what is the ideal alkalinity level?
- Thread starter rehnberg
- Start date
We are trying to replicate natural sea water, however the rate of consumption vs replenishment is much different in captivity because of the volume of water that we are caring for. Basically our corals/inverts/calcareous algaes are using both calcium and alkalinity at a rate that we try very hard to stabilize and maintain through the use of supplements/ca/kalk reactors in captivity. The ocean doesnt have this problem. Calcium and alkalinity are constant because of the billions of gallons of water that is being turned over constantly. Therefore if you keep your alk a little higher, it is easier to absorb some of the swings that occur in our captive environments, and is therefore less stressful on your creatures. They key is stability. If you are happy with the growth of your animals keeping your alk between 7-8, then that is fine! It is after all a big science experiment.
Keeping your alk higher will also help to precipitate phosphates out of solution, and phosphates are one of the biggest contributors to nuisance algae problems that you can eliminate.
Cheers~!
Jon
Keeping your alk higher will also help to precipitate phosphates out of solution, and phosphates are one of the biggest contributors to nuisance algae problems that you can eliminate.
Cheers~!
Jon
Dave & Monica
New member
Speaking of the experiment (btw thanks jonthefb for that info)- I had raised my alk to 10-11 (slowly over 3 weeks) and through a period of a few months decided to go back down to 8 since my LPS and softies didn't seem to open up as much, grow, and seem happy. SPS corals appeared to be the same. After going back down, everything seemed to be.. well, happy. Just my 2 cents and I know I didn't provide any analytical flash of brilliance here, but over time, you know when things don't appear to be normal, although all the tests are in range. Happy reefing.
