Low dKH =bad color/poor polyp extension?
- Thread starter galleon
- Start date
karsseboom
New member
No it dose not, stability of dkh has an impact on Health.
Alex T.
Active member
Is this in response to my post? I never said anything about stability at all. In fact, I don't think the OP said anything regarding stability...only if low alkalinity effected color and polyp extension.
karsseboom
New member
To answer his question...no low alk does not effect polyp extension or color. I was not referring to what you posted. I was making a general statement.
6.5-12 is an accepted range of success.
xenon
Owner of Canada Corals
Higher alk = faster growth. That's normal.
In ultra low nutrient systems, alk above 8.0 will burn sps tips.
Allmost
New member
other way around
remember, our corals come from the ocean,so many Reefers, keep their alk higher than normal, in order to give them more room for mistake so the alk can fall more before causing ISsues.
In my system, when alk is low, corals do not take up as much nutritions as they normally would, which means the net nutrition in water is higher, which in turn makes corals loose their glow. that's how Itell when it is low, and of course, burned tips for high alk.
PE.... I am not sure, I always link that with pottasium ...
karsseboom
New member
Another thing to point out is polyp extension is not an indication of a healthy Sps.
blackthunda77
New member
I dont think low dkh results in poor color and lack of polyp extension, just slow growth.
For me when i usually get browned out corals or no polyps extension its usually high nitrates or phosphates or pests like red bugs or flat worms.
For me when i usually get browned out corals or no polyps extension its usually high nitrates or phosphates or pests like red bugs or flat worms.
Acronic
The Fifth Master
I dont necessarily agree with that. In some tanks that seems to be normal but ive run a set up that had much better results at 6.5dkh where anything more than 7.5 yielded bad results. Much of that may depend on the test kit though and ive used a few different brands.
karsseboom
New member
False higher alk does not mean faster growth.
xenon
Owner of Canada Corals
I should have added more detail
Faster growth requires more than just higher alk.
You also need higher calcium and magnesium in a balance and also slightly higher PO4/NO3 because when nutrients are too low, you will get tip burn.
That is why you noticed negative results with higher alk. You phosphates and nitrates were too low for optimum growth.
Unfortunately you need to give up coloration if you want faster growth.
Alex T.
Active member
Actually, Randy has already written an article showing that higher alkalinity actually does increase calcification/growth. I recall him mentioning in the Chemistry forum a few times that this is MO for many frag farmers looking to boost growth.
To quote Randy...
"Unlike the calcium concentration, it is widely believed that certain organisms calcify more quickly at alkalinity levels higher than those in normal seawater. This result has also been demonstrated in the scientific literature, which says that the uptake of bicarbonate can apparently become rate-limiting in the growth of some corals."
The entire article can be found here:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/rhf/index.php#4
karsseboom
New member
Well can't argue with randy but I just don't see how raising your alk would increase growth. I have ran a few different Sps tanks with different methods, running alk high and low and never saw an increase in growth that I could attribute to higher alk.
I would also like to note that some of the most amazing, fastest growing Sps tank in the world are running there alk at 7.
reefsurfing
New member
If you have high alk and your other parameters aren't in balance to support that elevated level it will percipitate out in one way or another. Randy would explain it much better than I ever could. Its like running with a lower set of parameters all around as the excess turn into an unusable form that the corals cant absorb.
