Why am I losing alk so fast?

[jhaggerty1990]

25 IM lagoon/x1 AI prime
Alk. 8.3
Calium 420
Mg 1320
Ph04 -.02
Nitartes: showing 0 on crap test (feeding more and added more bioload to raise this yesterday)

Stand loss when at 10pm Im 8.3alk
8.0 by 4pm the following day
Then 7.7ish my 10pm

I only have 4 tiny coral frags atm and nothing else but 2 clwons 2 crabs 2 turbos 5 nassarius snails. Is it normal to lose .6 alk with that? Most ppl tell me i shouldnt have to dose and just change water every two weeks.

Im using reef crystals. 5g every 2 weeks. Gfo, carbon filter media. Filter sock. Turned skimmer off for nitrate help.

 

[gbroadbridge]

25 IM lagoon/x1 AI prime
Alk. 8.3
Calium 420
Mg 1320
Ph04 -.02
Nitartes: showing 0 on crap test (feeding more and added more bioload to raise this yesterday)

Stand loss when at 10pm Im 8.3alk
8.0 by 4pm the following day
Then 7.7ish my 10pm

I only have 4 tiny coral frags atm and nothing else but 2 clwons 2 crabs 2 turbos 5 nassarius snails. Is it normal to lose .6 alk with that? Most ppl tell me i shouldnt have to dose and just change water every two weeks.

Im using reef crystals. 5g every 2 weeks. Gfo, carbon filter media. Filter sock. Turned skimmer off for nitrate help.

I would check to make certain that your salinity is not dropping as that would also make Alk drop.

It could also be a test error, depending on which test you are using.

 

[Jonreefer]

Mine does the same thing. I drop .7 overnight and only have 1 Duncan and clowns and 5 snails in my IM Nuvo 20. I thought it was co2 eating it up cause i was stuck at like ph 7.8-7.9. I added a co2 scrubber and am at ph 8.2-8.3 and all still chews up. My salinity is at 35ppt like always. I use Red Sea blue bucket. I can’t recall any other tank doing this. I use Hanna checkers. My calcium also drops 20points in 4 days as well.

 

[jhaggerty1990]

Mine does the same thing. I drop .7 overnight and only have 1 Duncan and clowns and 5 snails in my IM Nuvo 20. I thought it was co2 eating it up cause i was stuck at like ph 7.8-7.9. I added a co2 scrubber and am at ph 8.2-8.3 and all still chews up. My salinity is at 35ppt like always. I use Red Sea blue bucket. I can’t recall any other tank doing this. I use Hanna checkers. My calcium also drops 20points in 4 days as well.

Same! What are you dosing?

 

[jhaggerty1990]

I would check to make certain that your salinity is not dropping as that would also make Alk drop.

It could also be a test error, depending on which test you are using.

Nope salinity stable. Its neen doin this for a year

 

[gbroadbridge]

Nope salinity stable. Its neen doin this for a year

If have a gravel or sand substrate have you noticed that it is clumping together?

 

[jhaggerty1990]

If have a gravel or sand substrate have you noticed that it is clumping together?

Yes

 

[jhaggerty1990]

Same! What are you dosing?

Someone told me to remove my gfo that it can cause that. Do you use it?

 

[Jonreefer]

Same! What are you dosing?

Tropic Marin alk on my doser and by hand calcium every few days. Probably gonna turn on all for reef soon and get it dialed in
I don’t use gfo. I dose phos and nitrate to keep levels up with tropic Marin phos start and plus NP

 

[Timfish]

As mentioned above, verify your test kits or testers. FWIW, Anything making a carbonate skeleton or photosynthesizing in a marine reef system is using alkalinity, HCO3. If you're confident your testing is accurate then you'll need to keep dosing to maintian calcium and bicarbonate. (It's why some use calcium reactors ;) )

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Is it normal to lose .6 alk with that? Most ppl tell me i shouldnt have to dose and just change water every two weeks.

Im using reef crystals. 5g every 2 weeks. Gfo, carbon filter media. Filter sock. Turned skimmer off for nitrate help.

I don’t agree with that, unless your salt mix is substantially higher in alk than your tank target alk.

Water changes cannot maintain the alk in the salt mix against any normal demand. The math just cannot work out.