Alkalinity Question

[corey.nolta]

I was looking to raise my alkalinity a bit in my main tank (currently at 8 dkh and I like to keep it closer to 10 dkh) so I added (2) pumps of alkalinity from BRS 2 part to 30 gallons of fresh saltwater that I have mixing for a water change....and the entire 30 gallons turned milky. It's been mixing for a good 5 hours and it is still milky..What's going on?????

 

[masssnapz]

Well the alk probably precipitated. That's alot of alk to add at once, one pump is like 50-100 ml

 

[corey.nolta]

Not exactly sure what that means?Never had the water turn milky. I used the BRS calculator to get the 30 gallons to 11-12 dkh, so when I did a water change (total water volume of system is 120ish gallons) it wouldn't be a huge jump.

 

[cmcoker]

Did you Test the alkalinity of your new salt prior to addition?
Agree it's precipitation.
I would check alk, CA and mag. If levels are fine I'd still use it. My 2 cents

 

[Pip757]

I would think percipitation

 

[saltyhog]

I bet it will clear but it could take a while. I have to add two part alk very slowly to keep from getting particulates in the tank. They will eventually dissolve but it looks bad for a while if I just dump the alkalinity. One of several reasons I do it by dosing pump now.

 

[PaReeferJ]

I bet it will clear but it could take a while. I have to add two part alk very slowly to keep from getting particulates in the tank. They will eventually dissolve but it looks bad for a while if I just dump the alkalinity. One of several reasons I do it by dosing pump now.

+1 if you dose it very slowly it usually doesn't precipitate

 

[corey.nolta]

Didn't have enough product to check mag, but calcium is 500, and alkalinity is 12dkh. Both high, but nothing extreme. Should I not use the water to do a water change?

 

[Bbaz123456]

I would split it into 3 days of 10 gallon water changes. Don't dump it.

 

[cmcoker]

If those are your desired levels for your water change water, I'd use it. Perhaps some chemistry guru input would help @Randy Holmes-Farley

 

[reefwiser]

How are you determining your ALK uptake?
Perform a test before lights come on in the morning and then right before lights go off at night.
Then you will see how much your tank is using.
Dosing by hand will make it hard to maintain a constant alk level across the coarse of the day if you have the proper lighting for your corals to grow.