Problems with Alk.

[Robg139]

Okay so an update on my tank and can use some insight and reefers opinions/help. So my reef has been consuming alk fairly faster then my water change can keep up with. So I’ve bought an ato and wanted to try kalkwasser. I did I a big water change and my alk increased from 6.7 to 7.1. I know not substantial and should have probably got it up higher before running kalk in the ato but I didn’t. 4 days ago I set up the ato and added 1 tsp of kalk. As today I checked alk and it’s only 7.3. Still a lot lower then where I want it. Now I need a little help on what should be my next step. Should
I add more kalk to the ato ? Do another big water change ? Or maybe try sodium bicarbonate ? I really would like to stick to using kalk as that’s what I have on hand, and it’s easy in the ato. Suggestions and help please. Thanks.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

7.3 dKH is perfectly fine. Do you have a higher alk goal?

 

[ScottR]

Just curious, you were running without an ATO prior to this?

 

[Robg139]

Yes I was and yes I would like to be mid to high 8’s for alk. Also yes I was running without an ato for the entirety of the tank which is 6 months old. Now I have an ato set up and running with kalk. Since I have done water changes and steady kalk dosing with ato alk is now at 8.4. The reason I wanted to shoot higher, my torch and one other coral the tissues was receding form the skeleton. Not sure but I attributed that to low alk.

 

[Saltyreef]

Kalkwasser likely wont raise your alkalinity the way its being applied.
The solution needs to be fully saturated as it is a fairly weak concentration if using in the top off water.
Think of kalkwasser as a stabilizing agent and using it to keep your cal and alk levels from swinging too much between water changes and or dosing times.
It wont be a good use as sole means to raise alk and calcium.
Youll likely want to look into dosing so you can perform your water changes less and using them to replenish micro elements and control nutrients accordingly instead of chasing macros.

 

[Saltyreef]

Yes I was and yes I would like to be mid to high 8’s for alk. Also yes I was running without an ato for the entirety of the tank which is 6 months old. Now I have an ato set up and running with kalk. Since I have done water changes and steady kalk dosing with ato alk is now at 8.4. The reason I wanted to shoot higher, my torch and one other coral the tissues was receding form the skeleton. Not sure but I attributed that to low alk.

Everything in my tank melts below 7dkh FWIW. 8.5-9 is my target and stuff grows great in the presence of slightly elevated nutrients.

 

[Mical]

Yes I was and yes I would like to be mid to high 8’s for alk. Also yes I was running without an ato for the entirety of the tank which is 6 months old. Now I have an ato set up and running with kalk. Since I have done water changes and steady kalk dosing with ato alk is now at 8.4. The reason I wanted to shoot higher, my torch and one other coral the tissues was receding form the skeleton. Not sure but I attributed that to low alk.

Tank is still a little young for LPS corals as torches, etc

 

[Robg139]

Yea I did a big water change got my alk with that, but yes hoping kalk will hold numbers there. Well I’m doing everything as well as I can there’s a huge colony of pods, my fuge is taking care of nutrient export, my tank is matured pretty well for 6 months, I mean so far everything is going pretty well.

 

[Saltyreef]

Yea I did a big water change got my alk with that, but yes hoping kalk will hold numbers there. Well I’m doing everything as well as I can there’s a huge colony of pods, my fuge is taking care of nutrient export, my tank is matured pretty well for 6 months, I mean so far everything is going pretty well.

Have you done a 5 day consumption log?