SPS Problems With High Alk - Why?
- Thread starter jda
- Start date
tdb320reef
Active member
Thats a good question because early on my tank has been up to 9.5 & 10 with biopellets and I didn't see any issues. The Idea, as I have read, is that as you get lower in nutrients you optimize your parameters to NSW averages.
I had a guy come over and bring a frag and I tested his water and ca read over 500, alk 8.6 and he had great color and progression shots over the lat two years. I also tested water that I got from Jcopps and his alk was > 9 but phos were also .16.
I am settling at 9 as my n consistently reads undetectable.
I had a guy come over and bring a frag and I tested his water and ca read over 500, alk 8.6 and he had great color and progression shots over the lat two years. I also tested water that I got from Jcopps and his alk was > 9 but phos were also .16.
I am settling at 9 as my n consistently reads undetectable.
Alex T.
Active member
This may be why your SPS get mad. I run my alkalinity between 9 and 10.5 with no issues, and my best colors come when nitrates are between 5 and 10, with po4 as high as .1
People who don't feed a lot or run a ulns system seem to get best results with alkalinity under 8, while those that run more nutrient rich systems appear to get better colors and growth with a higher alkalinity and increased photoperiods.
Peter Eichler
New member
Whatever it is I feel it's related to nitrogen. Since dosing small amounts of sodium and potassium nitrate I've tested to see if the negative reactions to alkalinity at 9 or above were still happening... No burnt tips, no messenterial filaments or other stress reactions.
watchguy123
New member
So you are adding nitrates, typically those adding nitrates do so because they have detectable phosphates but no nitrates. Is that what you perceive is going on, a mismatch of a nitrate to phosphate ratio of some sort
I had the same thoughts about adding nitrate, but nothing beyond the anecdotal.
I have no interest in keeping my nitrates at 5 or 10, but it would not matter if I did... the tank eats 'em up with no issues.
Here is what is killing me... I totally get it if you are stripping nutrients really clean with carbon. However, I have never used any biopellets or any other carbon source and none of this seemed to matter years ago... I could to with 9-10 dKh with no issues. I wonder if the newer salts (have been using Tropic Marin Pro Reef and Salinity lately) have carbon in them. I might switch back to IO just to check.
I have no interest in keeping my nitrates at 5 or 10, but it would not matter if I did... the tank eats 'em up with no issues.
Here is what is killing me... I totally get it if you are stripping nutrients really clean with carbon. However, I have never used any biopellets or any other carbon source and none of this seemed to matter years ago... I could to with 9-10 dKh with no issues. I wonder if the newer salts (have been using Tropic Marin Pro Reef and Salinity lately) have carbon in them. I might switch back to IO just to check.
animalkingdom
New member
well first off if you want your nutrients to increase feed more 
but on to your question my hypothesis is with a lot of nutrients the corals are fat and happy and can tolerate things outside NSW levels without a problem. As you nutrient limit corals they become frail and areas with high growth tend to show issues first. High growth is at the tips...associated with burt tips and also at the base (encrusting growth is fast too)...associated with STN
but on to your question my hypothesis is with a lot of nutrients the corals are fat and happy and can tolerate things outside NSW levels without a problem. As you nutrient limit corals they become frail and areas with high growth tend to show issues first. High growth is at the tips...associated with burt tips and also at the base (encrusting growth is fast too)...associated with STN
Allmost
New member
this is about low nutrient cases. so by dosing "nutrients" you go out of the "low nutrient" zone ... and problem goes away
Interesting. I always assumed that the tissue formed first and then the caco3.... but what do I know?
If this hypothesis is true, then the ocean (and us) are making the alk the limiting ingredient and not the P. The SPS appear better able to self regulate this way and not able to control themselves growing when P is the limiting factor... they grow out of their skin if we don't limit the alk.
This makes a bit of sense since I have seen some tremendous growth with alk as high as 12, but there must have been more P around if this supposition is right. The coral is happy to use more alk as long as the skin can grow too.
This is the best that I have heard, thanks, although I still need to find out why I show ultra low symptoms without any carbon dosing... I am still leaning towards carbon in the salt mix.
If this hypothesis is true, then the ocean (and us) are making the alk the limiting ingredient and not the P. The SPS appear better able to self regulate this way and not able to control themselves growing when P is the limiting factor... they grow out of their skin if we don't limit the alk.
This makes a bit of sense since I have seen some tremendous growth with alk as high as 12, but there must have been more P around if this supposition is right. The coral is happy to use more alk as long as the skin can grow too.
This is the best that I have heard, thanks, although I still need to find out why I show ultra low symptoms without any carbon dosing... I am still leaning towards carbon in the salt mix.
Allmost
New member
thats just what I think / the best explanation I could come up with, unfortunately dont have proof for it so pls take it just a hypothesis.
also, lower CA++, just below 400 makes the SPS look better in low low nutrient cases also ! that one I have no Idea why
TMPR doesnt have any organic carbon in it, the bio actif one does though. I am not sure of the other brand you mentioned .
also, lower CA++, just below 400 makes the SPS look better in low low nutrient cases also ! that one I have no Idea why
TMPR doesnt have any organic carbon in it, the bio actif one does though. I am not sure of the other brand you mentioned .
Peter Eichler
New member
this is about low nutrient cases. so by dosing "nutrients" you go out of the "low nutrient" zone ... and problem goes away
"Nutrient" is a pretty broad spectrum, these issues people are having I feel are specifically related to available nitrogen.
JDA, I don't carbon dose, but I have an over sized skimmer and have always struggled to have detectable nitrates.
Peter Eichler
New member
GFO takes care of PO4 for me. Even with carbon dosing, any decently stocked aquarium where the fish are fed regularly will have a build-up of PO4. The only exceptions might be some tanks with extreme forms of a algae filtration.
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Allmost
New member
I dont know about this, I dose carbon [Zeovit] and dont run po4 remover.
but yea each tank and each reefing technique is different ...
about nutrients ... I dont think so ... you feel that way cause nitrogen is probably the limiting factor in your tank. thats not the case with every tank. remember corals do use some phosphate to make tissue and their DNA and ...
jackson6745
Yeah Yeah
powder_blue
New member
After many years of running my tanks around 8 I now keep them at 9-10 and have had the stability I was always chasing and growth and coloration have never been better. Last test my nitrates were .5 (Elos) and phosphate were .027 (Hannah ulr). One of the most amazing stores I ever been in had tanks full of Sps and when asked his secret he said he keeps alk at 11-12. No reactors just a bag of carbon. Just didn't have the stones to keep alk that high.
High alk used to be the recommended approach.
