some thing crazy is going on with low alk need some help please

cracker · Oct 27, 2018

No matter how much I dose I can't get the alkalinity to rise. a brief history,
sept 19th I found myself in the hospital for emergency surgery . This has put me on my butt since.
I had a communication break down with the tank sitter. He was dosing 15 mls daily instead of 22.
No prob I started to dose a little more. However it wouldn't rise . dosed more & more. today I dosed 40 ml ! It came up 7.1 to 7.4! I use a Hanna checker I have brand new reagent syringe, double checked the instructions etc . It won't budge . I did run out of reagent for 2 days. Took a sample to the lfs guy used a selifet kit where I thought it should be 7.5 his reading was 8.5 . I refuse to go down that rabbit hole of which testi s best . However I'm not dosing this much any more ! Could the tester gone wonky ? I know lousy thing to blame it on .
I don't get it ! Any ideas Thanks ,Brian

Fishfinder · Oct 27, 2018

Maybe bad reagent?
Testing error between the 2 devices?
Have you checked your mag?

cracker · Oct 27, 2018

I didn't test mag . I will do that right away.
I did a 25 gl water change . Thinking that would set things straight . ( tank is a 75) . No deal . It had been a while ,close to a month.

cracker · Oct 27, 2018

Ok sorry it's so late. I botched the 1st mag test. so just now I got a 1440 plus or minus a point or two. I think that's ok.
I gotta figure this out soon !

cracker · Oct 28, 2018

Any idea's or steps I should take?

i will take a sample to the lfs today .

cracker · Oct 28, 2018

Anybody?

cracker · Oct 28, 2018

I changed the title of this thread in hopes of getting some more ideas on what I should do.
Could the checker be bad in some way?
Should I buy a selifert kit ( I seriousky ) dislike the color test kits.
Even if the hanna is off why is the alk dropping so very fast& will not come up?
I gotta do something soon here as I can't have the alk at 15 or 6.2 either! Thanks, Brian

cmcoker · Oct 28, 2018

Checked for precipitation? Heaters, pumps, sand bed clumping?
Also, I think some have switched to baking soda temporarily to get it up, iirc. Something about the pH, are you using sodium carbonate or bicarbonate?

Also how do you clean your vials? Maybe a bit of diluted vinegar left to sit in the vials and a thorough rinsing?

Randy Holmes-Farley · Oct 28, 2018

Why do you think you shouldn’t just dose more?

How many dKH per day are you dosing per day?

Knowing the dKH dosed per day is the only way to know if the dose is excessive.

1-2 dKH per day is normal for many tanks. Higher for heavy hard coral tanks.

cracker · Oct 28, 2018

Aah ,Thanks for the response !
As for precipitation, The sump does have a leak enough to soak a bath towel in days. Need to test salinity again. I was able to open up the house to fresh air after a long hot summer .
The tank is bare bottom .I use Oceans Blend 2prt for dosing.
My vials are old & stained ,very good call & something I missed. I do have brand new vials & sure to use one . Iv'e done the vinegar soak Q tips etc.
I haven't tested yet but replaced the battery !

cracker · Oct 28, 2018

Thanks Randy, I had to dose over 30 plus same day to raise it from 7.0 to 7.3 ! I was dosing 22 mls a day . All was good & stable.
At this point I don't know if the tank is going wonky or the kit is shot.
I have several different options just don't know which to go

laverda · Oct 28, 2018

40ml is not much on a tank your size. I used to dose that much a day on a 29 gallon without a sump.

Tamberav · Oct 28, 2018

They make a kit to check check the calibration of your hanna. It lasts a year or two and not expensive. You could pick that up and a new bottle of reagent and figure out whether to trust your tests.

cracker · Oct 28, 2018

here is what I did.I used new out of the box vial ( they have a plastic plug now & not the black cap ) , new reagent, new syringe . I got 7.4 that is a good number at this point. it sounds about right considering all I dosed before. I Iwould like it 3/4 pnts more. I dosed 10 mls of prt 2 & will test later tonight.
Think this amount would be enough to raise the level up a few points?

cracker · Oct 31, 2018

Ok Folks, I'm chuckling at myself . Everything is Ok with the alkalinity. The alk wouldn't comeup, didn't trust the test etc . it happened automagically . the alk stabilized & kit wasn't acting up. The new vials made a big difference Thanks to @cmcoker . So looking back I was overreacting when I should have taken it easy & been patient. Good lesson learned & I'm that much of a better reef keeper now . I learned by hands on experience. Thanks again for all the help .