Testing Alkalinity Frequency POLL

[Duncan Tse]

How often do you test for alkalinity in a mixed/sps reef tank?

 

[WIReefer]

Everyday with trident (4 times a day) and by hand twice a week with Hanna for security.

 

[csb123]

KH Director 6x/day. Hanna every 1-2 days for security....paranoid? Maybe.

 

[User1]

4 times daily here. Another trident user.

Before automation I wasn't testing it at all...I'm not going to lie. Once a month if that. Same for phosphates. The only reason why those got tested is because the Hanna checker is fast and reliable. Yes, I'm that lazy.

Edit: do I think multi day automated testing is going to make or brake a display tank? No, I do not. I'm doing it because I can and already had the Neptune ecosystem / apex. It was a cheaper entry point.

 

[stephj03]

4x per Dy via Trident. Once a month with Hannah checker or if trident reads weird

 

[Dilan Patel]

2 x a day with reefbot. I have the ability to run it as many or as few times as I please.

 

[stephj03]

Everyday with trident (4 times a day) and by hand twice a week with Hanna for security.

Your prob gonna get skewed results in this sub forum that don't really represent the norm for a mixed reef that has 30-40% SPS.

A lot of the active posters in the SPS sub really mean Acropora when they say SPS, and +80% acropora is a mixed reef to them.


If I had mixed reef with less than half SPS inclusive of bird'snest/Stylo/Pocci/Caps, I would likely only test once or twice a WK and I wouldn't feel like a Trident purchase was justified.

 

[SeaDweller]

Used to be everyday with salifert, for the past 1.5 years; took me no more than 30 secs. Up until recently, Now just once a week because it doesn’t change much.

 

[Nburg's Reef]

4 times a day... via trident.

 

[Nburg's Reef]

I think if you are going to spend the money to run a large acropora tank, 600 bucks for a trident is a no brainer, just makes life so much easier.

 

[Michael Gray]

6 times/day GHL KHD Hanna maybe 2 times a week to make sure its not fading

 

[Fourstars]

At first daily, once I learned my tank consumption once a month. Instability comes from chasing numbers.

 

[robbyg]

At first daily, once I learned my tank consumption once a month.

I find working out the consumption to be almost impossible.
Once growth starts the consumption goes up exponentially and when growth stops the consumption stops. It's very hard to tell whats going to happen as even the Coralline Algae consume so much Alk and Ca that its pretty much a constant nudge in dosing levels every week.

 

[Fourstars]

I find working out the consumption to be almost impossible.
Once growth starts the consumption goes up exponentially and when growth stops the consumption stops. It's very hard to tell whats going to happen as even the Coralline Algae consume so much Alk and Ca that its pretty much a constant nudge in dosing levels every week.

for sure! That’s why I find it best to just address the trend Instead of trying to work it out.

 

[robbyg]

for sure! That’s why I find it best to just address the trend Instead of trying to work it out.

The problem is that the consumption trend can end abruptly if something happens that your corals do not like. So at that point your dosing away and almost nothing is being used. that is when you see those post, help my Dkh is 12 or my calcium is 550. If lets say your dosing at a minimum of 40ml of ALK and Ca daily, that is over 1.2 Liters of each per month. Thats a lot of Dosing without a reading to back up what is going on.

 

[Fourstars]

So true! That’s why stability is so important. You don’t want the consumption the end abrupt. That’s one reason I don’t buy into the idea of starving a tank of photons to solve an algea outbreak.

 

[Duncan Tse]

As for me I started off with increasing my 2 part dosing 1mL a week in a 40 gallon acro/mixed reef

As the frags got bigger I had to increase by 2mL/week as I was getting a drop of 0.5dkh a week.

Which led me to start this poll and wondered how often do you test for alk.

Because acros consume alk exponentially as they grow, I feel that testing more often in a week may give my tank more stability.

Just want to get a feel for how frequent everyone else is testing.

 

[C. Eymann]

depends, have I added any corals lately? ramped up /down lighting? adjustmented N/P ? scraped a significant amount of coralline?
god forbid, had to dip anything?

all can impact system mineral demand.

 

[TX_Punisher]

I guess I get to write in 4 times per day

 

[TMB]

4x Daily Via Alkatronic.