Where is all the alkalinity going in a fish only?

[cracker]

so, I have a 180 fish only with 5 fish & 2 Soft corals ,a toad stool & Kenya tree.
Dispite the ato with full concentration of Kalkwasser & 25 to 30 mls of parts 1 & 2 I can barely keep alk in the very low 7o,'s If I miss a day it drops to mid 6's every time.
I can keep dosing this but trying to figure out where it all goes. Or am I over reacting .
There is very little hardening of the sand bed. Nothing to consume it. I dose the alk every day equal amount if Ca every other day can answer just about any question You have.
Any ideas? Thanks !

 

[Crabs McJones]

Any coralline algae?

 

[cracker]

Not much at all,hold on let me take a look, No just some on the rock.

 

[cracker]

Anybody else?

 

[Crabs McJones]

Follow up question, what test kit are you determining your levels with?

 

[PatW]

If you have snails, they could be growing their shells and consuming ALK.

 

[cracker]

I have redsea kits for No3, Ca & mag, hanna's for ULRr Po4 & ALK.

 

[cracker]

I have a lot of snails in there.

 

[norfolkgarden]

I have a lot of snails in there.

Off track, but about how many snails?
Are you still in an ugly stage with this tank?

We have a 75 gallon tank.
I can't keep alive more than 4 turbos, 5 trochus, a money snail, and maybe 5-6 smaller remaining hemit crabs.

Always wondered how people kept more than that.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

If nitrate is rising, alk will deplete.

There are also many organisms the use it. Snails, coralline, certain worms, urchins etc.

 

[cracker]

@norfolkgarden , I need to quantify the snail numbers there are around 30 snails . When I see a little more algae I ad more snails . I guess I meant a lot for the amount of algae in this tank. Iv'e not really seen a big ugly stage. Some diatoms & cyano that has since disipated. The tank,180 gl has been going for almost 2 years

 

[norfolkgarden]

@norfolkgarden , I need to quantify the snail numbers there are around 30 snails . When I see a little more algae I ad more snails . I guess I meant a lot for the amount of algae in this tank. Iv'e not really seen a big ugly stage. Some diatoms & cyano that has since disipated. The tank,180 gl has been going for almost 2 years

Nice! Pictures!

 

[Hitman]

No precipitation? How’s your mg level?
I have about the same amount of snails plus probably 20 hermits, and a golf ball sized pincushion urchin with just a bit more water volume then you I’m now dosing 36 ml of each 2 part and 1500 ml of kalk a day. I only have 3 small SPS frags the rest are leathers and euphyllia and I had to bump up my doser after today’s testing. Oddly I’m also losing 10 ppm of mg a week as well. And up till September I hadn’t had a change in mg lvl since last April my book shows.

 

[cracker]

I test just to night aks 6.3 ! Didn't dose today. 35 is about what I need to keep it at low 7's