Raising alk issues

Holy_makerel · Mar 6, 2017

Hi everyone,

Hopefully you can help me get this fixed or maybe i dont need to fix anything.....

I have a 32 gal biocube mixed reef with about 10 different sps and the same numbers lps. reef is about 18 months old.

My alk is low. 5.48 DKH and in recent weeks i have tripled my alk dose but have not seen a rise in numbers and am nervous about just raising it and raising it. there is no precipitation that i've noticed on heaters, equipment, or the sand bed.

My animals all have polyp extension and are growing steadily but i'm worried that i'm stifling growth and health by running the alk so low.

Params as of just now:
DKH- 5.488 (hanna checker)
Mg- 1320ppm (salifert)
Ca- 420ppm (API)
pH- 8.4 (API)

i have a jabao doser which i dose kalk, alk, and Ca.

Kalk gets dosed 20ml every 2 hours at 15 after the hour (even hours)

Alk is 1ml doses at 1, 3, 5 am

Ca is 1ml at 3:45 am.

I dose a few ml of mag every few days by hand.

Should i just keep raising Alk until my numbers raise then just find the maintenance dose?

Thanks

skim · Mar 7, 2017

You may want to pick up a Salifert Alk kit just to double check before moving forward and start increasing things. Better to be safe than sorry because mabe a bad batch or reagent or meter went out of whack. Should also check battery if you can, it maybe on its way out. Tank looks good and healthy maybe just a small Phosphate issue which you may want to nip in the but. Just thought of it do you use GFO as this does drop ALK and can drop it as low as the 7 mark and if you have a high demand of Alk that could be the reason for dropping down to 5.4. I would double check though with a different test kit and check battery.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Mar 7, 2017

What are you dosing for calcium and alk? We cannot determine how much alk you are dosing without knowing what it is.

Kershaw · Mar 7, 2017

I agree, to get another test kit to check it.
Also how much are you dosing and how fast.?

Holy_makerel · Mar 7, 2017

Dosing seachem reef fusion 2 part.

I use phosguard for phosphate removal. changed weekly.

Added about 3 pounds more rock about a month ago that had been soaking in freshwater, also recently treated for redbugs, which decimated my pod populations. Both things i think are contributing to my algae issues right now. just trying to be patient and let the system re-stabilize.

Holy_makerel · Mar 7, 2017

Used an API KH test kit to verify my hanna numbers and they were close so i considered that verification even if the api kits are not very accurate.

Holy_makerel · Mar 7, 2017

Kershaw said:
I agree, to get another test kit to check it.
Also how much are you dosing and how fast.?

See original post for dosing details

MaiReef · Mar 7, 2017

How often do you do water changes? Some salt will add additional ALK, like Reef Crystals.

coralvault · Mar 7, 2017

What trend over the past week or month? Get a second test kit. You may need to dose more alkalinity probably need a doser. Reef can appear fine at 5.5dkh but growth will be slow and it is on the verge of collapse. Can go from fine one day to dead the next if it dips into the 4s, I think you will very likely see a massive die off.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Mar 7, 2017

IMO, there's no confusion here. You just are not adding enough.

The Seachem Reef Fusion is only adding the equivalent of 0.3 dKH per day. That is very little.

Try increasing the dose daily over time to get alk moving upward to where you want it.

Holy_makerel · Mar 7, 2017

20% WC bi-weekly using seachem salinity salt.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Mar 7, 2017

Holy_makerel said:
20% WC bi-weekly using seachem salinity salt.

Such water changes cannot keep up in a tank like yours unless they are more like 20-50% daily.

Holy_makerel · Mar 7, 2017

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
IMO, there's no confusion here. You just are not adding enough.

The Seachem Reef Fusion is only adding the equivalent of 0.3 dKH per day. That is very little.

Try increasing the dose daily over time to get alk moving upward to where you want it.

Thank you Randy! that is what i was figuring but wanted a second or third opinion.

Kershaw · Mar 7, 2017

I had a alk issue not long ago. I still am battling it. But it's now managble. Yes the API test kits for alk is really good, I have used nyos, Red Sea and Hannah dkh checker. I still use API cuz it's easy and fast. It is normally with in .5 to .8 of checker reading higher. So as long as it reads above 7 I am happy. What has helped me was removing corraline. And switching from salinity to reef crystals. I started tank on reef crystals, tank was great then switched to salinity and have had trouble since with keeping alk up. I am 3 water changes into reef crystals and kh is much more stable. I am dosing bionic but in much smaller amounts and my kh dose not drop 3 dkh over night anymore.

Holy_makerel · Mar 7, 2017

Kershaw said:
I had a alk issue not long ago. I still am battling it. But it's now managble. Yes the API test kits for alk is really good, I have used nyos, Red Sea and Hannah dkh checker. I still use API cuz it's easy and fast. It is normally with in .5 to .8 of checker reading higher. So as long as it reads above 7 I am happy. What has helped me was removing corraline. And switching from salinity to reef crystals. I started tank on reef crystals, tank was great then switched to salinity and have had trouble since with keeping alk up. I am 3 water changes into reef crystals and kh is much more stable. I am dosing bionic but in much smaller amounts and my kh dose not drop 3 dkh over night anymore.

I've been contemplating switching salts but I'll see if i can get this figured out with dosing

Holy_makerel · Mar 7, 2017

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
Such water changes cannot keep up in a tank like yours unless they are more like 20-50% daily.

Mostly for replenishing trace elements and a little nutrient export. not relying on it for the big 3

Randy Holmes-Farley · Mar 7, 2017

Holy_makerel said:
Mostly for replenishing trace elements and a little nutrient export. not relying on it for the big 3

Sounds good.

Happy reefing.

Holy_makerel · Mar 7, 2017

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
Sounds good.

Happy reefing.

Thanks for the help!

Kershaw · Mar 7, 2017

Yes. Changing salt is not a good thing to do until you get your water stable.

Holy_makerel · Mar 8, 2017

@Randy Holmes-Farley

That calculation with me adding only 0.3 dkh a day was that per ml or the whole 3 ml daily dose equals 0.3 dkh?

Again, i've been dosing 3ml of seachem reef fusion part 2 for alk. upped it yesterday to 6ml.