Why is it recommended to keep alk low when carbon dosing?

[nly04]

You keep alk lower because it is reported that sps corals in low nutrient systems demonstrate alk burn more easily, but the exact reason why is not known. I have seen this myself, if my alk gets above 9 my coral start burning.

BTW I use red sea coral pro and I keep my alk 7.8-8.1

This is true to me, I just happened to me this week, my monti and 3 clams die because of I think to low nutrient. I started dosing vodka with low volume and without checking the parameter which is the issue. My Alk alway 7.5 and my salt is Mricobe-lift Reef. I wish I saw this thread earlier so I cna avoid dosing Vodka to keep nutrient low.

 

[mcarroll]

I've been vodka dosing for about 2 weeks now and have been wondering why it is recommended to keep alk around 7dkh. I keep mine at 9.5

If your pH is at a normal level for your tested alkalinity you should be fine.

In fact, if your pH is normal for your alk level, I doubt you'd have trouble anywhere in the range of 7-12 dKH.

Try the aeration test if you wanna see where your system stands. The Aeration Test

I think many carbon dosed systems become "carbon saturated" and end up with (even more) depressed pH which messes with alkalinity test results. Alkalinity tests are dependent on the pH of the sample, so this ultimately leads to dosing issues and alkalinity burns. I say "even more" because most houses that are sealed for HVAC already have slightly elevated CO2 levels in the air, which translates to somewhat lower pH before the saltwater even goes in the tank to be further carbon-dosed and subjected to in-tank conditions.

This is my theory.

Hope this makes sense!

-Matt

 

[Bustyraker]

All i have is a salifert ph test kit which I think I've used a total of maybe 5 times. I've been thinking about buying an Apex but still trying to justify spending $500 on something that I've been doing fine without so far

 

[mcarroll]

Do you mean for pH monitoring, or what exactly?

-Matt

 

[mcarroll]

Try the aeration test with your Salifert kit...should be good enough for that.

-Matt

 

[Bustyraker]

Do you mean for pH monitoring, or what exactly?

-Matt

For a lot of things but ph and temp monitoring are the two biggies, would also be nice to have a dusk dawn with my DIY LEDs.

 

[mcarroll]

Well, $500 on a complete Apex system is a completely different level of investment from a $120 ReefKeeper Lite, eh?

If you're done with lamp timers or too limited with them, a RKL makes all the sense in the world IMO.

At $120, it's cheaper than the set of timers and powerstrips I had before I got mine!! To boot you get heat control and the ability to upgrade if needed.

If pH monitoring is a firm requirement, then another $160 ($279 for the kit) gets you the RKL "Plus" which includes twice as many controllable outlets as well as pH monitoring and other stuff. Lighting control is another available option.

Just some things to consider!

-Matt

 

[Chrisz]

What do burning corals look like? I am running bio-pellets and had to cut back because my corals all looked worse but the water peramiters where the best they have ever been. I am starting to wonder if I was burning my corals.

 

[Bustyraker]

How do all of you feel about bio pellets? Thinking about either converting my phosban reactor into a biopellet reactor or just getting a dosing pump for vodka

 

[mcarroll]

How do all of you feel about bio pellets? Thinking about either converting my phosban reactor into a biopellet reactor or just getting a dosing pump for vodka

No feelings at all. Just know they (and vodka) are no magic bullet.

What is your use case? If your goal is to mask a problem with nutrients for example, I would try to solve the problem at its root first.

I tend to look at things like these as cleanup tools, not solutions.

-Matt

 

[Bustyraker]

I'm really just trying to get SPS to grow, I've never had a nutrient issue. Nitrates are usually around 2ppm and phosphate .08ppm. I'd also like to be able to feed everyday. So I'm not trying to mask an issue, just want to make my parameters even better.

 

[mcarroll]

Once you have a lock on dosing, if you take good care of your fish (including not overfeeding or overcrowding) your corals will be happy as a natural consequence.

Sounds like you're alright across the board to me - keep doing what you're doing! Just increase your observation time by 10% and see what happens.

-Matt