Using muriatic acid to combat rising alk

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Declining nitrate is the only one of those which adds alk, but the others do suggest low alk consumption.

Is the rock artificial or natural?

 

[Gribbles]

Declining nitrate is the only one of those which adds alk, but the others do suggest low alk consumption.

Is the rock artificial or natural?

It's all marco rock

Declining nitrate, yes. I don't know the rate at which the BactoBalance can consume nitrates, but .2dkh is roughly 5 nitrates consumed per day give or take?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

It's all marco rock

Declining nitrate, yes. I don't know the rate at which the BactoBalance can consume nitrates, but .2dkh is roughly 5 nitrates consumed per day give or take?

Yes

 

[GARRIGA]

Declining nitrate is the only one of those which adds alk, but the others do suggest low alk consumption.

Is the rock artificial or natural?

Wouldn't the added alkalinity from nitrate reduction be replacing the alkalinity loss from nitrification therefore his alkalinity rise due to some other factor?

 

[Gribbles]

Just when I think I'm getting it all figured out, my mind goes in a circle again :grinning-face-with-smiling-eyes: One of these days I'll get it

The food and bioload should be a net neutral process in the end. So where else would.... It has to be from the BactoBalance dosing

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Wouldn't the added alkalinity from nitrate reduction be replacing the alkalinity loss from nitrification therefore his alkalinity rise due to some other factor?

If nitrate is falling, there’s a net increase in alk.

If nitrate is steady at any level, then the production and consumption of nitrate offset one another and there is no net alk change.

 

[GARRIGA]

If nitrate is falling, there’s a net increase in alk.

If nitrate is steady at any level, then the production and consumption of nitrate offset one another and there is no net alk change.

Isn’t that increase in alkalinity due to nitrate dropping just the alkalinity originally lost to nitrification. We’ve had this discussion before and that’s what I understood when asking about adding ammonium to increase nitrates which ultimately wouldn’t work since nitrification of that ammonium would lose base due to acidification. Now I’m getting confused.

 

[Gribbles]

Isn’t that increase in alkalinity due to nitrate dropping just the alkalinity originally lost to nitrification. We’ve had this discussion before and that’s what I understood when asking about adding ammonium to increase nitrates which ultimately wouldn’t work since nitrification of that ammonium would lose base due to acidification. Now I’m getting confused.

Hey let's form a club! We can get jackets!

 

[Troylee]

Are you using tap water or rodi?

 

[Miami Reef]

Isn’t that increase in alkalinity due to nitrate dropping just the alkalinity originally lost to nitrification. We’ve had this discussion before and that’s what I understood when asking about adding ammonium to increase nitrates which ultimately wouldn’t work since nitrification of that ammonium would lose base due to acidification. Now I’m getting confused.

You are correct.

The alk is initially lost from dosing ammonium or feeding. The same alk will be brought back from the nitrate getting consumed.

However, if your tank is dropping nitrates quickly, it will seem like the alk is rising because most people will maintain a certain alk level through dosing or water changes.

It will seem like a net increase. Kind of like investing $200 a month ago and then getting the $200 back suddenly when you weren’t expecting it. It’s technically a net 0, but it will still feel like a sudden gain because there has been other incomes and losses throughout that time.

 

[GARRIGA]

Hey let's form a club! We can get jackets!

Confused Reefers but will the pot lovers think they found a group too :thinking-face:

 

[GARRIGA]

You are correct.

The alk is initially lost from dosing ammonium or feeding. The same alk will be brought back from the nitrate getting consumed.

However, if your tank is dropping nitrates quickly, it will seem like the alk is rising because most people will maintain a certain alk level through dosing or water changes.

It will seem like a net increase. Kind of like investing $200 a month ago and then getting the $200 back suddenly when you weren’t expecting it. It’s technically a net 0, but it will still feel like a sudden gain because there has been other incomes and losses throughout that time.

Then I'm not confused. Guessing the product used some form of carbon dosing and didn't grasp that not being familiar with Bacto Balance.

 

[Gribbles]

Are you using tap water or rodi?

Rodi, a 7 stage that I've been good at swapping media regularly. 0 tds

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Isn’t that increase in alkalinity due to nitrate dropping just the alkalinity originally lost to nitrification. We’ve had this discussion before and that’s what I understood when asking about adding ammonium to increase nitrates which ultimately wouldn’t work since nitrification of that ammonium would lose base due to acidification. Now I’m getting confused.

Yes, but in a tank at, say, 50 ppm nitrate and alk of 8 dKH, however it got there, if you consume that 50 ppm of nitrate and drive it to zero, alk will be above 10 dKH.

 

[Miami Reef]

Yes, but in a tank at, say, 50 ppm nitrate and alk of 8 dKH, however it got there, if you consume that 50 ppm of nitrate and drive it to zero, alk will be below 6 dKH.

Actually, the opposite is true. Alk rises when nitrate is consumed.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Actually, the opposite is true. Alk rises when nitrate is consumed.

Sorry, yes, got it backwards. I’ll fix it.

 

[Gribbles]

Dr. Randy, we're (Garriga and I) forming a club and I'd like to formally invite you! We're gonna get jackets!! :grinning-face-with-smiling-eyes:

 

[GARRIGA]

Dr. Randy, we're (Garriga and I) forming a club and I'd like to formally invite you! We're gonna get jackets!! :grinning-face-with-smiling-eyes:

He likely already has a white lab coat. We can start with that :rolling-on-the-floor-laughing:

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

He likely already has a white lab coat. We can start with that :rolling-on-the-floor-laughing:

Yes, plenty of those. Blue ones too. lol

 

[GARRIGA]

Yes, plenty of those. Blue ones too. lol

Blue would match better with reefing although how I'll keep corals perhaps white more appropriate :frowning-face: