Vinegar dosing

[CNDReef]

I've been trying to let my calcium and alk drop naturally since it's a bit high and in a month with no addition of either supplement my parameters haven't changed. I dose vinegar and someone in our local club (BRS) said it could be the vinegar breaking down the aragonite like a calcium reactor. Is that possible?

 

[bif24701]

I've been trying to let my calcium and alk drop naturally since it's a bit high and in a month with no addition of either supplement my parameters haven't changed. I dose vinegar and someone in our local club (BRS) said it could be the vinegar breaking down the aragonite like a calcium reactor. Is that possible?

Sure, if the vinegar is causing your pH low enough to dissolve it or makes direct contact with aragonite before becoming deluded. If you pH doesn't drop below 7.5 regularly that is not it. It's entirely possible your system doesn't consume much of it.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I've been trying to let my calcium and alk drop naturally since it's a bit high and in a month with no addition of either supplement my parameters haven't changed. I dose vinegar and someone in our local club (BRS) said it could be the vinegar breaking down the aragonite like a calcium reactor. Is that possible?

Nope.

 

[CNDReef]

Any idea what could be maintaining the alk and calcium stable?

 

[bif24701]

Nope.

Your answer is better, LOL

 

[bif24701]

Any idea what could be maintaining the alk and calcium stable?

Is there a reason it should not be? What in your system would be consuming it?

Why not just let things be?

The #1 biggest problem we ALL have (including myself) is fixing problems we don't have, then we disrupt our whole system for a "better number" and then all hell breaks loose proving our suspicion that the .1 our level was off is the reason that coral was purple not pink.

 

[CNDReef]

My alk is at 11 and calcium is 480
I think that's a bit high

 

[CNDReef]

I have sps and lps snails coralline

 

[bif24701]

My alk is at 11 and calcium is 480
I think that's a bit high

Reef salt mixes can have those high numbers just after mixing. Still no true reason for concern

 

[CNDReef]

I found the culprit, the carbon dosing does convert some nitrates to alk. I had around 50 ppm nitrates that I was trying to drop with vinegar ( changed back to vodka )
My alk is now 8-9 and calcium is 420 and everything looks good. Even the last of my sps are coloring up again.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Depletion of 50 ppm nitrate will boost alk by about 2.25 dKH

 

[CNDReef]

I didn't have a high demand so it just getting higher. I did a few water changes and dropped the nitrate to under 25 and now sits at 10. That's was my target number for nitrates
I don't chase numbers but I always had good luck at lower levels then high( first tank was started in 04) I got told to run at 10dkh And 450 calcium and for some reason always had problems. Then someone else told me to run it lower alk and everything started to look better and grow. I guess it might just be my bad husbandry habits lol