Why can't I raise my Alk??

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

For what it’s worth (and I’m no expert) there is an imbalance with calcium and magnesium. BRS TV I think had an episode on this. Something along the lines of if your magnesium drops while calcium goes up, Alk will continue dropping. Don’t take my word for it but it was something like that.

Imbalance is not really the issue. Low magnesium can encourage more precipitation of calcium carbonate, which increases apparent demand for calcium and alkalinity.

 

[joey123]

1 dKH is not that much. A soft coral only tank can use 2 dKH per day due to the corals, coralline algae, snails, and lots of other inverts.

Note that the higher you want to keep alk, the more you will have too add every day. Demand rises as alk rises.
I’d pick a reasonable dose and stick with it for a couple of weeks, not trying to adjust every day. then make a small up order down adjusted to the daily dose.

FWIW, 7 dKH is a fine level.

Alright, so, update on this situation. I've been auto dosing 120 mL/day each of Mg Ca and Alk for the last 2 days, plus a kalk stirrer on the ATO.

As of my current test, we have an alk of 5.2!!!! down from 7.3 on Saturday evening.
Ca is relatively stable at 340 (down from 350) and Mg is also pretty stable at 1400.

As far as the water goes, it looks visibly like there is a lot of very very small white particulate floating around in it somehow. I am considering doing a water change tomorrow and possibly thursday and saturday as well if needed. I am assuming I am having ridiculous precipitation? pH is only 7.68 though, so not sure about that.

Any thoughts? @Randy Holmes-Farley

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

how much total in dKH per day?

 

[joey123]

how much total in dKH per day?

I have been dosing approximately 1.05 dkh/day, and still lost about 2 dkh over 2 days.

(also, just to give you as much info as i can, i am dosing 7.35 ppm of Calcium and about 9.5 ppm of Magnesium per day with those rates. All dosing is spread out into auto-doses every 30 minutes)

 

[William Mumford]

Open all your windows see if your Alk rises. If it does add a closed loop co2 scubber and you will be just fine.

 

[joey123]

Open all your windows see if your Alk rises. If it does add a closed loop co2 scubber and you will be just fine.

Already running a CO2 scrubber...

 

[William Mumford]

;Bookworm

 

[joey123]

@Randy Holmes-Farley planning to crank up my Alk dosing. Will likely bump up calcium as well, since it keeps falling as well. Thoughts?

 

[joey123]

@Randy Holmes-Farley - I think I am fighting a serious precipitation issue. During my water change this evening, i noticed a bunch of clumps in the sand that fell apart once i grabbed them, and a hard, white film on the glass around the barrier with the sand bed in a lot of places. Any tips on how to stop the precipitation, and get back to where dosing is effective on changing parameters? Still finding that when the levels are super low, I can add and raise levels, but can't seem to rise alk above 7-something, and calcium hangs up around 350 or so. And even at those levels, it is susceptible to dips.

Thoughts? Thanks.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

1-2 dKH per day seems not that high, and I’d ramp up dosing alk and calcium.
To reduce precipitation, use alk for baking soda and spread out the doses. Dilute it more and dose to a high flow area slowly. Make sure magnesium is ok and do not drive pH too high.