AFR testing and alk drop

[Ian Baxter]

I've been dosing AFR on my 70g total volume tank for about 8 months. I've been having a ton of growth and my alk and cal have been dropping. I want to keep my alk around 8 so it matches my salt. Over the last week I have been dosing Brightwell Reef Code B to bring up alk, but it has still been dropping. On 4/29, my alk was at 7.7 so I did not dose and raised my AFR dose by 2ml. I waited two days, last night, to test and my alk was at 7.2. Last night I then added 15ml of Brightwell. I know it can take a few days for the alk change to show up through AFR. When should I test again, dose, or raise AFR? I don't want to accidentally cause an alk spike as I did that a few weeks ago and lost my ASD HG.

 

[billysprout]

What is your magnesium at? Alk being weird typically means mag or calcium is low. Alk swing should not kill a torch on its own.

 

[Ian Baxter]

What is your magnesium at? Alk being weird typically means mag or calcium is low. Alk swing should not kill a torch on its own.

Mag was at 1300. The alk jumped almost 2.5ppm.

 

[Danjoethepirate]

What is your magnesium at? Alk being weird typically means mag or calcium is low. Alk swing should not kill a torch on its own.

Mag was at 1300. The alk jumped almost 2.5ppm.

It jumped that high from all for reef or from dosing reef code? All for reef is a very gradual rise unless you dump in a batload all at once and even then it has to be metabolized and "turned" into alk and calcium.

 

[Danjoethepirate]

What is your daily dosage?

 

[gbroadbridge]

I've been dosing AFR on my 70g total volume tank for about 8 months. I've been having a ton of growth and my alk and cal have been dropping. I want to keep my alk around 8 so it matches my salt. Over the last week I have been dosing Brightwell Reef Code B to bring up alk, but it has still been dropping. On 4/29, my alk was at 7.7 so I did not dose and raised my AFR dose by 2ml. I waited two days, last night, to test and my alk was at 7.2. Last night I then added 15ml of Brightwell. I know it can take a few days for the alk change to show up through AFR. When should I test again, dose, or raise AFR? I don't want to accidentally cause an alk spike as I did that a few weeks ago and lost my ASD HG.

AFR normally metabolises within12 hours.

If your Alk is dropping after 24 hours increase the AFR dose until it is stable. Test after 24 hours.

 

[Ian Baxter]

It jumped that high from all for reef or from dosing reef code? All for reef is a very gradual rise unless you dump in a batload all at once and even then it has to be metabolized and "turned" into alk and calcium.

I’m thinking it was the reef code. I didn’t up the AFR until two days ago. I think I had a crap bottle as it had chunks in it.

What is your daily dosage?

22 ml

 

[Ian Baxter]

AFR normally metabolises within12 hours.

If your Alk is dropping after 24 hours increase the AFR dose until it is stable. Test after 24 hours.

Thanks! I’ll try that. I get nervous following the directions by dosing alk and then raising AFR at the same time.

 

[Red_Beard]

Those numbers and intervals indicate your tank is consuming more than you are dosing. I would advise increasing your AFR daily dose slowly until you reach stability. You can bump it up to where you want it with brightwell, but ultimately you will need to tune your dosing.

That is something that will need bumped up as growth increases, or consequentially down if you have an event and growth slows. It is a balancing act.

 

[Ian Baxter]

Those numbers and intervals indicate your tank is consuming more than you are dosing. I would advise increasing your AFR daily dose slowly until you reach stability. You can bump it up to where you want it with brightwell, but ultimately you will need to tune your dosing.

That is something that will need bumped up as growth increases, or consequentially down if you have an event and growth slows. It is a balancing act.

How many ml can I raise at a time? And how long in between raises?

 

[Red_Beard]

70 gallon tank, and you are baselined at 22ml/day, i would bump it up 5ml to 27ml/day. Get a baseline alk reading the evening before, dose that dose for 4 days and measure it again that evening. You know you were dropping .5dKh over 2 days previously, so you could do some quick ratios based on those 2 values and extrapolate from there what your next adjustment would need to be. Dose that new adjusted value for a week and test it again. if it is low, bump it a few ml. If it went up, drop a few.

 

[rishma]

In case it’s helpful, 45 ml of all for reef will raise 70 gallons about 1 dKH.

In the past when I’ve had struggles raising alkalinity, twice I have eventually fixture out my test reagent was bad. Now I always keep a second kit and double check if something seems odd.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I’d stop using the Brightwell alk and just slowly keep raising the AFR until alk is the same each day.

 

[Ian Baxter]

In case it’s helpful, 45 ml of all for reef will raise 70 gallons about 1 dKH.

In the past when I’ve had struggles raising alkalinity, twice I have eventually fixture out my test reagent was bad. Now I always keep a second kit and double check if something seems odd.

Good point. I’ll use another one that I have to compare.

 

[Ian Baxter]

I’d stop using the Brightwell alk and just slowly keep raising the AFR until alk is the same each day.

I’ll do that. Seems much safer.

 

[Salty_Northerner]

you manually dosing AFR or using a dosser?

I was running through the same problem a while back and when I checked the dosing tube the AFR was crystallizing in it.

 

[Ian Baxter]

you manually dosing AFR or using a dosser?

I was running through the same problem a while back and when I checked the dosing tube the AFR was crystallizing in it.

Using a Doser. I had the same happen about a month ago and had to fix that issue. It doesn’t currently look clogged, but probably a good idea to double check. Did you figure out a way to keep it from clogging? I’m using a DOS with the clear tubing and have it submerged in my sump.

 

[Salty_Northerner]

Using a Doser. I had the same happen about a month ago and had to fix that issue. It doesn’t currently look clogged, but probably a good idea to double check. Did you figure out a way to keep it from clogging? I’m using a DOS with the clear tubing and have it submerged in my sump.

I had the tube under water myself and found that's when it clogs down pipe or up pipe lol.

I cleaned mine but a few weeks later it was crystallizing again. I just ended up replacing the tube and its been 3 months now with no issue. Using the ecotech versa dose myself and just using clear silicon tube.

 

[BryanM]

Since AFR takes a while to see results I've honestly just swagged it. a 5ml bump a day in your situation, testing 1-2 days later, can't really cause an alk spike... you're pretty safe there.

 

[Ian Baxter]

I had the tube under water myself and found that's when it clogs down pipe or up pipe lol.

I cleaned mine but a few weeks later it was crystallizing again. I just ended up replacing the tube and it’s been 3 months now with no issue. Using the ecotech versa dose myself and just using clear silicon tube.

I was told to submerge it to avoid the crystallization. Haha