Truly confused here. High Alk, everything else ok

[Softhammer]

I guess this is karma for calling ICP testing voodoo magic because now after I minuscule amount of sps tissue recession and sub par growth I have tested like crazy and come up with- about 20 times now with verified testing supplies, some truly confusing results

pH ranging from 7.6 to 8.0 lowish..
CA 380, verified on 3 separate test kits all 380
Mg 1320 on 2 separate test kits
PO4 0.19 on Hanna kind of high
Here’s the kicker
ALk 15.0 to 13.2 today.

I used a salifert kit verified with RO water at 0 dkh, fresh salt mix at 8.0 dkh, multiple times.
System is an established 180 gallon with 75 g sump. I have a calcium reactor, top off with weak kalwasser and recently setup 2 part dosing, keeping all alk and ca balanced. ALL REACTORS AND DOSING HAVE BEEN OFF for almost a week. Alk is slowly dropping but how in the h#77 is Alk so high with all other components being in the normal ranges. Totally stumped. Alk has been fatally high for a week though, probably longer as I just started testing. Little to no coral loss yet though, thankfully. I have had the reactor cranking for years as I have and extremely high load of sps corals and two clams that are easily 5-10 lbs each. One 12” squamosa and one 14” derasa. Again all supplementation is currently off. Doing daily 30 gallon water changes to correct. Anyone have any ideas how this could get so out of whack!!

 

[Brew12]

I guess this is karma for calling ICP testing voodoo magic because now after I minuscule amount of sps tissue recession and sub par growth I have tested like crazy and come up with- about 20 times now with verified testing supplies, some truly confusing results

pH ranging from 7.6 to 8.0 lowish..
CA 380, verified on 3 separate test kits all 380
Mg 1320 on 2 separate test kits
PO4 0.19 on Hanna kind of high
Here’s the kicker
ALk 15.0 to 13.2 today.

I used a salifert kit verified with RO water at 0 dkh, fresh salt mix at 8.0 dkh, multiple times.
System is an established 180 gallon with 75 g sump. I have a calcium reactor, top off with weak kalwasser and recently setup 2 part dosing, keeping all alk and ca balanced. ALL REACTORS AND DOSING HAVE BEEN OFF for almost a week. Alk is slowly dropping but how in the h#77 is Alk so high with all other components being in the normal ranges. Totally stumped. Alk has been fatally high for a week though, probably longer as I just started testing. Little to no coral loss yet though, thankfully. I have had the reactor cranking for years as I have and extremely high load of sps corals and two clams that are easily 5-10 lbs each. One 12” squamosa and one 14” derasa. Again all supplementation is currently off. Doing daily 30 gallon water changes to correct. Anyone have any ideas how this could get so out of whack!!

I'm not sure it is all that far out of whack. If your Alk spiked and caused a decrease in demand these results do tend to make sense. I'd have to look at the exact number, but you would need to see more than a 2dkh drop in alkalinity to see a change in calcium that was within the error of a test kit. Calcium drops much slower than alkalinity.

 

[Softhammer]

I guess i wasnt clear with my original posting. The confusion lies with how my alk got to almost 16 dkh with all other parameters in normal ranges. I have run a calcium reactor for over a decade, used the same topoff method forever and added a doser and ran it for only two days. Running brs two part mixed as directed and using equal quantities of ca and alk always. Only thing i can figure is that its alway been high as i never really tested the water.

 

[vic5hands]

I guess i wasnt clear with my original posting. The confusion lies with how my alk got to almost 16 dkh with all other parameters in normal ranges. I have run a calcium reactor for over a decade, used the same topoff method forever and added a doser and ran it for only two days. Running brs two part mixed as directed and using equal quantities of ca and alk always. Only thing i can figure is that its alway been high as i never really tested the water.

Did you do anything to the calcium reactor? Probably out of adjustment
I had the same problem.

 

[Softhammer]

Haven’t touched it. Even if I did, how would Alk disproportionately increase over calcium? Doesn’t add up

 

[lapin]

Only thing i can figure is that its always been high as i never really tested the water.

Hum maybe you have something here. Now to figure out how to reduce it if you want.

 

[Softhammer]

I have been water changing it back into submission. Obviously no one has heard of this before. Wonder if it has anything to do with my reactor media. I live near the beach so a quarter of it is washed seashells that my kids pick up. The rest is regular aragonite though.