When do SPS corals use ALK and CA?
- Thread starter mic209
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klepto
New member
It has been well documented that corals grow faster during the day. This has to do with ATP availability and the pH in the coral's tissue (which is higher during the day because zooxanthellae are taking up more CO2).
More good info on the subject: http://www.coralscience.org/main/articles/biochemistry-2/how-reefs-grow
I agree that is ideal to keep parameters as stable as possible. Every tank has a different consumption rate and rarely is it fixed, so testing regularly is key in my opinion.
Some aquarists prefer to dose at night, to mitigate the pH shift that will naturally occur. Personally, I dose even amounts throughout the day.
Allmost
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rogerwilco357
Active member
I do the alk dosing at lights out over nite and calcium during the lights on hours so they can mix well through out the day also dosing alk at nite helps keep the ph within parameters if i dose in the day the ph goes beyond the 8.20 i like
bigchris7226
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I too dose Ca during the day & Alk at night-seems to work well for my tank.
MCsaxmaster
New member
Good stuff
Indeed, coral calcification rate are usually quite a bit higher in the light (on average 2-3x higher, but it varies a lot) than in the dark. Energy availability (mostly coming in the form of glycerol from the zooxanthellae which, like all energy sources, is transferred to ATP for cellular work) looks to be very important. While the pH effects of photosynthesis (i.e., photosynthesis of the zooxanthellae within the corals that is) have long been hypothesized to be important for inducing light-enhanced calcification, the latest research doesn't support this hypothesis. However, the oxygen produced during photosynthesis looks like it is very important. The picture emerging from several studies done over the last couple of years is that photosynthesis enhances calcification primarily or entirely by providing two raw materials that are needed for calcifiation: energy, mostly as glycerol (i.e., sugar water) and high concentrations of O2. These two resources support the metabolically expensive process of calcification. It doesn't look like the pH effects of photosynthesis of the zooxanthellae are very important, if important at all. pH effects of photosynthesis on bulk sea water, meaning higher seawater pH, however, does tend to enhance calcifiation rates.
cj
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