Ph and alk while out of town

[Oshanickreef]

Hello,

I am currently out of town and noticed my alk dropping fast. Before I left it was 9.5 and two days later it is at 6.77. My ph has climbed at a similar rate.
I have ramped up my kalk dosage from 8300ml to 11000ml to hopefully get my alk to go up but so far increasing my kalk dose hasn’t had an effect on my alk.
Does it make sense that my ph would climb as alk is dropping? I understand that since nobody is in the house the ph will go up and in the past I have had to increase dosing or kalk. But this seems excessive and I’m not seeing any change. I’m nervous with my alk getting so low and not going to be home for a few more days.
Tank is acro heavy

thanks

nick

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Hello,

I am currently out of town and noticed my alk dropping fast. Before I left it was 9.5 and two days later it is at 6.77. My ph has climbed at a similar rate.
I have ramped up my kalk dosage from 8300ml to 11000ml to hopefully get my alk to go up but so far increasing my kalk dose hasn’t had an effect on my alk.
Does it make sense that my ph would climb as alk is dropping? I understand that since nobody is in the house the ph will go up and in the past I have had to increase dosing or kalk. But this seems excessive and I’m not seeing any change. I’m nervous with my alk getting so low and not going to be home for a few more days.
Tank is acro heavy

thanks

nick

It makes sense that pH climbs when no one is home, and that raised pH increases demand for alk by increasing both abiotic precipitation of calcium carbonate and coral calcification.

 

[jda]

Can somebody go by and drop some baking soda in there? ...just figure the amount with an online calculator, stir some into a cup and drop it into your ATO reservoir or just into the tank?

 

[dwest]

This is why I now use an alkatronic.