Rise in Alkalinity

[EMS503]

Hi I started adding Calcium Chloride to my tanks to raise the calcium, Which it did. im sorry but I was told by someone on my post but I can't find the old post to get the name. But my Alk. was high and I was told the Calcium Chloride would help bring the Alk. down, which it started to calcium now at 470 and lowered my Alk from 17.0 down to 11.8 over 9 days in the last 4 days my Calcium stayed put but the Alk. rose to 13.4.
All test with new test kits not old. I don't know why the rise in the Alk. I am figuring on doing a water change to help lower it but should I do one large 10 - 15 gal. water change or 5 gal. water changes over a few weeks.
I have not started to use the B-Ionic Calcium buffer system yet as my Alk. is still high and im not sure if this will help stabilize it at this level or make it rise. Anybody have any ideas. 75 gal. reef corals and fish (no clams yet waiting)

EMS503

 

[Bang Guy]

ALK will not just rise on it's own. Can you list everything you add to your tank? Also let me know if you use Coralife salt.

Guy

 

[EMS503]

Weekly I add Vita-chem, vit. c, Garlic-xtra, lugols Solution (Iodine)
Strontium Molybdenum, wiess DNA. I used Calcium Chloride last two weeks
every other day to raise Calcium level, pH 8.3 marine buffer(as needed)
Had been using osmo prep but stopped when Alk. went up.
Make up water is R/O Hi-S unit 10 gal. Bi-weekly water changes through the sump. Salt mixture is Reef Crystals, mixed for 48 hrs. with ph.
I used Argamight once, stopped as Fungi plate in reef and an anenome
in another tank appeared as if they were bleached.

EMS503

 

[SleeplessLwd]

I have two words for you...Water Change

 

[Bang Guy]

pH 8.3 marine buffer(as needed)

Bingo!!

Buffer = ALK

 

[EMS503]

Thanks Bang Guy, Helps if I read the entire label(How Dumb )

EMS503

 

[CMKll]

Hi BG,,,

What is happening if your Alk is high and your PH stays at 8.0????

TIA

 

[reefrunner69]

Hi BG,,,

What is happening if your Alk is high and your PH stays at 8.0????

TIA

CMKII, this first thing I would do, would be to increase gas exchange, add another powerhead agitating the surface. This will insure that there is very little CO2 in the water to depress your ph. If it isn't the gas exchange, depending on just how high the ALK is, Guy posted this to me a while ago...

Xenia Help...[/url] thread]
I *think* you are getting PH fluctuations from the ALK being so high (ironically). When Carbonate levels reach a critical point it will precipitate by condensing onto a Ca molecule. This will lower the PH to a certain point and then the precipitation event stops.

 

[CMKll]

Thanks,,,

For the help Kevin, I have an airstone in my sump and good surface agitation,,,,

I made a mistake and I guess I'll have to do water changes till it's corrected......

 

[EMS503]

Just an update on my Alkalinity problem. Its not a problem anymore, water changes and calcium chloride took the Alkalinity to 9.0 and calcium 470. pH holding 8.1
I started adding the B-Ionic and will watch it for a while if all holds I will be adding a clam to the tank.

Thanks for the help