NEED ADVICE - Alkalinity Problem
- Thread starter Meaty24
- Start date
jansenwrasse
New member
How are you testing (what kits) and what are the other parameters? What salt are you using? I am also guessing it is dKh?
little more info is needed
little more info is needed
downhillbiker
New member
i had the same problem and was dosing kalk. you can just quit dosing kalk until it lowers to what you want, then use a calcium buffer to raise calcium to where you want it, then start dosing kalk again. your corals will use up the calcium carbonate and lower the dKH and the calcium at the same time.
i took my tank about a week to go from 14 to 11 dKH. calcium went from 500 to 440, i buffered calcium to 480 and now dose with kalk to maintain 11 dKH and 480 calcium.
i took my tank about a week to go from 14 to 11 dKH. calcium went from 500 to 440, i buffered calcium to 480 and now dose with kalk to maintain 11 dKH and 480 calcium.
jansenwrasse
New member
NSW is in the range of 8 to 10 dKh.
downhillbiker
New member
the range stated in eric borneman's book on corals is 8-12 dKH. i talk with many people who prop. corals and they keep their tanks in the higher end of the spectrum. i was worried about mine when it was around 14-15 and both eric borneman and randy holmes-farley said that it wasnt as big of an issue as i thought it was. i keep mine around 11 and also keep my calcium a little on the high side, but this gives my corals the best potential for growth. as long as the calcium carbonate isn't precipitating, then i want the higher levels.
BTW>>>why do you dose iodine? That has been studied and shown to be useless in the marine aquarium. All it has done for me is turn my flame angel a really dark nasty brown, which he is now lightening back up.
You dont buffer alk? Do you test for it? Your corals depleat the dKH proportionately to the calcium, so if you dose calcium and the corals are using it, they are using dKH too.
seapug
Premium Member
Just have to ask-- are you being very careful when you do the test? I found that when I knew my alk was in a certain range, I would add 5 or 6 drops all at once then do one at a time when I neared the number where I thought it would be, and I kept getting readings of 15-18 dkh. When I slowed down and did it carefully, I got a result of 10 dkh.
If you haven't done it yet, try doing another test, but be sure to add the drops one at a time and mix between each one. You might get a much different result.
I only mention this because I know how sloppy I can be at times-- I hate test kits.
If you haven't done it yet, try doing another test, but be sure to add the drops one at a time and mix between each one. You might get a much different result.
I only mention this because I know how sloppy I can be at times-- I hate test kits.
downhillbiker
New member
get rid of the iodine in your regiment, and retest your alk as suggested by seapug. you have to do this 1 drop at a time and shake it up each time. your alk shouldn't stay off the charts like that because it should be used up by corals. i dont think alk can kill fish, but i suppose there is always a possibility of shock and stress.
downhillbiker
New member
Because Iodine, you're correct is present in the natural reef, but has been proven to have no major, or really minor benifit to the reef aquarium, besides dipping corals for diseases. Iodine has not shown to increase growth, help with xenia helth, soft coral health, anemone health, ect. as many people believe including me, and I dropped Iodine 3 months ago, and there is absolutely no difference, just continuing coral growth. xenia is bigger, anemones are bigger, softies are bigger, all polyps are extended fully, ect. just quit wasting your money.
PadresGirl
New member
I thought iodine was required for invertebrate molting?
Tennsquire
New member
Natural Sea Water
Peter Eichler
New member
Huh? Your calcium is NOT 1200. I'm guessing that's just a typo... So, what is your calcium really and what exactly are you using for calcium and buffer supplements?
