ALK will STILL not go up!

J

joemelo

New member
I am definitely getting my redsea test kit checked with something else. No matter what my alk will NOT go up.
my calcium is at 420 and mag is at 1270

I am still using limewater in my top off after a month and recently started to use randy's recipe. I used a 500ml box of arm and hammer in 2 gallons of water and used the calculator to see how much i should start to dose to bring it.

it said to bring alk from 6.7 to 8dkh I should use roughly 500ml of randy's mix.

i did that yesterday. nothing today.
I also switched from redsea salt to seachem aquavitro. I checked a fresh mix at 10 dkh. did a 10% wc with not change in alk either...
any ideas of what's going on?

how long do i have to dose to see results. I'd think I would see something in 3 or 4 days. my test kit keeps resulting in 6.7-7 dkh
 
What is you coral load, etc? With that said looking at your numbers your mg is slightly low, not hughly, but a little. Try getting Mg upto arounf 1320, and see if that helps. Second, goto your lfs and have them check to make sure yoiur test kit is ok.

Dosing is not a one time thing. It becomes a daily tast as yuor corals use up the supply. Test daily for a few days in a row to find out how much your tank is consuming, not just for doing a one time correction. The start daily dosing or twice daily dosing till you can maintain a constant alk value. Many heavy sps tanks consume 1 to 2 dkh per day, even with kalkwater. With a large system that may mean your tank needs 250 mls per day just to keep the alk up.
 
I have a heavy lps load with many big show sized pieces

lfs around here are useless. mag has nothing to do with it. I've already been told it's fine by multiple members on here. tanks of the month sometimes have lower mag than mine. thanks for your advice though


For those who will notice my post know i've been working on this for over 3 weeks now. i've been testing every day. I've had this kit double checked with a salifert and nothing is different.

I know I need about 200ml of alk daily, plus limewater just to keep stable... but I still need to raise it up and beyond depletion just to get it to stay there.

I know their is a dose that I could use of something to raise my alk atleast a point to get it up where I can keep it stable... Randy, bertoni?>
 
A tank can consume 2-3 dKH per day. I'd add the 500 ml of supplement, and measure the level in about 10 minutes. If the level rises appropriately, I'd say the tank needs more supplement per day, given what you've said. As the dKH in the tank rises, the corals likely are going to consume more, so the old dose might not be enough.

A second opinion on the alkalinity test kit might be a good safety measure.
 
Of your levels are not raising then that is what your tank in consuming on a daily basis. Yor gonna need to add more to get your alk up.
 
Thanks randy. Bertoni said that too. I will check my alk after 15 and check it another 12 hours later. that way I can see how much is being depleted.
 
hey guys,
I think I figured it out.
My alk was 6.7 yesterday when I posted this.
I added 500ml of randy's 2 part... didn't check though. I checked today when I got home from work i was at 7.1

I added 500ml more of alk checked 20minutes later. I was at 8.4.

So basically I can check tomorrow and if I'm at 7.1 again. I use almost 1.5dkh daily. Correct?

My question is. How can I get it upto 10dkh to stay there. Should I add an extra 100ml of alk daily to bring it up and then drop my dose back down once I get it where I want it?

Also If I use 1.5 dkh daily and I can only add it once a day, is that swing of alk going to be okay?

I will definitely look into a doser pump. any recommendations on a pump that will dose that much? I have a reef filler currently dosing my limewater. It has an open dosing pump because it has two but I don't believe there is a way to accurately set something like that.

do they make pumps where you can set a dial or punch in 500ml for example and it does it? haven't really looked into pumps before
 
Haha. Yeah that wasn't nice of Randy. I'm sure he lost track since you two are busy saving all of us from the wonders of reef chemistry aha

You think my theory is leading somewhere bertoni?
 
Yes, if the alkalinity is at 7.1 dKH tomorrow (assuming you test at the same time of day), the tank is consuming on the order of 1.5 dKH per day. To raise the level, I'd start by adding an extra 100 ml to the dose and watch what happens.
 
I think that if the alkalinity is at 7.1 dKH tomorrow (assuming you test at the same time of day), the tank is consuming on the order of 1.5 dKH per day. To raise the level, I'd start by adding an extra 100 ml to the dose and watch what happens. :D
 
Lol........@ Randy.

@ joemelo

If you want pm me your email and I will send you a spreadsheet that you can use to track and calculate all sorts of stuff. Best part it handles all the math for ya....

I use it daily and it has increased my ability to track issues and correct them almost instantly...
 
joemelo said:
hey guys,
I think I figured it out.
My alk was 6.7 yesterday when I posted this.
I added 500ml of randy's 2 part... didn't check though. I checked today when I got home from work i was at 7.1

I added 500ml more of alk checked 20minutes later. I was at 8.4.

So basically I can check tomorrow and if I'm at 7.1 again. I use almost 1.5dkh daily. Correct?

My question is. How can I get it upto 10dkh to stay there. Should I add an extra 100ml of alk daily to bring it up and then drop my dose back down once I get it where I want it?

Also If I use 1.5 dkh daily and I can only add it once a day, is that swing of alk going to be okay?

I will definitely look into a doser pump. any recommendations on a pump that will dose that much? I have a reef filler currently dosing my limewater. It has an open dosing pump because it has two but I don't believe there is a way to accurately set something like that.

do they make pumps where you can set a dial or punch in 500ml for example and it does it? haven't really looked into pumps before
Click to expand...


Bulk reef supply has nice dosing pumps, 1 is 1.1ml/min and the other is 50ml/min. you can just put them on a regular timer or hook them to a controller. theyre on sale right now.
 
Rploaded- thanks but I use. Calculator I found on randys recipe page

Tommy - thanks for the heads up.

Randy or bertoni- I can't get pickling lime in Canada without having it mailed here. What else can I use for lime in my top off. Obviously I'm dosing alk now so I'm not using it for that. just looking to keep my ph stabilized. And currently maintaining calcium.
 
joemelo said:
Rploaded- thanks but I use. Calculator I found on randys recipe page
Click to expand...

I might have mis-spoken earlier.

What I have made is a daily tracking sheet for writing down what I get from tests kits. The only thing is calculates automatically is the difference between yesterday and todays readings.


I use Randy's calculator also, this is different.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

R
dosing question
Replies
1
Views
134
kharmaguru
kharmaguru
R
How is my chemistry looking?
Replies
2
Views
250
ReefKG
ReefKG
H
Alkalinity/Calcium Balance
Replies
1
Views
2K
griss
griss
R
hanna checkers
Replies
16
Views
366
wvned
wvned
Broken reefer
Alk and cal
Replies
10
Views
2K
Broken reefer
Broken reefer
Back
Top