What are the "tell-tale" signs that Alk is too high

[TA]

What kind of "signs" would I expect to see if alkalinity levels are on the high side?

Mainly interested in effects on SPS, but there may be other signs unrelated to sps as well...such as an effect on coraline growth (if there would be at all). My alk has always been on the "high" side (two different Alk kits...one Salifert...both consistently suggest a dKH around 12).

Don't want to bias you with what I am seeing, but I suspect that long term high alk may be taking a toll (although alk is high, it is stable).

TIA

 

[drake66]

Why don't you lower it? I keep mine at 7-8dKH everything is cherry

 

[TA]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6840261#post6840261 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by drake66
Why don't you lower it? I keep mine at 7-8dKH everything is cherry

Thats a separate issue.
One at a time, please!

 

[dymaxiun]

What do you supplement with to get that high of ALK?

What are you CA, and Mg Levels?

If you know it's high, and high is bad you should lower it. Not sure what you are asking....

If i would suggest something I'd suggest lowering it with some waterchanges...

 

[TA]

No supplement...just running an MRC Ca-Reactor

Alk 12
Ca 420 (salifert)
Mg 1320 (salifert)

I am experiencing some "issues" in my tank...I'm wondering if they could be related to my alk levels...I've read alk in this range is OK (so not too high?), but rapid changes (high or low too fast) are bad (thats why I said 'stable').

So....I know it would be "healthier" to get them lower...but, the question is...

"What kind of "signs" would I expect to see if alkalinity levels are on the high side?"

some examples of what I am asking:

Elevated Alk levels will lead to....
Fast growing SPS
great polyp extension
faster coral encrusting
super coraline growth
SPS reproducing like rabbits
outrageous sps colors
unbelievable branching.

Of course I don't believe any one of them, just asking what one might expect to see, if anything at all at elevated alk levels.

 

[minimalist]

Just tested my Alk for the first time in my two month old tank. 11dKH. Nothing but 10% weekly water changes with RO/DI and Reef Crystals. I'm interested in this too.

 

[Kinetic]

I'm very confused too, you're asking what is a sign that ALK is too high? yet you have test kits that's telling you ALK is too high... what else do you need?

 

[samsfishnchips]

TA,

first of all, alk at 12dKH is not considered too high to many, why?
because many run them at that level and they don't have problems, thus those people consider it ok

our in house great guy/chemist randy suggest a range of 7-11dKH

on the other hand some have suggested or observe that they had more chances of corals bleaching when running 12+ as opposite to a value close to natural levels of a "typical surface ocean value" of 7dKH, based on randy article...

so lets see,

What are the "tell-tale" signs that Alk is too high

A.some have suggest that if you start to lost some pieces, thats a sing

B.it has found that higher than normal alk leads to "super coraline growth", thats why many run their setup at or a bit below sea level, 7, to reduce coraline growth,

C. others use different techniques to get a warning of parameters like the use of xenia, extra sensitive corals, ect...

but you must understand that at the end, only a good test kit will tell you a correct value, and the rest, are only personal observations which a connect to so many variables that its just not feasible to determine what lead to what, good luck on your research,

Just my opinion...

sam

 

[jnb]

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[MiddletonMark]

I don't know of any positive factor to running Alk over 9-10 dKh ... so I don't.

More does not mean that corals will use more.
You could put a 50# steak in front of me every night ... and I can only eat 1#. IMO, this is a similar thing. When the corals have all they need - IMO why more?

I guess I've never seen any agreed-upon `positive' from Alk significantly above NSW ... so I guess I wonder at why.

Some folks feel Alk above 10 dKh often is associated with more RTN/STN, is often associated with more precipitate on everything.

IMO, I guess there's more benefits than costs.

 

[clkwrk]

I used to run 9-10 and towards 11 at the end of my high alk and high ca running times. I had more stn issues when I was running high levels and in no way saw any difference. No I have been stable at a range between 7-8 dkh for a while now and again notice that my corals grow just as well if not better towards NSW levels. I also have no more stn cases and I even had my alk drop to 6.2 dkh and nothing reacted negative. I actually had more polyp extentin than normal .

The main difference I notice was it is easier to maintain near NSW levels than it is to maintain way elevated levels.

JMO &JME

 

[Caillou]

Not to jump on your thread but what do you use to lower your ALK. I just did my first KH/ALK (salifert) and got a 9.9 which I know is in the acceptable range but for mine and others who may not know, just curious

 

[minimalist]

I would like to know too.

 

[Frankysreef]

tagging along... when I added my calc reactor my alk stays around 11, calc at 420+

Recently my gas ran out... and my media was low, and my calc dropped to 350... then I had a few little problems... some brown out happened...

bought more gas added media, and everything started going back to normal...

I also started dripping calc again, and I think that attributed to higher colors.

 

[clkwrk]

IMO no matter what level you keep it at stability is the key . A large drop in a short period will affect corals .Nomatter if you run high or low .

 

[tstone]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6840347#post6840347 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dymaxiun
If i would suggest something I'd suggest lowering it with some waterchanges...

 

[AlgaeMan]

High alk can contribute to stn and rtn. Some also say corals color up better raising it to 10-12 dkh. The higher the levels the higher risk of coral stress.

 

[TA]

Some useful comments...:smokin:
...and some not. :lol:

Either way...appreciate the input.

Edit: a few of you already mentioned my "main" concern (stn), but thats not the whole story nor the only issue (won't get into what I already ruled out...ex. lighting, flow, nutrients RB, AEFW, water changes, salt, salinity, stability, temp...and on and on and on.... ). Not that its all bad, just....unacceptable.

So now I need to get my alk down...slowly...and watch.:eek1:

Thanks again.

 

[jsweir]

If you find a cure for high alk, please share it. I have a dkh of 11 - 12 continuously. I have tried water changes and adding CaCl to try to upset the balance. My Ca runs around 420 and Mg at 1350. I only dose kalk 24/7 no Ca reactor. I found that when I ditched the sand bed, it went up a few points...

 

[wakefreak33]

I have a very recent episode with this same problem. I had a low pH issue so I started dosing kalk strictly to raise pH. I continued dosing kalk at higher levels because my pH was not changing. I thought my controller was messed up so I recalibrated my probe three times with no effect. Finally I noticed water in my probe, so I decided to do a manual test of pH, 8.5 so my probe is the problem. In my attempt to raise my pH, my kalk climbed from the 7-8 range it has been at for months up to 12-13. This has been going on for the last 2 weeks. I now have three corals slowly STNing from the base, in the last week. Nothing else has been changed to the water except the alk and maybe the pH, dont know because I never took a manual reading before. I would attribute the STN to the higher alk, but it could just be from the change.