aaaahhhhhh!!!! what STILL gives with my alk!?

[nemofish2217]

so i had been having problems with my alk being constantly too low.... around 6.0 dkh or so. I tried adding the buffers and up-ing my dose of B-Ionic, but it didnt help. So, i decided to go ahead and use baking soda. I looked up on the calculator and it said i would need to add about 2.85 teaspoons to bring the alk up to about 9 dkh. So, over the last day or two i have slowly added 3 teaspoons of baking soda... i tested the alk today and it only read about 7.4.... what the heck???? what gives? anyone? i am using a salifert test kit, seachem reef salt, and my total volume is about 50-52 gallons.... please someone give me some advice, thanks.

 

[RichConley]

check your magnesium

 

[eclecticvibe]

What's your calcium and magnesium levels?

 

[nemofish2217]

i dont have a magnesium test kit but my calcium is around 430ppm.

 

[Wiskey]

You said that it took 2.85 teaspoons to raise your ALK, and you spent a few days adding that ammount. As you were adding it your tank was using it so you didn't bring it up as much as you thought. What you mised was you need to add 2.85 TSP more than your daily useage. Add 1 tsp per day until you get your alk where you want it.

HTH,
Whiskey

 

[nemofish2217]

i guess i just didnt realize that i was using up so much alk so fast.... i mean, i have had the tank running since last september and i have never had a problem.... maybe its because i have so many sps frags in such a small volume of water.... does this sound right? i have about 24 sps frags in my tank...

 

[AcanLord]

With so many SPS in your tank, I would suggest adding a calcium reactor, if this is in the budget. Otherwise, you will be constantly chasing after Alk every 2-3 days. Also, important to check your Mg level.

 

[Wiskey]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7803332#post7803332 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nemofish2217
i guess i just didnt realize that i was using up so much alk so fast.... i mean, i have had the tank running since last september and i have never had a problem.... maybe its because i have so many sps frags in such a small volume of water.... does this sound right? i have about 24 sps frags in my tank...

It also gets used slower at lower levels, and everything almost stops at 6 Dkh .

Once you get it where you need it, find out how much your tank uses per day and add that daily.

SPS arent the only thing that use alk,... Bacteria need it too, Do you have a DSB?

Whiskey

 

[Ewan]

How old is your alk test kit?

I would seriously recommend purchasing a Mg test kit, as well as checking your alk with another salifert test kit. (they're only $11). BEFORE adding more and more baking soda.

Also, what is your daily consumption of alk? It's imperative to know the demands of your system before buffering. Otherwise you're only promoting instability.

jm$.02

E.

 

[Horace]

My advice is to get a regular dosing regiment, be it calcium reactor, Kalk, 2-part w/ a dosing pump...WHATEVER. You NEED to figure out your daily usage and calcualate the amount needed to maintain that level. What it sounds like to me is you need to add much extra to get you to your desired level (just add more than needed over a few days like you were doing) and once you get to your desired level, THEN use the calculator to determine what your daily dose is based upon your daily usage. This is VITAL...wait a sec... let me say that again THIS IS VITAL to an SPS tank. If you dont get this right, your SPS will not be kind to you....

 

[Horace]

Oh and one other note... if your tank is 100% Seachem Reefsalt, you need to run your alk about 1.23 dkh higher than the test kit reads, otherwise your carbonate alk is lower than the kit reads because of the excess borate in the salt...

So if your alk was 6.0, your "adjusted" alk was only 4.77 which is MUCH too low.... I would advise you run your alk ~9.5 - 10.0 dkh with this salt.