What exactly is a stable Alk?

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I've been fine tuning my tank and wondered how much fluctuation per day is considered normal in a stable tank. I don't have dosers but know that if I add 1/3 cup of kalk, the kh rises .2. So if I want to keep the tank say at 9 or 9.5, how close to those numbers do I need to stay. Does a difference of .1 or .2 matter? I know a stable number is better than a specific number but I have a few SPS so I don't want it too high.
 
I've been fine tuning my tank and wondered how much fluctuation per day is considered normal in a stable tank. I don't have dosers but know that if I add 1/3 cup of kalk, the kh rises .2. So if I want to keep the tank say at 9 or 9.5, how close to those numbers do I need to stay. Does a difference of .1 or .2 matter? I know a stable number is better than a specific number but I have a few SPS so I don't want it too high.
There is a basic technical nerdy difference between stability and constant. Stable means a system tends to return to the balanced state when disturbed.
Constant means unvarying.
It is entirely possible to have constant values that were diverge from those values should something "shocks" the system. Which would be a constant unstable system.
And it is entirely possible (like with daily pH changes) to have a system that varies but when "shocked" returns to the same varying system. Hence a non-constant but stable system.
Which is why I tend to emphasize stable over constant systems.
But that's just an old nerdy engineer idea.
Worth at most .02
 
So .2-.3 is workable? I don't have a doser. I could add a little kalk when needed in even smaller doses. I'm checking Alk daily right now to get it tuned in.
 
If you can keep it stable in this way for a long period, then you will have great successes with your tank.
 
I don't know where one begins to see issues with which corals, but I'm quite confident that a change of 0.2 dKH is not an issue for most organisms.

I'm not even sure that changes that happen every day within a day are even very important (say, 8 dKH dropping to 7 dKH then boosted to 8 dKH again the next morning).

I think most people that claim to have seen issues from lack of alk stability are referring to going for periods (days or longer) at one alkalinity then changing to a different alkalinity for another extended period, etc.

In that case, corals may keep changing the number of transporters needed to take up adequate bicarbonate, and may find themselves with too much or too little bicarbonate frequently.

But when that happens over the course of a single day, I'm not sure they are even responding to the minute by minute alkalinity, and may just average things out to get enough in a day. Adding or removing transporters from membranes is not typically something that happens fast, at least in the cases where I am familiar. It can take more than a day.

As evidence that this hypothesis may be valid, many people do once a day dosing of two part system, and I've not seen real evidence that their corals do not do just as well (albeit with more work) than people who dose alk with a dosing pump spread widely over the course of a day.
 
Alk is getting more stable. It looks worse than it is on the chart but it seems to be settling around 9.1-9.3kh and in the low 160's for ppm. The chart is ppm because that's what the Hanna checker measures.
ImageUploadedByREEF2REEF1430437016.535538.jpg
 
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Actually, for the past four days, it's stayed between 162-164ppm or 9.1-9.2kh. This is absolutely the most stable my tank has ever been!
 
Hi GLB,
Looks like thing are looking up . stable for me is between 8-8.5 , so long you can keep it at 9 you will be fine .so long you don't have big swings in the alkalinity your doing good ,. how are the corals doing ? Are you going to the frag swap this Saturday ? I will be there early I giving some frags to the school for their tanks .

Willi
 
Where is the swap?? I don't have anything to swap yet though.
 
Plantation High school , there`s a frag swap where you can buy some corals at some good prices and also some people will be selling there old aquarium stuff . I always find some good things there .
 
What's the best way to dose ? 12 hour period or 24 ?

If you have a dosing pump, I'd spread it out over various times of day and night.

If it is manual dosing, morning and night or just morning are reasonable plans. :)

It also depends on how much you need to dose. If it is not much, you may not need to dose every day.
 
Thanks i have a doser and can dose over a 24hour period i dose about 50mil per day of alk and calcium magnesium seems to look after itself with water changes
 

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