Reason to Run Low Alk?

[BigRich]

I’ve been doing a lot of reading/research on reasons for running higher alk(8.4-9.0) and their seems to be benefits in coral growth but I’ve wondered what about keeping lower alk levels of 7.5-8.0. In talking to some major online vendors I’ve been told we keep our sps Alk at;
8.6
7.5
9
8.1-8.4

Four different vendors that are pretty large and been in business for awhile with a pretty wide range of Alk levels. Any thoughts on benefits/reasons for running lower Alk? I won’t even get into par recommendations for the same coral from different vendors, from 300 PAR all the way to 450 PAR on the same piece. Just seems like A LOT of different opinions out there and I’m always interested in the why. Wondering what others think of keeping Alk low vs higher?

 

[spidercrab]

Never noticed a difference to be honest. I think alkalinity is a far overrated parameter.

 

[ycnibrc]

I believe in replicate sea water for my aquarium so I run zeovit which recommend 7.0 alk

 

[BigRich]

Never noticed a difference to be honest. I think alkalinity is a far overrated parameter.

Interesting because you always hear about keeping Alk stable/consistent. Another thing I’ve wondered is when you buy a frag coming from a 8.6ALK system and you run it at 8.1. Is this almost a immediate death sentence for the frag from the Alk swing. Just another thought I’ve always had/wondered.

 

[W1ngz]

Pretty sure the general consensus will be that the actual number doesn't matter a lot, as long as it's somewhere 7-10ish. Wherever you keep it, it's keeping it there that matters most.

 

[Rick5]

I’ve been doing a lot of reading/research on reasons for running higher alk(8.4-9.0) and their seems to be benefits in coral growth but I’ve wondered what about keeping lower alk levels of 7.5-8.0. In talking to some major online vendors I’ve been told we keep our sps Alk at;
8.6
7.5
9
8.1-8.4

Four different vendors that are pretty large and been in business for awhile with a pretty wide range of Alk levels. Any thoughts on benefits/reasons for running lower Alk? I won’t even get into par recommendations for the same coral from different vendors, from 300 PAR all the way to 450 PAR on the same piece. Just seems like A LOT of different opinions out there and I’m always interested in the why. Wondering what others think of keeping Alk low vs higher?

Generally, I run lower alk in a lower nutrient environment. Higher alk in a low nutrient environment tends to result in burnt tips. The problem with gleaning just a single parameter or thing to emulate is that it's just that, one of many parameters/things that are being used and won't necessarily result in the same/identical results as the tank (or vendor) you're emulating.

 

[LiveWire]

I agree with @W1ngz. One benefit of running lower Alk may be lower salt costs as you would not have to pay the extra for the elevated level salt mixes.

 

[jda]

The ocean averages 7.0 dKh. I would consider this the target, with below 7 being lower and above being higher. Most of the consensus of the higher level hobbyists is to stay as near to NSW as possible with this one - I don't care what vendors do since their goals are different than ours.

 

[spidercrab]

Interesting because you always hear about keeping Alk stable/consistent. Another thing I’ve wondered is when you buy a frag coming from a 8.6ALK system and you run it at 8.1. Is this almost a immediate death sentence for the frag from the Alk swing. Just another thought I’ve always had/wondered.

NOPE I switch my frags from an alk of 7 to 11 almost every day with zero issues.

 

[lapin]

Idea
Maybe higher alk is a result of newer salt mixes that are trying to make up for consumption. Where many years years ago we didnt have these high alk salt mixes. Maybe alk has just crept up on us over the years.
Ok done

 

[BigRich]

A lot of really interesting thoughts/opinions. When I thought of posting this I figured most ppl would be running ALK around 8.6/higher due to the BRS video of running a higher Alk causing more sps coral growth from awhile back. Honestly surprised to see so many running lower/more natural alkalinity levels. I personally believe my sweet spot is around 8-8.1 in my DT, but so many posts about running near 7 makes me want to experiment in my frag tank. Really interesting points of view from all!

 

[BigRich]

Idea
Maybe higher alk is a result of newer salt mixes that are trying to make up for consumption. Where many years years ago we didnt have these high alk salt mixes. Maybe alk has just crept up on us over the years.
Ok done

Yeah it’s interesting when you look at most “reef salts” they are higher alk. The only low alk I can think of tropic Marin which mixes up around 7.

 

[BigRich]

NOPE I switch my frags from an alk of 7 to 11 almost every day with zero issues.

Interesting as I’ve been told that a alk swing of just .3 can have a negative effect on a frag. Great to know when buying frags you don’t have to be as concerned as I thought about being close to their alkalinity. I always knew lps are more forgiving but was always concerned about sps changes in chemistry from vendor to home.

 

[SeaDweller]

Interesting because you always hear about keeping Alk stable/consistent. Another thing I’ve wondered is when you buy a frag coming from a 8.6ALK system and you run it at 8.1. Is this almost a immediate death sentence for the frag from the Alk swing. Just another thought I’ve always had/wondered.

in almost 175+ frags I bought last year, not one death has occurred when I plop them into my ~7.5 dkh tank from tanks running alk from 8.5-9.5+.

 

[jda]

It might be important to explain where the fear of higher alk and "burnt tips" comes from. In a nutshell, when building blocks are very low, then calcification happens faster and tissue cannot grow as fast since they need new building blocks to make new organic tissue. The skeleton grows faster than the tissue can grow and after a while, the exposed skeleton gets stressed and the tissue stops grow. True "burnt tips" are a result of growth, not existing tissue dying back - this is something else.

This usually only ever happened when people used media/chemicals to lower building blocks lower than Natural Sea Water levels... which is nearly impossible without using media/chemicals. Keeping the alk lower would somewhat growth-limit the calcification process where it would not outgrow the tissue.

Keep in mind that the ocean is about .1N, .005P and 7.0 dKh. Ultra Low people wanted to get lower than this for some reason... so they had to keep their dKh lower too.

Calcification decreases as N and P rise, so having lower dKh will not really harm anything since growth is slower anyway. The amount of slowing growth depends on the species where as some might not slow down much and others might nearly stop at moderate level.

In general, I don't think that it matters much unless you are looking to be at a top 10% level for growth and color. I also do not think that dKh swings or changes account for nearly the amount of issues that they get blamed for... I have never had issues moving frags, buying or selling. At best, if a coral is weak and otherwise not healthy, it might be the final punch, but not too much more than this.

 

[Crabby48]

Interesting as I’ve been told that a alk swing of just .3 can have a negative effect on a frag. Great to know when buying frags you don’t have to be as concerned as I thought about being close to their alkalinity. I always knew lps are more forgiving but was always concerned about sps changes in chemistry from vendor to home.

When using trident you will see swings greater then .5 morning and night. Try testing at different hours

 

[Lousybreed]

Generally, I run lower alk in a lower nutrient environment. Higher alk in a low nutrient environment tends to result in burnt tips. The problem with gleaning just a single parameter or thing to emulate is that it's just that, one of many parameters/things that are being used and won't necessarily result in the same/identical results as the tank (or vendor) you're emulating.

Truth!

 

[Keith Burns]

In an average nutrient system higher alk levels would help increase growth rates wouldn't it?
Isn't that why RPM salt has a high alk salt that is at 12dk?

 

[flyfisherman]

in almost 175+ frags I bought last year, not one death has occurred when I plop them into my ~7.5 dkh tank from tanks running alk from 8.5-9.5+.

175? whoa!!!

 

[Cheche]

Well when I have high alk all my corals bleach do to low nutrient ( nitrate ) then I lowered the alk to 8 and 8.6 my corals open and I have a lot more colors.. I did notice when my alk is below 7.8 the corals don’t open as much so I try to keep the alk between 8&9...