AFR not keeping alk stable

[unclepregs]

So I have been using just Red Sea alk in a doser to keep it stable over the past several months dosing 5ml a day to keep it right around 8. I have used the bottle and now have switched to AFR to maintain alk calc and mag so I do not have to manually dose the other 2. I started out dosing 5ml just like I always have been and now the alk is steadily dropping and over the past two days it has gone down to about 7.2. Any reason why its not staying balanced when it was before just doing 5ml of alk supplement?

 

[edsbeaker]

Is your calcium dropping as well? My guess is that the concentration is lower in the AFR so you need to use more. 5 ml of AFR is not equal to 5 ml. of Red Sea.

 

[exnisstech]

Sounds like you need to dose more. Different additives require different amounts.

EDIT: Do you know what your alk consumption rate is? It's the first step to be able to calculate the correct dosage.

 

[Reefer911]

Sounds like you need to dose more. Different additives require different amounts

I second this

 

[Netfish and Chill]

Sounds like you need to dose more. Different additives require different amounts

I third this!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Also, ignore the advice/directions to dose AFR based on calcium. Just not a good idea, IMO.

Dose enough to maintain alk.

 

[unclepregs]

I second this

That is a good call. My alk drops around .5dkh a day.

You have a recommended dosage to keep up with that?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

That is a good call. My alk drops around .5dkh a day.

You have a recommended dosage to keep up with that?

Dose more until it stabilizes.

 

[unclepregs]

Also, ignore the advice/directions to dose AFR based on calcium. Just not a good idea, IMO.

Dose enough to maintain alk.

Appreciate it, I have just been testing for ALK consumption, but will continue to monitor calcium weekly.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Appreciate it, I have just been testing for ALK consumption, but will continue to monitor calcium weekly.

It adds more than enough calcium for the alk added, so little to no calcium monitoring is needed in the short term. Calcium does not decline on its own without alk being consumed.

 

[twentyleagues]

Dont forget it takes anywhere from 12-24 hrs to see the effects of afr. You can not test immediately.

 

[exnisstech]

TM has dosing instructions. As mentioned wait to test and use alk not calcium to determine your dose. I've been using AFR for a year on one tank and I've had to make some tweaks to my dosage amount. Some people report elevated calcium after using AFR for a while but my calcium has been stable and not climbing .

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[805reeftank]

I’ve been using AFR for a year now when I’m testing for stability I like to test at the same time every time to get an accurate assessment of dosing. I will usually test before my dose which is dosed all at once at 7:45am and again before lights out around 8pm. My A.M will read 7.4/7.5 and P.M will read 8.0/8.1 I always use my A.M reading as my gauge if I need to up my dosage. When my A.M drops lower the 7.2 I’ll add a ML to my doser. I only check cal/mag every other week I can’t remember a time it was off balance in my tank.

 

[dublin_reefer]

I’ve been using AFR for a year now when I’m testing for stability I like to test at the same time every time to get an accurate assessment of dosing. I will usually test before my dose which is dosed all at once at 7:45am and again before lights out around 8pm. My A.M will read 7.4/7.5 and P.M will read 8.0/8.1 I always use my A.M reading as my gauge if I need to up my dosage. When my A.M drops lower the 7.2 I’ll add a ML to my doser. I only check cal/mag every other week I can’t remember a time it was off balance in my tank.

What size is your system? I’ve recently had to go from 16ml to 26ml in the space of two weeks and alk still isn’t stable. I have noticed a sudden burst of sps growth so I guess it makes sense but still alarms me. Have verified my tester from testing the alk of fresh salt water mix.

 

[805reeftank]

What size is your system? I’ve recently had to go from 16ml to 26ml in the space of two weeks and alk still isn’t stable. I have noticed a sudden burst of sps growth so I guess it makes sense but still alarms me. Have verified my tester from testing the alk of fresh salt water mix.

My water volume is 50gals. I just recently had to bump my dose from 50 to 55 to keep up. So if your testing 12hrs apart from dosing you should be ok if your in the alk range you want to be in. My alk dropped from 8.0-8.1 in the pm to 7.0-7.2 so I’ve been slowly adding more mls till I get back to 8.0 in the pm or 7.4 in the am