Should my alkalinity be dropping with just two corals?

[shootingstar_reef]

Hanna checker for alk???? What’s the batch number on the reagent??

If you're asking if I use the Hanna checker, I do not. I'll have to check the batch/lot# on my Tropic Marin bottle, if that's what you're thinking I should do.

What causes rapid consumption of alk?

I have a 220 gallon system and I burn through about 2 dkh a day. Any ideas what might be using so much alk? I have about 16 frags, a small clam, average clean up crew, 4 btas(they split often) and about a dozen fish. My ph hovers at 8.0 Dkh is usually 8.6 Calcium is 435 No3 .35 Po4 .18 Last...

www.reef2reef.com

Thanks for the link to that thread, but again, I only have two soft corals, and no coralline algae (except what's on the zoa plug?). My nitrate isn't rising, so I guess its not the bacteria...diatoms? I'm not sure about that.

I'll test again tomorrow too and see what I get

 

[Gtinnel]

Bactrica transforms NO2 to NO3, in this process it will consume ALK

Yes but according to that thread when something uses the nitrate the alk will increase by the same amount that it decreased by when it was converted to nitrate, so the net result is the same alkalinity. You'll only see a decrease if your nitrates are drastically increasing.

 

[Gtinnel]

shootingstar_reef if you have sand in the tank is it getting hard or starting to clump together from what I've read that can be caused by calcium carbonate precipitation. Also if you use GFO it can possibly cause precipitation.

Sorry I can't be more help

 

[lany2008]

Yes but according to that thread when something uses the nitrate the alk will increase by the same amount that it decreased by when it was converted to nitrate, so the net result is the same alkalinity. You'll only see a decrease if your nitrates are drastically increasing.

not really, in the no2 to no3 process, bactrica will release co2 which comes from ALK(HCO3), in the no3 to n2 process will release some ALK but still not enough to make the whole amount balance.

 

[shootingstar_reef]

Did my alk test today (2 days later) and it was 7.5, so it's not dropping fast anymore. I basted(?) the sand a little with a turkey-baster to disrupt what I think are diatoms. I guess for now I'll consider it an anomaly until I come up with a better explanation. Thanks everyone for your input and time

 

[shootingstar_reef]

Maybe it's all the spirorbidae worms....