Raising Alk

marcinpolak · May 30, 2021

Hi, I have a 32 Gallon Biocube and it’s stocked with lps and softies and I soon want to try some sps.

I have been testing as of late and noticed my alkalinity has been low for a while now, last test was 7.3 dkh.

Ive been wanting to raise it to around 9 dkh and was wondering how should I go with this, dose 0.5 dkh a day or should I first find my consumption.

dmy535 · May 30, 2021

Get it up to wher3 you want it. Then test 24 hours after to get numbers to learn consumption in that 24hr period so you know how much to dose daily to keep i5 there..... 7.3 to 9, do it over a 2-3 day period not to exceed 1dkh per day

arking_mark · May 30, 2021

marcinpolak said:
Hi, I have a 32 Gallon Biocube and it’s stocked with lps and softies and I soon want to try some sps.

I have been testing as of late and noticed my alkalinity has been low for a while now, last test was 7.3 dkh.

Ive been wanting to raise it to around 9 dkh and was wondering how should I go with this, dose 0.5 dkh a day or should I first find my consumption.

So a couple of thoughts,
1. Increasing Alk will increase pH and Alk/Ca consumption through both abiotic precipitation and coral uptake
2. Due to #1, you'll have to find your new Alk/Ca consumption
3. Most recommend no more than a 0.25dKH change at a time and 1dKH per day
4. You make want to make a balanced Alk/Ca/Elements adjustment
5. If you run a ULN system, you probably don't want your dKH above 8 as that has been linked to some coral issues

Fezbearer · May 30, 2021

Thanks for the info arking_mark.

marcinpolak · May 30, 2021

arking_mark said:
So a couple of thoughts,
1. Increasing Alk will increase pH and Alk/Ca consumption through both abiotic precipitation and coral uptake
2. Due to #1, you'll have to find your new Alk/Ca consumption
3. Most recommend no more than a 0.25dKH change at a time and 1dKH per day
4. You make want to make a balanced Alk/Ca/Elements adjustment
5. If you run a ULN system, you probably don't want your dKH above 8 as that has been linked to some coral issues

I haven’t dosed just yet, but I was planning on raising my Alk to 9dkh, CA to 420 and Mag to 1250.

I did buy Red Sea foundation and also an auto doser. Should I let the auto doser dose to my level that I want or should I do it by hand? Then once I achieve them should I see how much consumption there is and dose as I see fit?

Rmckoy · May 30, 2021

Personally ....
I keep mine at 7.5
Cal is 425
Mag 1350-1400

along with nitrates 5 ppm and phosphates .06 ppm

I wouldn’t try dosing or adjusting too much and let it find its balance without chasing too many numbers .
Higher alk means higher consumption

arking_mark · May 30, 2021

marcinpolak said:
I haven’t dosed just yet, but I was planning on raising my Alk to 9dkh, CA to 420 and Mag to 1250.

I did buy Red Sea foundation and also an auto doser. Should I let the auto doser dose to my level that I want or should I do it by hand? Then once I achieve them should I see how much consumption there is and dose as I see fit?

Whenever I play with my numbers I manually make the changes with my doser and carefully monitor. You never know how your tank will react to changes.

If you plan on higher Alk/Ca you may want to target higher magnesium.

Determining consumption is dynamic. I would slowly raise your alk/ca, then measure at least once a day and dose to bring your Alk online with your target. After a couple of days/weeks, you'll know your consumption and can fully automate.

blasterman · May 30, 2021

This thread has so much wrong.

A 32gal tank with Softies and LPS isnt going to consume much calcium, but it will likely consume a fair amount of alk. Calcium can easily be replenished via water changes. Alk can be supplemented if it stays low with baking soda.

7.3 to 9 dKH in a 32 gal tank is fixed by adding 1.3 teaspoons of baking soda. Its that simple. I just toss it in. Softies and LPS wont care.

Your calcium level should be determined by your salt mix and your salt mix isn't broke. Raising calcium beyond your salt mix level for a softie/LPS tank makes no sense and just complicates things with no upside. Use your salt mix and maintenance water changes to replenish calcium.

OP is basically trying to solve a problem and getting responses based on if they had a tank full of acropora and the OP doesn't have a tank full of acropora. Its softies and LPS.

The doser will likely result in frustration because calcium uptake will be tiny while alk will be consumed faster.

((FORDTECH)) · May 30, 2021

marcinpolak said:
Hi, I have a 32 Gallon Biocube and it’s stocked with lps and softies and I soon want to try some sps.

I have been testing as of late and noticed my alkalinity has been low for a while now, last test was 7.3 dkh.

Ive been wanting to raise it to around 9 dkh and was wondering how should I go with this, dose 0.5 dkh a day or should I first find my consumption.

7.3 is where I keep my sps tank at. Why do you need to raise it. Nsw is closer to 7.3 then 9.0

arking_mark · May 30, 2021

blasterman said:
This thread has so much wrong.

A 32gal tank with Softies and LPS isnt going to consume much calcium, but it will likely consume a fair amount of alk. Calcium can easily be replenished via water changes. Alk can be supplemented if it stays low with baking soda.

7.3 to 9 dKH in a 32 gal tank is fixed by adding 1.3 teaspoons of baking soda. Its that simple. I just toss it in. Softies and LPS wont care.

Your calcium level should be determined by your salt mix and your salt mix isn't broke. Raising calcium beyond your salt mix level for a softie/LPS tank makes no sense and just complicates things with no upside. Use your salt mix and maintenance water changes to replenish calcium.

OP is basically trying to solve a problem and getting responses based on if they had a tank full of acropora and the OP doesn't have a tank full of acropora. Its softies and LPS.

The doser will likely result in frustration because calcium uptake will be tiny while alk will be consumed faster.

You keep pushing this hypothesis base on anecdotal evidence that is counter to reef chemistry understanding.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-12/rhf/

Our discussion on this...

How to balance Ca/Alk in the reef aquarium?

After reading: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-12/rhf/ Here are my takeaways: For most practical purposes, Ca and Alk are consumed equally. However, "...the demand for calcium and alkalinity may not be precisely balanced at 20 ppm calcium per 1 meq/l of alkalinity..." The biggest...

www.reef2reef.com

marcinpolak · May 30, 2021

((FORDTECH)) said:
7.3 is where I keep my sps tank at. Why do you need to raise it. Nsw is closer to 7.3 then 9.0

guess I’m chasing numbers, it’s been stable at 7.3 so guess I’ll hold off on dosing, and if it starts to drop more I’ll dose it back to 7.3

arking_mark · May 30, 2021

marcinpolak said:
guess I’m chasing numbers, it’s been stable at 7.3 so guess I’ll hold off on dosing, and if it starts to drop more I’ll dose it back to 7.3

I try not to judge #s, as I've been chasing stability.

marcinpolak · May 30, 2021

arking_mark said:
I try not to judge #s, as I've been chasing stability.

I just want to make sure everything is doing well, all my corals look happy. Just want to make sure if there is anything else I can do to really let them thrive

arking_mark · May 30, 2021

marcinpolak said:
I just want to make sure everything is doing well, all my corals look happy. Just want to make sure if there is anything else I can do to really let them thrive

Stability, correct light, adequate flow, and nutrients.

I'm still trying to nail those...