Can’t keep Alk up

Randy Holmes-Farley

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why does this happen in the first place? Why after 4 years all of a sudden?

Baking soda for only the alk component?

No idea. Could be lots of things we don't know.

Did you buy B-ionic concentrate and forget to dilute it?

pH is higher for some reason? (maybe measurements isn't accurate now)

Phosphate or organics are lower?

Alk is higher than you think due to bad alk testing?
 
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Travis Stewart

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No idea. Could be lots of things we don't know.

Did you buy B-ionic concentrate and forget to dilute it?

pH is higher for some reason? (maybe measurements isn't accurate now)

Phosphate or organics are lower?

Alk is higher than you think due to bad alk testing?

Concentrate was diluted upon purchase.

I will recalibrate pH probe

PO4 is in line

I don’t mess up a simple titration. Quantitative analysis made me a different person.
 

brmc1985

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Ya I have a chemistry minor and I can’t figure it out either. :/
Do you dose anything else?
Concentrate was diluted upon purchase.

I will recalibrate pH probe

PO4 is in line

I don’t mess up a simple titration. Quantitative analysis made me a
Concentrate was diluted upon purchase.

I will recalibrate pH probe

PO4 is in line

I don’t mess up a simple titration. Quantitative analysis made me a different person.
Only other thing I can think of is was the concentrate frozen when you got it or how old is it?
 

homer1475

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Have you checked any pump impellers, PH impellers, or heaters for precip(looks like a brownish crust)?

Checked the sandbed to see if it's turning hard anywhere?
 
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Travis Stewart

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Have you checked any pump impellers, PH impellers, or heaters for precip(looks like a brownish crust)?

Checked the sandbed to see if it's turning hard anywhere?
Have you checked any pump impellers, PH impellers, or heaters for precip(looks like a brownish crust)?

Checked the sandbed to see if it's turning hard anywhere?
haven’t noticed any in anything mentioned above. Also have a couple gobys that have been moving sand regularly
 
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Travis Stewart

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Alk is currently at 6.1 dkh. I’ve confirmed my salifert test with new water change water also.
 

brmc1985

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Looking at the photos of the power heads there is a lot of build up and coralline
 

homer1475

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Maybe I missed it, but what size tank are we talking here? I do see quite a bit of coralline.

I dose 153ml of randys diy 2 part into an 80G(roughly 1.3DKH)
 
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Travis Stewart

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Maybe I missed it, but what size tank are we talking here? I do see quite a bit of coralline.

I dose 115ml of randys diy 2 part into an 80G.

75 gallon DT. 100 total volume. 115mL of alk supplement or total between the two?
I put in 48mL on top of my daily 40 in the last 24 hours of alk only and haven’t moved it .1 dkh
 

homer1475

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75 gallon DT. 100 total volume. 115mL of alk supplement or total between the two?
I put in 48mL on top of my daily 40 in the last 24 hours of alk only and haven’t moved it .1 dkh
I actually had to go check my apex, and edited after you quoted.

I dose 153ml of Randy's diy 2 part, part 2 for alkalinity(roughly 1.3dkh), and 153ml of BRS calcium chloride daily. I have no where near the coralline growth you do, but have several mature colonies of SPS.
 

brmc1985

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I did miss it, sorry 75 gallons.

I think you just need to dose more, and in a higher flow area so it doesn't "snow globe" on you.
He’s literally dosing it right in front of a power head. OP I would clean the coralline off the power heads because that severely decreases the output. I know you are a seasoned reefer but those need to be cleaned.
Also not entirely sure the powerhead is actually on.
 

thatmanMIKEson

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I would try Randy's diy 2part its super cheap and the new recipe can boost ph...I think I dont use the newer sry

Test with that a few days then back to what you have in stock and see what changes?
 
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Travis Stewart

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I would try Randy's diy 2part its super cheap and the new recipe can boost ph...I think I dont use the newer sry

Test with that a few days then back to what you have in stock and see what changes?
Can you provide the link or ingredients to his 2 part please?
 
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Travis Stewart

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He’s literally dosing it right in front of a power head. OP I would clean the coralline off the power heads because that severely decreases the output. I know you are a seasoned reefer but those need to be cleaned.
Also not entirely sure the powerhead is actually on.
That was specifically for the picture. I have very mature colonies and corals. Flow is pretty high in DT.
 

homer1475

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or literally for part 2 of alkalinity....

Mix 297grams of arm and hammer baking soda to 1 gallon RO/DI. I start out with like 3/4 of a gallon, and my baking soda, then fill to 1 gallon.

Use this calc to figure out how much to dose.
 

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