Alakalinity Spikes

[jordanrb]

I dose AFR in my tank daily and have been doing so for a while now. Alkalinity stays pretty stable with a .1 drop every 2 days. I have not changed my AFR dosing as by the time I do a water change it goes back to the original number. So I am looking at a change of .4-.5 every 1.5 weeks which is very good.

However the last month I have experienced a random jump in Alakalinity overnight twice. Usually around the 1.5 week mark after my WC. I have no idea what is going on. My alkalinity is doing the slow consistent drop than all of a sudden it spikes back up.

The only thing I am dosing is 5ml of magnesium and calcium weekly. However I did dose both yesterday and by this morning my alkalinity spiked 0.4 from 8.2-8.6. From my understanding the magnesium and calcium should not cause the spike.

The only thing I can think of is my AFR dosing is too high and it just takes a while to kick in but from what I read that is not how it works. If I lower my dose the dialy alkalinity drop will just be higher.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Can you clarify what exact brands of what you dosed in the several days before this alk result?

It is most likely a testing issue, but let's be sure.

 

[jordanrb]

Can you clarify what exact brands of what you dosed in the several days before this alk result?

It is most likely a testing issue, but let's be sure.

I dose 5ml of aqua vitro magnesium and calcium yesterday evening and this morning after testing alkalkinity it showed the spike.

I have a 20g tank so it is a very small dose of both.

I use Hanna checkers for everything and am fairly consistent. When I see an alkalinity spike I double check and it reads the same every time within .1 of each test.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I dose 5ml of aqua vitro magnesium and calcium yesterday evening and this morning after testing alkalkinity it showed the spike.

I have a 20g tank so it is a very small dose of both.

I use Hanna checkers for everything and am fairly consistent. When I see an alkalinity spike I double check and it reads the same every time within .1 of each test.

If you dosed this product, it will boost alkalinity to some degree, and I advise against using it. It is a remarkably poorly designed and described product.

https://www.aquavitro.com/calcification.php

 

[jordanrb]

If you dosed this product, it will boost alkalinity to some degree, and I advise against using it. It is a remarkably poorly designed and described product.

https://www.aquavitro.com/calcification.php

That is the product I use. I really appreciate that. I had no idea. I was told it is pure calcium

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

That is the product I use. I really appreciate that. I had no idea. I was told it is pure calcium

Don't know who told you that, but Seachem does not understand their own product.

It contains (by their info):

• A concentrated (140,000 mg/L) optimized blend of ionic and bioavailable gluconate-complexed calcium

What do they think happens to the gluconate? It is metabolized by bacteria to produce alkalinity. I told this to them many years ago, but they did not change their product or its description.

 

[jordanrb]

Don't know who told you that, but Seachem does not understand their own product.

It contains (by their info):

• A concentrated (140,000 mg/L) optimized blend of ionic and bioavailable gluconate-complexed calcium

What do they think happens to the gluconate? It is metabolized by bacteria to produce alkalinity. I told this to them many years ago, but they did not change their product or its description.

Wow that is really unfortunate. I would not be surprised if that's also been why I have had so much trouble dialing in my AFR. I really appreciate the information. I will toss it and buy a new product today

 

[jordanrb]

Don't know who told you that, but Seachem does not understand their own product.

It contains (by their info):

• A concentrated (140,000 mg/L) optimized blend of ionic and bioavailable gluconate-complexed calcium

What do they think happens to the gluconate? It is metabolized by bacteria to produce alkalinity. I told this to them many years ago, but they did not change their product or its description.

Would yoi also recommend to stay away from their other products? I use their magnesium as well.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Seachem has a number of products that I do not recommend, but the magnesium is likely OK (if unusually designed due to their way to balance sulfate and chloride in the product by combining magnesium sulfate and sodium chloride while most companies (and my DIY recipe) combine magnesium sulfate and magnesium chloride)).

 

[jordanrb]

Seachem has a number of products that I do not recommend, but the magnesium is likely OK (if unusually designed due to their way to balance sulfate and chloride in the product by combining magnesium sulfate and sodium chloride while most companies (and my DIY recipe) combine magnesium sulfate and magnesium chloride)).

Can sponge excel raise alkalinity?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Can sponge excel raise alkalinity?

A small amount, yes. Not a big deal unless you sample before mixing it in well.

 

[JonasRoman]

I dose AFR in my tank daily and have been doing so for a while now. Alkalinity stays pretty stable with a .1 drop every 2 days. I have not changed my AFR dosing as by the time I do a water change it goes back to the original number. So I am looking at a change of .4-.5 every 1.5 weeks which is very good.

However the last month I have experienced a random jump in Alakalinity overnight twice. Usually around the 1.5 week mark after my WC. I have no idea what is going on. My alkalinity is doing the slow consistent drop than all of a sudden it spikes back up.

The only thing I am dosing is 5ml of magnesium and calcium weekly. However I did dose both yesterday and by this morning my alkalinity spiked 0.4 from 8.2-8.6. From my understanding the magnesium and calcium should not cause the spike.

The only thing I can think of is my AFR dosing is too high and it just takes a while to kick in but from what I read that is not how it works. If I lower my dose the dialy alkalinity drop will just be higher.

If addition is even, so its not just any pump issue with dosing, I would say its impossible and speaks for temporary inaccuracy of the KH measurement. And as you are not using titration method but single fixed acid dose method (Hanna), its not an accurate method.

 

[jordanrb]

If addition is even, so its not just any pump issue with dosing, I would say its impossible and speaks for temporary inaccuracy of the KH measurement. And as you are not using titration method but single fixed acid dose method (Hanna), its not an accurate method.

Sorry I am a little confused.

I dose everything myself with a syringe. My alkalinity test is accurate as I always double test and I've never been more than 0.2 off of an ICP.

As Randy pointed out the specific calcium I am dosing with raises Alkalinity so that was found to be the issue.

 

[JonasRoman]

Double test just say that precision is good, nothing about accuracy. Hanna is not a super accurate method, but within certain ranges and if CO2 is same from test to test (it will never be) it can be within +- 0.3dKH. But it has its limitations, its in the method. But, now I red that you used an organic "all in one". That is rubbish and I totally agree with Randy, never use that. Ca is added immediately but the alk is coming later as that is depending on bacterial activity to convert gluconate to alkalinity. Why using such products when we since 30 years back have perfect 3 part solutions (Ballling);-).
So I think case i solved:-)

Jonas