Honestly, whats your SPS tanks ALK.

[AWExotics]

My systems at times have been as high as 15 and as low as 6. I try to keep it around 10. I ran one system at 12 + and had a few tri colors color so incredibly.

Within reasonable levels I think there is a more major concern with extrem changes rather than your actual number. I raise and lower alk slowly if I ever need to adjust it.

 

[gasman059]

9-11.5 fluctuation

 

[rutz81]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9406010#post9406010 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by AWExotics
My systems at times have been as high as 15 and as low as 6. I try to keep it around 10. I ran one system at 12 + and had a few tri colors color so incredibly.

Within reasonable levels I think there is a more major concern with extrem changes rather than your actual number. I raise and lower alk slowly if I ever need to adjust it.

How do you lower alk?

 

[AWExotics]

Add Calcium, water changes are the two methods for me. It makes it a slow process which is important, IMO

 

[MammothReefer]

I must amend, my alk is 8.6 not 9.6 either I fixed it or I did my test wrong

 

[PrangeWay]

140ppm or 7.8 dkh - using Lamotte test kit accurate to 4ppm or .2 dkh

It's just about rock solid there with dosing pump dosing alk 2 part every 2 hours.


PW

 

[Corn]

8-10

 

[my2girls]

7.4-7.7 for me using Salifert.

 

[stony_corals]

7 using salifert. I try to stay in NSW range.

 

[j.prostrata]

7.5-7.7 dKH using salifert, Ca 400-410, Mg 1250-1300, salinity 1.026 or roughly 35ppt temp 77-79F.

 

[Nitroq2]

Mine is around 9, is there another thread like this for Ca, I tried to scan but had no results. Also one for Mg would be nice.

 

[eskymick]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9405075#post9405075 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by REEF-DADDY
Not at all unless I do a water change with high alk IO!

What is it with that? Is that typical? I mixed up some IO the other day and the Alk measured (Salifert) right at the top of the scale ???

 

[stony_corals]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9410227#post9410227 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by eskymick
What is it with that? Is that typical? I mixed up some IO the other day and the Alk measured (Salifert) right at the top of the scale ???

IO's alk, when I've used it is around 10 dKH. THough I've been hearing some people have been finding it much higher...

 

[Horace]

I know I am going to get thrashed for saying this, but Im not a fan of IO salt in a reef tank... the parameters are just too far off of NSW levels of all the most important elements (Kh, Ca, Mg). IMO its better to use a salt that doesnt require additions of Mg/Ca, and also doesnt spike your Kh if you do a large water change, but hey who am I to tell you what salt to use

 

[matt the fiddler]

horace, what salt do you use?


i am tweaking my ca reactor to keep it from cloggin.. but 9 is where it has been recently

 

[tatoofr]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9410182#post9410182 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by j.prostrata
7.5-7.7 dKH using salifert, Ca 400-410, Mg 1250-1300, salinity 1.026 or roughly 35ppt temp 77-79F.

Thanks for posting your Ca, Mg, salinty, and temp.
I wish more people would have .

 

[old salty]

My alkalinity is about 4 to 5 dKH when using an Elos test kit. This would seem like it's low, but Marine Environment uses a different type of buffering method. Sounds crazy, but my SPS corals are very rich in color and are growing quite well.

 

[delv]

What are the actual parameters of salt in Carribean/Indo Pac.?
I've read a few conflicting things...especially KH/Ca.

d.

 

[manderx]

my tank only sings when i keep it up at 11-12. growth, color and coralline are absent at anything less. my coralline dissolves and flakes off the glass within days when it drops below ~9. i recently went 8 months at 8 just to see and everything was blah by my standards. back up to 12 and everything is happy again with daily growth on many of my sps. i wonder if it's really the alk itself or some other limiting element/nutrient/factor that just so happens to be dosed along with the alk.

on the flip side, i have a friend that i help out who's tank is always 5-6 when i test for him. and he has amazing coralline, euphyllia growth and growth on his one acro. he does no supplementation or testing, other than a stupid little passive kalk reactor i made him and when i test every couple months when he's out of town and i care for his tank. that's usually the only time the kalk gets refilled too. and he hasn't done a waterchange in well over a year.

 

[FSOL]

How do you guys measure alk to the nearest 1/10th of dkh? What test kit do you use?

Anyways, I'm having problems keeping mine up, and lately is dropping to 6dkh. I've now taken action to raise it about 1dkh per day and try to keep it at above 8dkh by running my Ca reactor more aggressively and by dripping a concentrated topoff solution.