Alk keep Rising without any dosing

[branbray07]

 

[branbray07]

Top picture was taken May 8, bottom was taken today. No4 is pretty close imo

 

[branbray07]

@Randy Holmes-Farley . What do you recommend Mr Holmes. Im going nuts here. Ty so much

 

[Biokabe]

My personal opinion:

Your increase in alkalinity is a symptom, not the cause.

I had a similar experience some time ago, which persisted for some time. During that time, I was losing corals left and right, and I tried everything I could to drop alkalinity. Nothing I did, including water changes, had any meaningful impact.

Finally I decided to just ignore the alkalinity and focus on just maintaining good water quality - no dosing, no buffering, just regular water changes, proper maintenance, regular adjustments to the skimmer for optimal performance, replacing filtration media on schedule.

Well, I stopped losing corals... and my alkalinity started dropping exactly as logic dictated it should.

Ultimately, I don't think my problem was rising alkalinity. My problem was something else, which was leading to coral deaths. As corals died their skeletons stopped growing (alkalinity depletion stopped). Additionally, I believe that some combination of rocks, sand and dead coral skeletons were contributing to alkalinity in the tank, so left to its own devices the alkalinity would naturally rise. Once I stopped the cycle of coral death, the alkalinity started dropping. It's now down to 7.2 (from a high of about 11.5, where it was stuck for months while I obsessed about ways to lower it).

 

[kindafun]

I recently had a problem with my RODI filter. RO wasn't filtering but the DI produced 0 TDS (with new resin in it). The DI got used up quickly and I was soon getting straight tap water, not knowing it. That spiked my Alk. Found the problem, and It's fixed now, but the symptoms were the same as what you have.

 

[branbray07]

My personal opinion:

Your increase in alkalinity is a symptom, not the cause.

I had a similar experience some time ago, which persisted for some time. During that time, I was losing corals left and right, and I tried everything I could to drop alkalinity. Nothing I did, including water changes, had any meaningful impact.

Finally I decided to just ignore the alkalinity and focus on just maintaining good water quality - no dosing, no buffering, just regular water changes, proper maintenance, regular adjustments to the skimmer for optimal performance, replacing filtration media on schedule.

Well, I stopped losing corals... and my alkalinity started dropping exactly as logic dictated it should.

Ultimately, I don't think my problem was rising alkalinity. My problem was something else, which was leading to coral deaths. As corals died their skeletons stopped growing (alkalinity depletion stopped). Additionally, I believe that some combination of rocks, sand and dead coral skeletons were contributing to alkalinity in the tank, so left to its own devices the alkalinity would naturally rise. Once I stopped the cycle of coral death, the alkalinity started dropping. It's now down to 7.2 (from a high of about 11.5, where it was stuck for months while I obsessed about ways to lower it).

Yea could be, but i do or have been doing weekly water changes with @Aquaforest reef salt. Changing out carbon every 60 days, and skimming wet to dry ishh. Besides idk what else

 

[MrGisonni]

The nitrate drop would have to be pretty significant to see much alk increase. For each 50 ppm nitrate consumed would add 2.3 dKH.

Randy said in another thread 4.5 dkh increase per 50 ppm NO3 consumed.

 

[nereefpat]

Randy said in another thread 4.5 dkh increase per 50 ppm NO3 consumed.

Whatever RHF says is correct.

I do believe it's 2.3 dKH per 50 ppm nitrate.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Randy said in another thread 4.5 dkh increase per 50 ppm NO3 consumed.

The 2.3 dKH rise per 50 ppm nitrate decrease is correct.

I may have mistyped it elsewhere. here’s where the 4.5 fits in:

for example, nitrate averages 50 ppm at each water change, then over the course of a year with 10 water changes of 20% each, the alkalinity will be depleted by 1.6 meq/L (4.5 dKH) over the course of that entire time period. This process is one of the primary reasons that fish-only aquaria that often export nitrate in water changes need occasional buffer additions to replace that depleted alkalinity.

 

[MrGisonni]

The 2.3 dKH rise per 50 ppm nitrate decrease is correct.

I may have mistyped it elsewhere. here’s where the 4.5 fits in:

for example, nitrate averages 50 ppm at each water change, then over the course of a year with 10 water changes of 20% each, the alkalinity will be depleted by 1.6 meq/L (4.5 dKH) over the course of that entire time period. This process is one of the primary reasons that fish-only aquaria that often export nitrate in water changes need occasional buffer additions to replace that depleted alkalinity.

My bad. Thanks Randy

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Alk can also rise by slow dissolution of sand. In most cases that addition goes unnoticed against a bigger demand, but if there is very little demand, that could do it.

Water changes with a very low alk mix can help. You can drop alk as low as you want in a salt mix.

Much more tricky is very slow addition of sodium bisulfate or muriatic acid to the tank itself.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

My bad. Thanks Randy

It could have been my mistake. If you see it somewhere let me know so I can fix it. A quick glance at my paper that lists both values may have stuck the 4.5 in my mind just before posting somewhere.