Keeping ALK Stable

[Bastray]

My tank is around 14 months old and mainly SPS. Most of the SPS have been put in as frags. I am currently trying to keep my ALK at 8.5 and have an incredibly difficult time keeping it at 8.5. I am using ESV B-Ionic 2 part via a dosing pump and manually dosing MAG as needed. I can usually get the ALK to stay at or close to 8.5 for 3-6 days, but then it will start to drop or increase. I test ALK daily with a Hanna Checker and usually will make a correction prior to the numbers getting way off, but my ALK will go between 8.2-9.1. My calcium is at 440 and Mag is at 1450.

Is there anything I can do to level the ALK off? Are the jumps between 8.2 and 9.1 even a big deal? If it does raise more that .3 - .4 it is usually doing so over a couple days and not just overnight, and then I will try to bring it back down or up over a couple of days. I also usually test between 6pm and 8pm every night.

Any input you have for me would be greatly appreciated.

 

[speedstar]

that does not make much sense that your consumption would change bouncing if anything it usually just goes up , is the lighting schedule the same?

 

[Bastray]

yes. My lighting schedule has not changed in over 6 months. Using Radions and T-5 and haven't touched a thing.

 

[rushbattle]

My tank is around 14 months old and mainly SPS. Most of the SPS have been put in as frags. I am currently trying to keep my ALK at 8.5 and have an incredibly difficult time keeping it at 8.5. I am using ESV B-Ionic 2 part via a dosing pump and manually dosing MAG as needed. I can usually get the ALK to stay at or close to 8.5 for 3-6 days, but then it will start to drop or increase. I test ALK daily with a Hanna Checker and usually will make a correction prior to the numbers getting way off, but my ALK will go between 8.2-9.1. My calcium is at 440 and Mag is at 1450.

Is there anything I can do to level the ALK off? Are the jumps between 8.2 and 9.1 even a big deal? If it does raise more that .3 - .4 it is usually doing so over a couple days and not just overnight, and then I will try to bring it back down or up over a couple of days. I also usually test between 6pm and 8pm every night.

Any input you have for me would be greatly appreciated.

This sounds like it could be testing variation, not truly big changes in Alk consumption. Can you share your exact procedure to test alk? Do you do it exactly the same way every time?

Are water changes or anything else changing the alkalinity beyond coral consumption? Do you feed every day at about the same times, or is it more sporadic and random?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Test error.

Separate the dose into four to six doses in 24 hrs.
Test the alk weekly. Not hourly.

If it’s a new dose, maybe every couple days.

IMO “alk stability” is the new “chasing ph”

My .02.

 

[Bastray]

Sure. I use the Hanna Checker and do the same procedure every time. It is pretty straight forward, fill the vial up to the line with tank water, put in in the checker, hit the button, fill vial with recommended amount of reagent, turn the vial upside down 5 times and then hit the button again.

I do weekly around 10% water changes, 10 gallons, every Thursday. I feed at pretty much the same times every day. If I am working I will usually feed around 5pm and if I have a day off I will feed frozen around 5pm but will feed some flake or Nori to the tank in the early afternoon.

 

[Bastray]

Test error.

Separate the dose into four to six doses in 24 hrs.
Test the alk weekly. Not hourly.

If it’s a new dose, maybe every couple days.

IMO “alk stability” is the new “chasing ph”

My .02.

That is what I am worried I am doing. I don't want to create instability by trying to make the tank stable, if you know what I mean. How far off of your "ALK goal" will you let it get before you make a correction?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

That is what I am worried I am doing. I don't want to create instability by trying to make the tank stable, if you know what I mean. How far off of your "ALK goal" will you let it get before you make a correction?

I didn’t use a doser in my tanks for years. Stuff grew fine. All kinda sps and acros.
I did water changes and def not enough kalk in the ato. Nothing died nothing RTN nothing.
The reason I started dosing was I had so dang many sps and they started growing like weeds.

It’s stable because the alk naturally rose and fell. I did regula med wc with IO and kept it around 8. IF i tested.
So......

Just go slow , don’t spike (fast addition), a slow drop isn’t bad.

 

[rushbattle]

Sure. I use the Hanna Checker and do the same procedure every time. It is pretty straight forward, fill the vial up to the line with tank water, put in in the checker, hit the button, fill vial with recommended amount of reagent, turn the vial upside down 5 times and then hit the button again.

I do weekly around 10% water changes, 10 gallons, every Thursday. I feed at pretty much the same times every day. If I am working I will usually feed around 5pm and if I have a day off I will feed frozen around 5pm but will feed some flake or Nori to the tank in the early afternoon.

Ok, this is perfect. You are doing everything exactly the same, lighting is the same, feeding, etc. It must be testing error/variation with the Hanna. I don't have one to check, but have you tested the same sample 3 times in a row? It will give you a very rough idea of how much it is testing error vs real changes. Can you verify numbers with another test kit just for a while to verify the Hanna and the alkalinity level in the tank?

 

[rushbattle]

Test error.

Separate the dose into four to six doses in 24 hrs.
Test the alk weekly. Not hourly.

If it’s a new dose, maybe every couple days.

IMO “alk stability” is the new “chasing ph”

My .02.

Ain't this the truth. I have EXCELLENT alkalinity stability, tests exactly the same every day. Testing this frequently because I am switching supplementation schemes. In spite of my stability, some Acro frags aren't doing well. All parameters test out in range and stable from the last test the previous week. I still do water changes and feed them every day. Nonetheless, they aren't happy for some reason.

 

[ShadowR55]

I have the Alkatronic, I had it testing every two hours, and you would be surprised how fast alkalinity can change. It can go from 9.0 to 8.7-9.0 in a matter of a couple of hours. Then the next day it will do the same drop around the same time. Also, the PH swings effect all consumption as well, so if I have a lot of people over, PH drops and then Alk will rise till the my Apex shuts off the calcium reactor from the high alkalinity. I honestly don’t think these swings have any affect on the coral as long as they aren’t swinging more than 1 dkh a day.

 

[Bastray]

I didn’t use a doser in my tanks for years. Stuff grew fine. All kinda sps and acros.
I did water changes and def not enough kalk in the ato. Nothing died nothing RTN nothing.
The reason I started dosing was I had so dang many sps and they started growing like weeds.

It’s stable because the alk naturally rose and fell. I did regula med wc with IO and kept it around 8. IF i tested.
So......

Just go slow , don’t spike (fast addition), a slow drop isn’t bad.

That makes sense. My acros look good for the majority of them and I am getting encrustation and growth of almost all corals in the tank, so the "swings" likely are a bigger deal to me than they are for the inhabitants of the tank.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Ain't this the truth. I have EXCELLENT alkalinity stability, tests exactly the same every day. Testing this frequently because I am switching supplementation schemes. In spite of my stability, some Acro frags aren't doing well. All parameters test out in range and stable from the last test the previous week. I still do water changes and feed them every day. Nonetheless, they aren't happy for some reason.

Might not be the alk honestly.

A fwiw , it took me well over a month to find the sweet spot on my dosing amount.
Same every time I switched product too. No issues.

 

[Bastray]

I have the Alkatronic, I had it testing every two hours, and you would be surprised how fast alkalinity can change. It can go from 9.0 to 8.7-9.0 in a matter of a couple of hours. Then the next day it will do the same drop around the same time. Also, the PH swings effect all consumption as well, so if I have a lot of people over, PH drops and then Alk will rise till the my Apex shuts off the calcium reactor from the high alkalinity. I honestly don’t think these swings have any affect on the coral as long as they aren’t swinging more than 1 dkh a day.

That's interesting to me that it will change that much over the course of a couple of hours. I don't think I could handle seeing every 2 hour test results like that. lol.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

That's interesting to me that it will change that much over the course of a couple of hours. I don't think I could handle seeing every 2 hour test results like that. lol.

That would make me nuts!!

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I have the Alkatronic, I had it testing every two hours, and you would be surprised how fast alkalinity can change. It can go from 9.0 to 8.7-9.0 in a matter of a couple of hours. Then the next day it will do the same drop around the same time. Also, the PH swings effect all consumption as well, so if I have a lot of people over, PH drops and then Alk will rise till the my Apex shuts off the calcium reactor from the high alkalinity. I honestly don’t think these swings have any affect on the coral as long as they aren’t swinging more than 1 dkh a day.

In my buisness, digital gave us tenths rather than thirds. People FREAK about two tenths. Even though the safe zone is 3-5.
Chasing numbers

 

[ShadowR55]

That's interesting to me that it will change that much over the course of a couple of hours. I don't think I could handle seeing every 2 hour test results like that. lol.

Yeah I changed it to every 4 hours because it looks more stable that way :D

 

[rushbattle]

Might not be the alk honestly.

A fwiw , it took me well over a month to find the sweet spot on my dosing amount.
Same every time I switched product too. No issues.

That's what I was trying to say, it's not the alk. It's something different, just not sure what.