High Alkalinity - Is that the Secret to More Colorful SPS?

[that Reef Guy]

High Alkalinity - Is that the Secret to More Colorful SPS?

I keep my SPS Tank Alkalinity Low at 7.7

I do that because in the past I was told that High Alkalinity gave you More Growth while Low Alkalinity gives you Better Color and I care more about Color so I always kept the Alkalinity Low for that Reason.

My SPS are Very Healthy and Grow but most of them are Lacking Color compared to other people's SPS.

I'll get a new Acro and it will look awesome. But then by day 3 or 4 it starts to "Fade" and Loose Color. This always happens like clockwork.

I go to people's houses and see awesomely colorful SPS and wonder why mine do not look like that?

Lately I have been asking people what they keep their Alkalinity at and it seems everyone's is High at 10.5

Is that why I do not have great colors?

I trade stuff in to my LFS and within a week those Frags Color Up and Look Great.

For instance I have a Big Colony of ORA Neon Green Bird's Nest.

I will trade Frags into the LFS.

This Coral Grows Super Fast for me but the Color is a Darker not so Flattering Green.

After being in the Tank at my LFS for about a Week it "Glows" Neon Bright Green.

So I asked them what they keep their Alkalinity at?

Guess What it was 10.5 like everyone else that I ask.

This Drives me Nuts!

So I am thinking about Raising my Alkalinity to 10.5

Do you think that will solve all my problems with Color?

What are your experiences with SPS in regards to Color?

Do you have any other Tips for me?

 

[Pete polyp]

What are your nitrates? I had 0 and the colors were pathetic. I bumped it up to a trace and what a difference it made.

 

[Feathers&Frags]

I run my alkalinity between 9.5 and 10.5 and I have great color. I keep my calcium around 440-450 and my magnesium 1500-1600.

 

[reefndude]

I am also trying to raise nitrates. Hoping that helps colors improve more.
Keep my alk at around 8.1.

Alk was around 10 with poor color due to low nutrients
Colors have improved since dropping it

 

[rovster]

Alkalinity is not your problem.

 

[Diesel]

I'm sure Randy Holmes-Farley has a good answer for this but IMO it's different in each setup.
Of course across the board you need to be within acceptable #.
It's not only the ALK or CAL you got to look at, if your MAG is low the ALK and CAL consumption will be staggering too.
In a ULNS corals like the ALK# low like close to 7.5 but in a regular you might be good at 8. or 9.
You just have to find the right # for your setup.
In other news check your K # too that can have a effect on color too.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Unless you have a ULNS tank, it certainly won't hurt to boost the alkalinity to 10.5 dKH to see what the effect is in your system, but I have seen very few people observe color changes being strongly related to alkalinity levels.

Many people have very nice SPS color in the 7-8 dKH range.

Color is more often associated with zoox levels (high nutrients or organic carbon can brown out corals due to expanded zoox populations), to lighting, or to other nutritional issues (feeding amino acids and such in ULNS systems, for example).

 

[Keithcorals]

What are your nitrates? I had 0 and the colors were pathetic. I bumped it up to a trace and what a difference it made.

^^^^^ this is more than likely the problem. Light corals that color up when left at a lfs sounds like you need more nutrients. This could be because of low nitrate and or low phosphate. Feeding more is the most common recommendation then amino acids but there are a few people that just dose straight nitrate and phosphate

 

[jackson6745]

Unless you have a ULNS tank, it certainly won't hurt to boost the alkalinity to 10.5 dKH to see what the effect is in your system, but I have seen very few people observe color changes being strongly related to alkalinity levels.

Many people have very nice SPS color in the 7-8 dKH range.

Color is more often associated with zoox levels (high nutrients or organic carbon can brown out corals due to expanded zoox populations), to lighting, or to other nutritional issues (feeding amino acids and such in ULNS systems, for example).

What he said


IME, for whatever reason, ULN tanks do not tolerated higher alk levels well (stn/rtn will likely occur). In higher nutrient systems, lower alk levels leads to slow growth and base recession. Just my experience, I can't explain it

 

[joekool]

Some where in my tank thread I have a ratio chart. There is a ratio between Ca and alk. Also the dKH values you are giving are carbonate hardness. Alkalinity is meq/l though they are respectively charted with each other I prefer to use alk when talking about alk.

I keep Ca at 455 range with 4.5meq/l or 12.5 dKH.

I have great color and I think a key factor in mine is that I have 11 fish in my tank including 5 different tangs.
I also have a mixed reef so it's a fine line SPS seem to like higher levels as zoa's don't seem to like it to high.

You could certainly raise your alk levels slowly raise them and see what happens. I feel 7or 8 dKH is to low for a Ca of 450.

450 Ca is great and you are seeing coral growth but alk is a very important building block for coral so it could very well be a key factor. With out enough alk or carbonate your corals won't be as healthy or strong ad they might break easily.

You can lower your Ca and than you will be in ratio. Easiest thing to do is just raise alk. Check below for ratios
Calcium (ppm)

Alkalinity (meq/L)

360

0

-------------------

-------------------

390

1.5

400

2.0

410

2.5 (seawater)

420

3.0

430

3.5

440

4.0

450

4.5

460

5.0

-------------------

-------------------

600

12 (possible CaCO3/CO2 Reactor Effluent)

 

[that Reef Guy]

Unless you have a ULNS tank, it certainly won't hurt to boost the alkalinity to 10.5 dKH to see what the effect is in your system, but I have seen very few people observe color changes being strongly related to alkalinity levels.

Many people have very nice SPS color in the 7-8 dKH range.

Color is more often associated with zoox levels (high nutrients or organic carbon can brown out corals due to expanded zoox populations), to lighting, or to other nutritional issues (feeding amino acids and such in ULNS systems, for example).

Are you saying Dosing AcroPower is Bad for a low nutrient system?

Everyone else says it helps color up their SPS.

Also, you are saying that using Carbon is bad? Many people claim to use Carbon on this site and they do not mention any SPS problems.

 

[that Reef Guy]

^^^^^ this is more than likely the problem. Light corals that color up when left at a lfs sounds like you need more nutrients. This could be because of low nitrate and or low phosphate. Feeding more is the most common recommendation then amino acids but there are a few people that just dose straight nitrate and phosphate

That does not make any sense because the LFS has no Fish in the Coral Tanks so they are not feeding the Fish hence making Poop to Feed Corals.

Also, they do not add anything to the Water (No Coral Food, No Aminio Acids or Trace Elements, etc.).

All they do is Water Changes and add Alkalinity Buffer.

So it is definetly not because they have a dirty system and I have a clean system.

 

[that Reef Guy]

Some where in my tank thread I have a ratio chart. There is a ratio between Ca and alk. Also the dKH values you are giving are carbonate hardness. Alkalinity is meq/l though they are respectively charted with each other I prefer to use alk when talking about alk.

I keep Ca at 455 range with 4.5meq/l or 12.5 dKH.

I have great color and I think a key factor in mine is that I have 11 fish in my tank including 5 different tangs.
I also have a mixed reef so it's a fine line SPS seem to like higher levels as zoa's don't seem to like it to high.

You could certainly raise your alk levels slowly raise them and see what happens. I feel 7or 8 dKH is to low for a Ca of 450.

450 Ca is great and you are seeing coral growth but alk is a very important building block for coral so it could very well be a key factor. With out enough alk or carbonate your corals won't be as healthy or strong ad they might break easily.

You can lower your Ca and than you will be in ratio. Easiest thing to do is just raise alk. Check below for ratios
Calcium (ppm)

Alkalinity (meq/L)

360

0

-------------------

-------------------

390

1.5

400

2.0

410

2.5 (seawater)

420

3.0

430

3.5

440

4.0

450

4.5

460

5.0

-------------------


-------------------

600

12 (possible CaCO3/CO2 Reactor Effluent)

I have 7.7 Alkalinity and 445 Calcium

What Alkalinity are you saying that I should have with 445 Calcium?

 

[DFW]

Are you saying Dosing AcroPower is Bad for a low nutrient system?

Everyone else says it helps color up their SPS.

Also, you are saying that using Carbon is bad? Many people claim to use Carbon on this site and they do not mention any SPS problems.

Randy was talking about carbon dosing, not activated carbon!

 

[Lazys Coral House]

What are your nitrates? I had 0 and the colors were pathetic. I bumped it up to a trace and what a difference it made.

Same here. My nitrates were 0 and color was bad. Also had trouble keeping my phosphates low. Keep them at .02-.07 but took a lot of GFO. Starting dosing Nitrates from Brightwell and my phosphates immediately dropped and corals got more colorful. Since then have been able to stop dosing nitrates, take GFO offline. I just feed a significant amount. Phosphates have stayed low and Nitrates are now detectable with Sailfert test kit. All these years I have struggled with colorful SPS and the secret for me was raise the nitrates. I do however keep my ALK at 9.5 but I don't do any sort of carbon dosing.

 

[-Logzor]

Which product are you using to dose nitrate? I could only find nitrate reducing media.

 

[alan.reef]

I feed a lot my NO3 never raise, only po4 raise. which brightwell you are usibg lazylivin

 

[alan.reef]

Pete please share the product you are using to raise the NO3..

What are your nitrates? I had 0 and the colors were pathetic. I bumped it up to a trace and what a difference it made.

 

[Diesel]

Nitrate dosing,

Calcium Nitrate
http://www.aquariumfertilizer.com/in...ShowItemStart=

Potassium Nitrate
http://www.aquariumfertilizer.com/in...ShowItemStart=

Stump remover from Lowes, called Spectracide.
At the time I had cyano in my fragtanks and had zero NO3.
I dosed enough to raise my NO3 to between 2 to 5ppm and after a week and a half or two, have noticeable improvement.
All cyano went away never to return.
I now can keep my tank at 2 to 5ppm NO3 w/o dosing so I have stopped.
The concept behind this is called the Redfield ratio.

Or the old school method, aerobic biological filtration without any anaerobic areas, you should be able to produce nitrate.
But this will depend on your methods of removing N&P too.

Good luck and let us know which ever way you went for the outcome of the results.

Merry Christmas.

 

[-Logzor]

Nitrate dosing,

Calcium Nitrate
http://www.aquariumfertilizer.com/in...ShowItemStart=

Potassium Nitrate
http://www.aquariumfertilizer.com/in...ShowItemStart=

Stump remover from Lowes, called Spectracide.
At the time I had cyano in my fragtanks and had zero NO3.
I dosed enough to raise my NO3 to between 2 to 5ppm and after a week and a half or two, have noticeable improvement.
All cyano went away never to return.
I now can keep my tank at 2 to 5ppm NO3 w/o dosing so I have stopped.
The concept behind this is called the Redfield ratio.

Or the old school method, aerobic biological filtration without any anaerobic areas, you should be able to produce nitrate.
But this will depend on your methods of removing N&P too.

Good luck and let us know which ever way you went for the outcome of the results.

Merry Christmas.

Thanks for posting this! What sort of mixture of the stump remover did you use? And how much did you dose? I have a similar issue with the cyano.