alkalinity swings after adding new mini colonies..

[SApicoreef]

added 7 mini colonies yesterday and my alkalinity is pretty stable at 7.4~7.5 and tested this morning and it was 9...tested 3 times with the red sea test and the same result each time


any ideas on what caused it....

 

[premilove]

What time did you test? I read somewhere that you should do alk tests two hours after your lights turn on and two hours before they turn off.. I don't see how your alk would increase.

 

[SApicoreef]

i tested about the middle of my light cycle...

 

[Constrictor6090]

Could this have anything to do with calcium?

 

[chefzif]

you are running a low alk IMO and I would keep it up around 9! Test kit may not be accurate! Always test at the same time for accurate readings. Are you using a reactor or two part dosing?

 

[penfold2]

Natural seawater has an alkalinity of 7dKH, so 7.5 is fine. That's about where I keep mine. Assuming you have some sort of system for continuously dosing, I'd say the large coral addition added some organics, defensive compounds, etc that caused your corals to temporarily slow their growth. The continual dosing simply added more KH/Ca that wasn't being used. You could try running some carbon, but I imagine things will pick up soon as the new organic input is processed.

 

[SApicoreef]

fixed this problem and found out actually what happened. I was cleaning my dosing containers that day along with the doser and I forgot that I still had all the solution in the tubing and i dumped that all into the tank... had some RTN and lost one of the new colonies but all have to date recovered and are doing well now

 

[trueblackpercula]

What were the mini colonies attached to?

 

[SApicoreef]

aragonite frag disks

 

[fishmate]

generally alk/calcium/pH are all intertwined

if one is off, all are out of balance

be sure and check the others to see. but I believe the best way to correct them all is to do water changes

 

[shih87]

fixed this problem and found out actually what happened. I was cleaning my dosing containers that day along with the doser and I forgot that I still had all the solution in the tubing and i dumped that all into the tank... had some RTN and lost one of the new colonies but all have to date recovered and are doing well now

Good to know you figure it out. It happen to many reefers include myself that at one time we absolutely sure A is the only change made, then realize also did B which actually the culprit of what happen