To Balance pH at night would you rather…

[beesnreefs]

You can only choose one option:

1. Dose Kalkwasser but only at night
2. Run a fuge with lights on only at night (opposite DT lights)

Which choice and why?

 

[TX_REEF]

I’d say the fuge option, which is what I do and have no issues with Ph balance. Generally speaking, I’d expect your system to benefit more from a constant and stable input of Kalk.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

I would say it depends on your system. If your system has low evaporation then you might not get what you want out of Kalk. Also Kalk is more than just PH, you are going to have to adjust your two part.
If you have room for a decent size refugium to work then great. It also has the capability to reduce nutrients. You also might want to think about an algae scrubber.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Both together may not do the job in many reef systems.

 

[MnFish1]

You can only choose one option:

1. Dose Kalkwasser but only at night
2. Run a fuge with lights on only at night (opposite DT lights)

Which choice and why?

Dose Kalkwasser - because you can control it.

 

[dthom]

Yep, kalk for controllability

 

[dthom]

Also, great name. I keep bees and reefs too!

 

[MnFish1]

But - I wouldn't be worried at all about a pH swing at night. So - I wouldn't dose Kalk or use a refugium for this purpose

 

[KC2020]

Both has worked well for me. However Kalkwasser was not my only way to mange depletion.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Also, great name. I keep bees and reefs too!

So do I.

 

[beesnreefs]

@dthom and @Randy Holmes-Farley , we might have to start a Reefkeepers With a Beekeeping Problem club....or would it be Beekeepers with a Reefkeeping Problem??

 

[exnisstech]

Be sure and invite @Stang67 she's a bee keeper too
As to kalk I dose one tank but do it 24/7 because I drip 7200 ml a day and I don't worry about pH

 

[beesnreefs]

Thanks for the input, friends.

I am seeing a swing in pH of approximately 0.2 - 0.3 points. In the winter it peaks at 8.1 - 8.15 during the day and bottoms out at 7.9ish at night. During the summer the numbers are a bit higher.

Especially given the research of folks like Salem Clemens (suggesting pH swings may be causing "biotic stress" to corals) I'm trying to decide if it's worth chasing pH a bit. Ultimately, I'd like to find a way to keep the pH up at night, not necessarily raise pH across the board.

I've never dosed Kalkwasser and I've never run a fuge. Was wondering if one or the other would be better at keeping system pH up overnight.

 

[DanyL]

May I suggest a third option?

If you have enough space for a refuge - why not keep frags in there instead?

That’s what I do, and instead of dosing balling only during the day, I dose it 24/7.
Sure, I have a small Alk swing because the amount of coral is different, but it isn’t a big difference and frags grow faster, and thus consume more, and photosynthesis == higher PH.

Oh, and you also get some extra space to keep frags at, instead of a shelf in the display or a separate frag tank.

Here’s an old pic of my “frag compartment”:

 

[Miami Reef]

So do I.

Is it for the honey? Do you have pictures of your setup?

 

[MnFish1]

May I suggest a third option?

If you have enough space for a refuge - why not keep frags in there instead?

That’s what I do, and instead of dosing balling only during the day, I dose it 24/7.
Sure, I have a small Alk swing because the amount of coral is different, but it isn’t a big difference and frags grow faster, and thus consume more, and photosynthesis == higher PH.

Oh, and you also get some extra space to keep frags at, instead of a shelf in the display or a separate frag tank.

Here’s an old pic of my “frag compartment”:

Thanks for the input, friends.

I am seeing a swing in pH of approximately 0.2 - 0.3 points. In the winter it peaks at 8.1 - 8.15 during the day and bottoms out at 7.9ish at night. During the summer the numbers are a bit higher.

Especially given the research of folks like Salem Clemens (suggesting pH swings may be causing "biotic stress" to corals) I'm trying to decide if it's worth chasing pH a bit. Ultimately, I'd like to find a way to keep the pH up at night, not necessarily raise pH across the board.

I've never dosed Kalkwasser and I've never run a fuge. Was wondering if one or the other would be better at keeping system pH up overnight.

This is a quote from Fauna Marine: "photosynthesis of corals and bacterial activity have significant influence on the acid content of the limited amount of water. In the course of a few months, the pH usually decreases and mostly settles between 7.6 and 8.1. The aquarium lighting also causes day/night fluctuations which can build up to 0.5 pH units."

I would not do anything about your pH - except if you want to dose your alkalinity at night. Curious - what is your alkalinity?

 

[Troylee]

This is a quote from Fauna Marine: "photosynthesis of corals and bacterial activity have significant influence on the acid content of the limited amount of water. In the course of a few months, the pH usually decreases and mostly settles between 7.6 and 8.1. The aquarium lighting also causes day/night fluctuations which can build up to 0.5 pH units."

I would not do anything about your pH - except if you want to dose your alkalinity at night. Curious - what is your alkalinity?

Mines all over the place and my corals grow just fine in 7.8-8.1 that’s my norm… I hit 8.2 by leaving my doors open the other day cause we had nice weather finally lol.. I quit chasing it and my tank runs better for it!

 

[beesnreefs]

This is a quote from Fauna Marine: "photosynthesis of corals and bacterial activity have significant influence on the acid content of the limited amount of water. In the course of a few months, the pH usually decreases and mostly settles between 7.6 and 8.1. The aquarium lighting also causes day/night fluctuations which can build up to 0.5 pH units."

I would not do anything about your pH - except if you want to dose your alkalinity at night. Curious - what is your alkalinity?

Alk is generally between 7.5 - 7.8. So you know, I use All For Reef.

 

[beesnreefs]

This is a quote from Fauna Marine: "photosynthesis of corals and bacterial activity have significant influence on the acid content of the limited amount of water. In the course of a few months, the pH usually decreases and mostly settles between 7.6 and 8.1. The aquarium lighting also causes day/night fluctuations which can build up to 0.5 pH units."

I would not do anything about your pH - except if you want to dose your alkalinity at night. Curious - what is your alkalinity?

Mines all over the place and my corals grow just fine in 7.8-8.1 that’s my norm… I hit 8.2 by leaving my doors open the other day cause we had nice weather finally lol.. I quit chasing it and my tank runs better for it!

I should also be clear, I'm not worried about coral growth. My corals are growing nicely. If it were just coral growth I wouldn't care about pH very much.

Salem's work is suggesting that pH swings might be a primary culprit in causing small, cumulative "biotic stresses" to corals. By itself, this may not be an issue for most corals but as other biotic stresses come up it could lead to a tipping point in which the coral's holobiont diminishes or even turns against it.

My thinking here is, pH stability might be something I can influence. If so, it might keep my corals healthier longterm by supporting a healthy holobiont.

 

[MnFish1]

Alk is generally between 7.5 - 7.8. So you know, I use All For Reef.

Seems like you're doing pretty well. If I were you I would not do anything