Dropped my alkalinity with rowaphos - How fast to correct?

[JayinToronto]

I changed my rowaphos this morning. By the evening my dkh had dropped from it's rock stable 8.3 level to 7.3. Also, the normal day time pH swing from 8 to 8.2 didn't happen. It stayed around 8.05 all throughout the time the lights were on and is now in it's nightly free-fall.

I'm assuming from my reading that the drop in dkh is due to the carbonate combining with the Fe compounds and precipitating out.

I dose 2 part b-ionic solution daily using an apex dosing system.

My question is as follows:
How quickly should I correct this alkalinity drop? Should I get after it right away before it drops any further and just add the amount I know from past experiences to raise the dkh by 1 or should I go slowly over the course of a week or so. I'm currently sitting at a pH of 7.99 (apex) and am afraid to let the normal night drop take place as this would result in a morning pH of around 7.8 (the aquarium hasn't been below 8.0 in months).

Any an all advice is greatly appreciated!

-Jay

 

[bertoni]

I'd probably use a couple of doses a day apart to raise the alkalinity back to 8.3 dKH, but dosing all at once likely is fine, if you're very sure of the dose.

 

[JayinToronto]

Thanks for advice Jon.
As per your instructions I dosed half the amount of alk last night (before, 250mls of b-ionic increased my alk from 7.3-8.3, so I dosed 120mls last night).
Today my dKH was back up to 8.3 and my pH has pretty much returned to it's normal swing. I'll be keeping an eye on things closely over the course of the week.

 

[bertoni]

You're welcome. I'm glad that the tank is doing well.