Salt confusion alkalinity

[JAMSOURY]

So I’m starting to try to get my calcium, magnesium, and alkalinity correct. I’ve read a good amount of people use reef crystals for salt. If it’s a good range to keep alkalinity around 9... how is that number attainable considering the alkalinity of that salt sits at around 13?

 

[Maggie321]

So I’m starting to try to get my calcium, magnesium, and alkalinity correct. I’ve read a good amount of people use reef crystals for salt. If it’s a good range to keep alkalinity around 9... how is that number attainable considering the alkalinity of that salt sits at around 13?

The corals use it to grow so the number gets depleted. You do a water change and the average goes up. Make sense?

 

[madweazl]

So I’m starting to try to get my calcium, magnesium, and alkalinity correct. I’ve read a good amount of people use reef crystals for salt. If it’s a good range to keep alkalinity around 9... how is that number attainable considering the alkalinity of that salt sits at around 13?

I use muriatic acid to lower the alkalinity before I change the water. For me, approx 2.5ml of muriatic drops the alkalinity of five gallons of mixed Reef Crystals too about 8.0 dKH.

 

[Maggie321]

I use muriatic acid to lower the alkalinity before I change the water. For me, approx 2.5ml of muriatic drops the alkalinity of five gallons of mixed Reef Crystals too about 8.0 dKH.

I am still to new to feel comfortable adding things like muriatic acid.

 

[JAMSOURY]

I use muriatic acid to lower the alkalinity before I change the water. For me, approx 2.5ml of muriatic drops the alkalinity of five gallons of mixed Reef Crystals too about 8.0 dKH.

Does it change any of the other numbers as well or just alkalinity? Also, can you just put it directly in the tank?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Don't go the muriatic acid route until you are a more advanced aquarist. YOu need to control it rather carefully. That said, it only reduces alkalinity.

IMO, you should just let it decline on its own over time.

 

[jda]

You need to figure out how to use Muratic Acid. I needs handled responsibly and you don't want to breath the fumes, but it is not death in a bottle. If you handle it like you do Kalk, then you will be OK. You are really going to struggle with reef tanks in general if you you are too afraid to use Muratic Acid.

Gallons * dKh drop * .123 = approximate MLs of Muratic to add to you freshly mixed salt.

Adding this will significantly drop the PH, so do not add it to the tank. The CO2 will blow off through normal aeration of new mix, so just mix it for an additional day.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

You need to figure out how to use Muratic Acid. I needs handled responsibly and you don't want to breath the fumes, but it is not death in a bottle. If you handle it like you do Kalk, then you will be OK. You are really going to struggle with reef tanks in general if you you are too afraid to use Muratic Acid..

As a pure safety precaution, I don't agree. Concentrated hydrochloric acid with a pH below zero is way more dangerous to you personally (like splashing in your eyes) or eating through your clothes than is a pH 12.4 calcium hydroxide solution.

I'm certainly comfortable using both (having used such solutions for 40 years), but I would not equate the risks.

 

[jsker]

I agree with @Randy Holmes-Farley. A suggestion, consider using the regular IO salt until your consumption increases.

 

[OREGONIC]

Find a salt that has the parameters you want to keep your tank at and go with that. I use Aquaforest which has alk around 7.9-8.3 dkh, depending on batch, when mixed at 1.026 and cal around 410-450, again depending on batch. I run my tank as close to those numbers as possible and just make minor adjustments to the mix as needed, current bucket i have cal is a little on the low side so i just add a little cal to the mix.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

You can also lower alkalinity more safely, but more expensively, using sodium bisulfate, such as Seachem Acid buffer.

 

[GoVols]

A suggestion, consider using the regular IO salt until your consumption increases.

+1

Also, it takes less salt per gallon and it does not leave the scum build up like Reef Crystals.
Might want to dose up the cal and mag while mixing but I'd rather to that than dropping the alk in a salt mix.

JMO...

 

[DSC reef]

You need to figure out how to use Muratic Acid. I needs handled responsibly and you don't want to breath the fumes, but it is not death in a bottle. If you handle it like you do Kalk, then you will be OK. You are really going to struggle with reef tanks in general if you you are too afraid to use Muratic Acid.

Gallons * dKh drop * .123 = approximate MLs of Muratic to add to you freshly mixed salt.

Adding this will significantly drop the PH, so do not add it to the tank. The CO2 will blow off through normal aeration of new mix, so just mix it for an additional day.

Struggle with reef tanks if your afraid to use muriatic acid? Can you elaborate please? I've been reefing for many years and never even considered touching muriatic acid. How does this make it difficult to "reefing" if I chose to never use it? I've never struggled in my hobby due to the lack of use of muriatic acid, lol.

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

+1

Also, it takes less salt per gallon and it does not leave the scum build up like Reef Crystals.
Might want to dose up the cal and mag while mixing but I'd rather to that than dropping the alk in a salt mix.

JMO...

This is good advice. Just be aware that the carbonate alkalinity with Instant Ocean is relatively high. When I used IO, the alkalinity was routinely 10 - 11 dKh. Some mixes like Red Sea: Blue Bucket have carbonate alkalinity in the 8.0 dKh range.

@JAMSOURY 13 dKh is a little high, but stability is more important than anything else. I would personally change to a salt mix with lower carbonate alkalinity and shoot to maintain the alkalinity there. For example, if you use plain Instant Ocean and find that the carbonate alkalinity is 11 dKh with the newly mixed saltwater, your alkalinity will drop over time. After your tank is around 11 dKh, you can start to does to maintain the alkalinity there. The same is true with Red Sea: Blue Bucket, which has a carbonate alkalinity of around 8.0 dKh. Over time, the alkalinity in your tank will drop to around 8.0 dKh, and at that point you can start dosing to keep the level there.

 

[GoVols]

This is good advice. Just be aware that the carbonate alkalinity with Instant Ocean is relatively high. When I used IO, the alkalinity was routinely 10 - 11 dKh. Some mixes like Red Sea: Blue Bucket have carbonate alkalinity in the 8.0 dKh range.

Yes,
Your spot on with the high alk in IO and I do make large water changes.
I'm on the Blue Bucket and just dose up the alk and mag, just a tad.

I used to use the Red Red Pro salt (at 12.5 dkh but at that time I was doing the Red Sea "SPS" growth program. It worked but my sps colors were dulled/brown out.

Many ways to skin a cat and as you said, It's all about (long haul) stability and we each find our own rhythm ;Wacky

 

[GoVols]

If you carbon dose at a high alk.
You need a lot of organics in the water column or it's going to be

Either way... I'm like @jsker and would heed Randy's advise about dropping an alk within a mix.

 

[madweazl]

Struggle with reef tanks if your afraid to use muriatic acid? Can you elaborate please? I've been reefing for many years and never even considered touching muriatic acid. How does this make it difficult to "reefing" if I chose to never use it? I've never struggled in my hobby due to the lack of use of muriatic acid, lol.

I think the point was that if you can do everything else to maintain a reef, you can do this as well. I'd prefer a safer method but it is what I had at my disposal at the time so I started using it.