume as much as SPS.

my tank consumes 1.5dkh daily, you can check out my build thread for stock level. it's definitely more stocked than yours.

i probably have some wasted precipitation b/c i'm running elevated lvls - 9.5 - 10 dkh and 475 - 500 ppm CA, but you get the idea

This is super helpful, thanks very much! I have been dosing calcium the exact same as alkalinity because I thought that's how it should be. But i don't think the calcium is being consumed at the same rate. Can I slightly lower the calcium dosing with no ill effects?

 

[Macbalacano]

It doesn’t seem abnormal IMM, but additives come in different concentrations.
I’m 180g and dose 30ml in a mixed reef with 4, 5” and 1, 9” clams.
Using .6dkh in 24 hours is not abnormal and that flux is not unsafe.
If your maintaining a steady 8.5dkh, your good.

Love the tank....well done.

This is also super helpful, especially because of the clams. I'm surprised it isn't higher with 5 clams?! How are the clams doing? Do you have photos?

 

[Uncle99]

Dosing equal amount of CA is not incorrect.

 

[Uncle99]

This is also super helpful, especially because of the clams. I'm surprised it isn't higher with 5 clams?! How are the clams doing? Do you have photos?

Clams doing great, about 3-4 years old now, very easy in good water, great at mopping up nutrients. I think dosing can very widely dependent on the concentration of the mix. Best way is to test regularly.

 

[Macbalacano]

Clams doing great, about 3-4 years old now, very easy in good water, great at mopping up nutrients. I think dosing can very widely dependent on the concentration of the mix. Best way is to test regularly.

Love this, where did you get them from? I bought a couple from fragbox before and had a good experience. I definitely want to get more in the future!

 

[EakTheFreak]

Photo and tank parameters below.

Started dosing about a month ago due to getting a Squamosa Clam, its currently about 4 inches. Tank is mostly LPS with a couple of montiporas. I'm continuously having to increase my two-part dosing. I'm currently dosing Alk + Calc ESV at 6ml a day. 1ml x 6 doses every 4 hours right into the sump. Alk and Calc dosing happens 1 hour apart from each other. I am not noticing any precipitate.

Current Parameters:

Alk: 8.5 dkh
Calcium: 430
Magnesium: 1350
Phosphate: 50ppb or 0.16
Nitrates: ~25
Ph: 8.15-8.30

Nitrates and Phosphates are a bit high I know, just started a refugium with chaeto 2 days ago to try to bring Phosphates and nitrates down.

Does the alk consumption seem normal?

I have a 131 gallon DT with 40 gallon refugium. The DT has all LPS, softies & 2 BTA’s. The tank has been running for 1 year and 9 months. I run the following for parameters:
KH - 9.7-10.0
Calcium - 450 ppm
Magnesium - 1350 ppm
Phosphates - .06 - .08
Nitrates - 10
I currently use Brightwell Aquatics Reef Code A & Reef Code B

- Dose the Reef Code A Caclium at 45 ML per day
- Dose the Reef Code B Buffer at 46 ML per day

Tons of coralline algae in my tank. My rocks are full blown completely purple and I’m constantly cleaning coralline off the glass.

 

[syilk1]

Your tank looks great. I wish I could only dose that much Alk. My 300 Gallon takes 400ml/day of both Alk and Ca.... Mostly SPS dominated but MAN it sucks up the stuff like a sponge.

 

[EakTheFreak]

Your tank looks great. I wish I could only dose that much Alk. My 300 Gallon takes 400ml/day of both Alk and Ca.... Mostly SPS dominated but MAN it sucks up the stuff like a sponge.

Wow 400 ML a Day is insane!!

 

[syilk1]

Wow 400 ML a Day is insane!!

I know.. I keep thinking something has to be wrong LOL

 

[Dkmoo]

This is super helpful, thanks very much! I have been dosing calcium the exact same as alkalinity because I thought that's how it should be. But i don't think the calcium is being consumed at the same rate. Can I slightly lower the calcium dosing with no ill effects?

When you say "exact the same" do you mean same ml from your solution? Or something like 1dkh per 10 ppm. Assuming you mean same ml, then that depends on what brand you use and what concentration it has . If for ex you use the reef code A/B, they specifically designed it to match the ratio of the 6.4 - 7.1 per dkh so dosing them in equal parts will maintain the correct ratio if your tank is consuming them in the correct rate. I'm assuming you are asking that your tank is consuming less ppm of CA relative to the correct ratio of dkh consumption? If so, that's actually common, esp in newer tanks. Generally, CA uptake is only thru the calcium carbonate formation process that occurs either as the natural coral calcification or as inorganic precipitation. However, carbonate /bicarbonate uptake (the dkh decrease) can occur for many reasons - 1) calcification/precipitation 2) magnesium carbonate formation (the process that mag use to maintain high ca/alk levels 3) certain biological/bacterial processes.

In newer tanks item 2) and 3) are not as stable, causing more alk to be consumed relative to CA

My tank used to do 2dkh per day per 10ppm of CA for a long time before it stabilized to about 10ppm per 1.5 dkh which is the correct ratio.

 

[EakTheFreak]

I know.. I keep thinking something has to be wrong LOL

Well your PH is incredibly high!!?