High Ca, Low Alk

[jabx1]

My mixed reef has been up for about 14 months. I have been monitoring parameters pretty consistently since I added coral.

I have been dealing with a bacterial problem for the last 3-4 months and am finally getting that under control with the use of Dr. Tim's Waste away/Refresh.

My problem is that I have noticed my SPS are losing color. They are still growing and polyps extending but all becoming pale, almost white.
My LPS again are growing but not thriving. My torches are growing slowly and even splitting into extra heads but their tenticle extension is pretty bad. Same story with my hammers and frog spawns.

My parameters as of this morning are:
Salinity: 1.025
Calcium: 440
Alk: 6.2
pH: 7.6
Phosphate: 0
Nitrate: 0

I am using Red Sea test kits

I know my pH is low as well as my Alk. I am using Reef Crystals like I have for years. I do not dose but have ESV B-Ionic 2 part ready if need be.

Question: How can my Ca & Alk be so off from each other? Also my pH will not rise no matter how many water changes i do.

Any suggestions/ advice would be greatly appreciated

 

[jabx1]

Can i dose just the Alk part of 2 part? or is that a bad idea?

 

[((FORDTECH))]

My mixed reef has been up for about 14 months. I have been monitoring parameters pretty consistently since I added coral.

I have been dealing with a bacterial problem for the last 3-4 months and am finally getting that under control with the use of Dr. Tim's Waste away/Refresh.

My problem is that I have noticed my SPS are losing color. They are still growing and polyps extending but all becoming pale, almost white.
My LPS again are growing but not thriving. My torches are growing slowly and even splitting into extra heads but their tenticle extension is pretty bad. Same story with my hammers and frog spawns.

My parameters as of this morning are:
Salinity: 1.025
Calcium: 440
Alk: 6.2
pH: 7.6
Phosphate: 0
Nitrate: 0

I am using Red Sea test kits

I know my pH is low as well as my Alk. I am using Reef Crystals like I have for years. I do not dose but have ESV B-Ionic 2 part ready if need be.

Question: How can my Ca & Alk be so off from each other? Also my pH will not rise no matter how many water changes i do.

Any suggestions/ advice would be greatly appreciated

Well first thing you are Gunna hear is you nitrates and phosphates being 0 is a problem

 

[((FORDTECH))]

My mixed reef has been up for about 14 months. I have been monitoring parameters pretty consistently since I added coral.

I have been dealing with a bacterial problem for the last 3-4 months and am finally getting that under control with the use of Dr. Tim's Waste away/Refresh.

My problem is that I have noticed my SPS are losing color. They are still growing and polyps extending but all becoming pale, almost white.
My LPS again are growing but not thriving. My torches are growing slowly and even splitting into extra heads but their tenticle extension is pretty bad. Same story with my hammers and frog spawns.

My parameters as of this morning are:
Salinity: 1.025
Calcium: 440
Alk: 6.2
pH: 7.6
Phosphate: 0
Nitrate: 0

I am using Red Sea test kits

I know my pH is low as well as my Alk. I am using Reef Crystals like I have for years. I do not dose but have ESV B-Ionic 2 part ready if need be.

Question: How can my Ca & Alk be so off from each other? Also my pH will not rise no matter how many water changes i do.

Any suggestions/ advice would be greatly appreciated

Next yes alk is a little low and could be very slowly raised by no more the .3-.5 dkh a day

 

[Rmckoy]

There is a calculator for adding soda ash or baking soda to bring alk up .

 

[((FORDTECH))]

Can i dose just the Alk part of 2 part? or is that a bad idea?

Yes you can

 

[arking_mark]

The feedback you're likely to get is:

Increase pH and Alk.

Make sure you have some nutrients in the tank.

 

[((FORDTECH))]

Can i dose just the Alk part of 2 part? or is that a bad idea?

But even if you bring up alk you are most likely starving your corals with 0 nutrients in the water

 

[jabx1]

Well first thing you are Gunna hear is you nitrates and phosphates being 0 is a problem

Yes, I know 0 is not good for nitrate and phosphate. I have been increasing feeding and even thinking of turning off my skimmer for a few hours a day or a day a week?

 

[Rmckoy]

what test kits are you testing with ?

 

[jabx1]

what test kits are you testing with ?

Red sea. I have been questioning the accuracy recently so I might get hanna checkers or possibly try another brand

 

[((FORDTECH))]

Yes, I know 0 is not good for nitrate and phosphate. I have been increasing feeding and even thinking of turning off my skimmer for a few hours a day or a day a week?

Yes more feeding and or reducing filtration is a good start. Again you must do these things slowly over days time or the quick swing will negatively effect your reef

 

[arking_mark]

The feedback you're likely to get is:

Increase pH and Alk.

Make sure you have some nutrients in the tank.

I found success for pH with Kalkwasser + Skimmer + CO2 scrubber. Went from 7.8-7.9 to 8.26-8.36.

I would recommend using Alk from 2-part to slowly raise it and then switch to Kalkwasser to maintain your levels.

For nutrients, just increase feeding and bio-load.

 

[arking_mark]

Red sea. I have been questioning the accuracy recently so I might get hanna checkers or possibly try another brand

Definitely triple check your testing... You may want to consider getting an ICP test to baseline your system.

 

[jabx1]

I have an Eshops skimmer rated for 120 gal and my tank is only 60+ sump. I have used this same skimmer on smaller tanks in the past and never over stripped the water of nutrients.

Could the bacterial bloom be sucking out all my nutrients?

 

[arking_mark]

Definitely triple check your testing... You may want to consider getting an ICP test to baseline your system.

LFS can usually be another good source for testing.

 

[arking_mark]

I have an Eshops skimmer rated for 120 gal and my tank is only 60+ sump. I have used this same skimmer on smaller tanks in the past and never over stripped the water of nutrients.

Could the bacterial bloom be sucking out all my nutrients?

They are consumers...but again, import/export seem to be what's important. So food/nutrition and bioload should provide sufficient nutrients.

 

[blasterman]

If your nitrate is 0 turn your skimmer off. Its making things worse.

Red Sea has two alk kits. One is "Pro" the other is a combo Alk and pH kit. The combo kit reads alk too high by about 1.5 dKH because the instructions are wrong. Subtract exactly 4 drops from the total drops used to get the right result.

If you get alk raised to where it should be pH might stabilize a bit higher. Otherwise, dont chase pH. Fix alk first.

A box of grocery store baking soda, plastic measuring spoons, online reef calculator and an opposable thumb is all thats required to raise alk with perfect precision. Most people pushing two part kits lack these qualifications, especially the last one.

Unless you have a tank full of fast growing SPS alk and calcium rarely track each other and alk will get out of whack much faster. Bacteria and algae blooms really screw it up. So, get over the two part nonsense and just focus on alk with a box of 65 cent baking soda.. As long as your calcium is somewhere between 380-450 dont worry about it. Alk needs to be fixed though. Between 8-9 is my suggested level.

Reef roids can bring up phosphate but I'm more worried about 0 nitrate. Worried the bacteria bloom is dinos.

 

[jabx1]

I don't believe the bacterial bloom is dinos. It just is white "fuzzy" slime all over my rocks and a little on my sand bed. I have had red slime in the past and its definite not that but similar clumping of the sand bed. It is not nearly as bad as it was since I started using Dr. Tim's Waste away.

I have absolutely no algae anywhere in my tank though. I will start increasing feeding and possibly turn my skimmer of for a day or two per week. Not running a skimmer makes me nervous though.

 

[jabx1]

I forgot to mention I am running a carbon reactor in hopes of fighting the bacteria.
should i stop carbon to increase nutrients as well?