Will new (better) lights increase ALK consumption

[ShaggyRS6]

I changed my lights from HD25 to HD64 and noticed a nice drop in ALK. Is this coincidence or would you expect that to happen?

 

[Albertan22]

Expected. Better lights = more growth = increased alk consumption.

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

It really depends on your tank. If your corals had almost too much light and you increased the light even more, calcification would likely slow. There's a limit to how much corals can take, and too much is more likely to hurt than help.

On the other hand, if you didn't have enough light before and added more, you'd expect an increase in calcification since the corals now have what they need.

 

[ShaggyRS6]

Thanks both. Good to know!

 

[jda]

There is so much more that consumes alk than corals. I would focus on growth and color. At first, look a the base and see if a coral is encrusting. Once this happens, then you should be able to tell at the tips.

Coralline is a much larger consumer of alk than most corals so looking at just alk consumption is not the best way to tell if coral is growing.

 

[ShaggyRS6]

I don’t have a problem with growth, just I put the 64’s on yesterday and see a drop out of the norm.