What additives are you using alkalinity could be hiding in something.
Alk going up without dosing.
- Thread starter rahger
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biom
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I don’t think you have a problem with the alkalinity. Two months after your first post and your alkalinity is about 8.5? Don’t really see problem. It looks like you found the solution. Don’t chase numbers. 
If I do nothing it’ll keep climbing. This happened before. It climbed to 11 and the tank crashed.I don’t think you have a problem with the alkalinity. Two months after your first post and your alkalinity is about 8.5? Don’t really see problem. It looks like you found the solution. Don’t chase numbers.
If the testing is accurate there are ways to lower alkalinity, which is not usual but definitely doable, there are a few ways which I am unfamiliar with but I know people can add muriatic acid to their mixed water to lower alkalinity then do a water change with this lower alk water...
But absolutely do plenty of research on this, but there are ways to lower alk instead of letting it keep climbing.
EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal
Just another girl who likes fish
Can you add some stoney coral? They might consume the excess alk for you
EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal
Just another girl who likes fish
I'm sorry you're having this issue. Certainly it's the opposite of what many have which is why most of us are just brainstorming.
I Appreciate it a lot! Im just lost. Ever since I got a tropic marin pro box from Turkey I’ve had some form of alk issue. But the ICP came back perfect with the exception of iodine.I'm sorry you're having this issue. Certainly it's the opposite of what many have which is why most of us are just brainstorming.
EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal
Just another girl who likes fish
I know your ICP test seemed to validate the Triton but wonder if a reset would still be helpful
Where is your nitrate going? If you have a robust population of denitrifying bacteria, as Randy said this process can raise alk. You might try removing some of your bio filter if you think this may be the case (bio bricks, etc, not normal tank sand and rock).
Do you have a lot of algae in the tank? Macro in a fuge? These could be taking up nitrate too.
This swing from 8.7 to 8.0, depending on how often it's done, could be one reason the corals aren't happy... Stating the obvious, I know.
Randy Holmes-Farley
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Tanks won’t crash due solely to alk at 11 dKH.
It was something to do with the salt too. Back when tropic Marin had that whole thing with the turkey facility. Two water changes with that annd my alk spiked, everything died.
the number itself didn’t crash it. But the spike from 7.3 to 11 in just 2 weeks killed everything except the lps, snails, and fish.
i’m not saying that’s what’s going on now, because I don’t use that salt anymore. I’m just saying the last time my alkalinity was climbing, it caused my tank to crash
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I had 2 bags of seachem matrix and I removed them both a few weeks ago. I don’t have any film or hair algae. Just some bubble algae in a few places.
the swing is going from8.7 to 8.0 about every 2 weeks (this swing is my water change) then the cycle repeats.
However it usually takes 2 weeks to climb that far. This week it made that same climb in one week.
High alk wasn't the thing they had an issue with. Alkalinity is super easy to maintain and one of the first things to learn to maintain weather its high or low, and how to adjust it appropriately. I don't understand what your trying to accomplish now, if it's lowering alk why don't you lower it?
never said the Salt had something to do with the alk??? I said two water changes caused something to happen (coral stressed) they stopped growing = alk spike. And since I used that salt I’ve had nothing but alk problems.
I’m not trying to lower anything. I’m trying to get it to not climb without dosing anything
Right, so use lower alkalinity water for water changes if it is truly raising on its own which is strange but I guess not impossible, this will keep your rising alkalinity from rising.
Am I still missing something?
yes.
i do the water change and the alk goes down. in 7-14 days the alk goes back up without dosing anything. this has been the cycle since i started this thread.
8.0 > 8.7 water change > 8.0 > 8.7 water change > 8.0 > 8.7 water change > 8.0
it's happening over and over
That is strange and I've never experienced this ever, but if you have absolutely no demand and your adding something containing alkalinity I could see this happening, but even a small amount of coraline algae should be enough of a demand to keep this rising alk stable. What does your tank look like ?
Depending on tank volume 7-14 days to go from 8.0-8.7 is not allot , and there are allowances for testing errors, so I'm still wondering if there is something unknown being added.
I'm no chemist , but randy dropped a little information here it would be great to ask him directly to see if maybe he could shine some light on the subject for you, and possibly have some quality information for you, if not he probably already has the information out there.
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