What is my ALK doing?

Beausoleiljacob · Jul 18, 2016

Hey Reefers!
Hope everyone had a great weekend! Anyways, after coming back from a 5 day vacation I decided to test my levels of my tank and like always I am getting different results from all my test kits. I have a 60 gallon cube with a Eshoppes 100 Reef sump about 35 "Frags" (Some aren't really frags some are big trachys and open brain). Currently I am dosing 103 mL of alk and I believe 94 ml of calcium. My current levels are as followed:

Red Sea: Alk - 7.3, Calcium - 410 Mag - 1400
Hanna: Alk - 7.2 Phosphate - 0.00
Salifret: Calcium - 450

Anyways, my problem is why can't I get my alk to 8+. Is it because I am spreading my 103mL dose into 11 parts a day?

Thanks for the help!

Diesel · Jul 18, 2016

Good question.
What do you use to dose with?
Where is your PH sitting a?
What kind of corals you have in your tank?
Po4 needs to come up a little close to 0.05 to start out with.

@Randy Holmes-Farley

bubbaque · Jul 18, 2016

@Diesel I thought po4 was best under .03?

Beausoleiljacob · Jul 18, 2016

Diesel said:
Good question.
What do you use to dose with?
Where is your PH sitting a?
What kind of corals you have in your tank?
Po4 needs to come up a little close to 0.05 to start out with.

@Randy Holmes-Farley

Yeah IK about the phosphate and am in the process of correcting it (Reduced water changes to biweekly & started feeding corals more often) Is that good?... I never knew that and I am glad someone told me about phosphate having to be higher than 0. LOL..

Anyways, I use BRS 2 part. I haven't really tested pH in a while should I? (Probably since you are mentioning it). I have a lot of LPS, 3 SPS frags & a few softies (Mushrooms, Zoas, GSP).

Diesel · Jul 18, 2016

bubbaque said:
@Diesel I thought po4 was best under .03?

You are close to starving your corals.
Now there are plenty of tanks that run their Po4 low as 0.03 or below but they are dosing supplements on a daily schedule.
My Po4 is sitting at 18 on the low hanna checker in my frag tanks and the DT at 0.08 as of this morning before all the feedings.
But lets go back to the ALK question.

Diesel · Jul 18, 2016

Beausoleiljacob said:
Yeah IK about the phosphate and am in the process of correcting it (Reduced water changes to biweekly & started feeding corals more often) Is that good?... I never knew that and I am glad someone told me about phosphate having to be higher than 0. LOL..

Anyways, I use BRS 2 part. I haven't really tested pH in a while should I? (Probably since you are mentioning it). I have a lot of LPS, 3 SPS frags & a few softies (Mushrooms, Zoas, GSP).

Your ALK is not bad at 7.3.
How are your corals looking?
Any coralline algae in the tank?
When ALK drops your PH could drop with it but not always as that depends on the amount of Co2 in your water.
Yes test your PH if you would, thank you!

Beausoleiljacob · Jul 18, 2016

Diesel said:
Your ALK is not bad at 7.3.
How are your corals looking?
Any coralline algae in the tank?
When ALK drops your PH could drop with it but not always as that depends on the amount of Co2 in your water.
Yes test your PH if you would, thank you!

Currently I try to feed oyster feast daily 2ml about. In addition, I dose phyto, easily twice a week and maybe reef energy once a week. I just tested my pH with the API High pH test kit and I couldn't really get a definite answer it was not the 8.0 brown but wasn't the 8.2 purple it was like a magenta. I have definitely seen a huge growth of Coralline algae starting to grow in my tank there are some specs on the glass now and there is quite a bit covering my overflow.

Diesel · Jul 18, 2016

Coralline algae is eating up your two part to, maybe more than your corals do.
I think your PH is good but I would get a Hanna Tester instead of a API test kit.
Again if corals looking good than you doing something right and don't look at the # as much, just test for your knowledge to know where you're at.

Beausoleiljacob · Jul 18, 2016

Diesel said:
Coralline algae is eating up your two part to, maybe more than your corals do.
I think your PH is good but I would get a Hanna Tester instead of a API test kit.
Again if corals looking good than you doing something right and don't look at the # as much, just test for your knowledge to know where you're at.

Would you say just leave my dosing regimen where it is at? Also would you get the Hanna or Salifret? The Hanna is a little pricey at the moment.

Diesel · Jul 18, 2016

Beausoleiljacob said:
Would you say just leave my dosing regimen where it is at? Also would you get the Hanna or Salifret? The Hanna is a little pricey at the moment.

I would leave the dosing as is but keep testing if ALK will drop below 7.3 than IMO you can add 3ml per hour on the doser to the amount and see where you go with that.
Either is a good brand, you just buy in most cases just one tester after that you will get a APEX to control your tank and as bonus the LAB grade PH probe

Beausoleiljacob · Jul 18, 2016

An Apex might be what I want for Christmas if not my first car LOL almost 17

Should I start by increasing the dose by 2ml for each dose which there is 9 of or just add another whole dose of 11.5ml? If I add the 2ml to each dose I will be dosing 121.5mL. Do you think I might be having precipitation issues and might want to make more doses with less solution?