Reef tank Alk & All for reef question

[REEF24]

What’s up guys I’ve been running my tank for about 4 months now and I recently started dosing the recommended ml per 26g recipe provided of all for reef. Everything is doing fine but I got a water test today and my alk is high.

All for reef recommends monitoring your alk and if it drops to add another 2.5ml per 26g until your alk stabilizes. For my 90g complete system I’ve been dosing 18ml which is the recommended starting dose.

My alk has only gone up but my other parameters are good.

My question is do I cut back on daily dosing of all for reef and or completely stop until my corals consume the alk in the water then I can start dosing again.

Also I light feed and have a super Low bio load. Running just skimmer at 75 percent. Is it ok for now nitrates to be 0.

Marine all feed

4/23/25

18ml for 90 gallons

9.9dkh



4/24/25

18ml for 90 gallons

9.9dkh



4/25/25

18ml for 90g

10.5dkh



4/26/25

18ml for 90gal

11.5dkh

Ph 7.5

Salinity 35ppt



4/27/25

18ml for 90



4/28/25

18ml for 90



4/29/25

18ml for 90



4/30/25

18ml for 90



5/1/25

18ml for 90

11.2dkh

Ph 8

Salinity Ppt 36



5/2/25

18ml for 90g

11.2dkh

Ph 7.5-8



5/3/25

18ml for 90

11.5dkh

Ph 7-7.5



5/4/25

18ml for 90g



5/5/25

18ml for 90g



5/6/25

18ml for 90


5/7/25

18ml for 90


Thanks for reading

 

[twentyleagues]

Yes cut back or stop dosing until its used up. That dosing is just a guide and not a bible. You need to figure out what your consumption is. Currently your consumption is not at or near that much afr. If you stop dosing all together and test daily you will figure out consumption of the tank. This will vary with coral growth, coralline algae growth and other biological processes. Once you get the consumption dose to that and test every few days to see if its changed up or down and adjust dosage from there.

 

[REEF24]

Yes cut back or stop dosing until its used up. That dosing is just a guide and not a bible. You need to figure out what your consumption is. Currently your consumption is not at or near that much afr. If you stop dosing all together and test daily you will figure out consumption of the tank. This will vary with coral growth, coralline algae growth and other biological processes. Once you get the consumption dose to that and test every few days to see if its changed up or down and adjust dosage from there.

Thank you for the information, I’ll definitely be monitoring everything to dial it all in.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Its a small tank with not much corals, weekly water changes are likely sufficient for a long time until they start growing

I would just stop dosing and let the alk come down on its own to about 8.5 ish. Then start testing frequently, know what is your alk consumption in a week, understand your water levels better. I feel you're dosing this without a proper understanding of how or why. A 4 month old tank is still very new and shouldn't need dosing IMO

 

[REEF24]

Its a small tank with not much corals, weekly water changes are likely sufficient for a long time until they start growing

I would just stop dosing and let the alk come down on its own to about 8.5 ish. Then start testing frequently, know what is your alk consumption in a week, understand your water levels better. I feel you're dosing this without a proper understanding of how or why. A 4 month old tank is still very new and shouldn't need dosing IMO

The reason I started dosing all for reef is because I was low on calcium and I don’t want to do a water change because all my other parameters have been in order. I’ve never done a water change but the tank has received more or less 5 gallons of RODI top off every 5 days since I’ve started the tank. My corals look fine and are growing as well.

System is 90gal
tank is 70g & sump is 20g.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

AFR is an unsuitable way to make a significant calcium correction because alk will rise too much.