Can't keep my alk up!

[Phyl]

I can't seem to keep my alk up in target range. It falls about 2 (13/11/9...) per day... My mag was 1100'ish and I've taken steps to move it closer to 1350 (1200 now). My Ca is staying very stable and not falling nearly as fast. Maybe dropping 5 per day (410/405...).

What is going on here? What else can I check besides the mag?

TIA.

 

[schoeplein]

TDS?

 

[Phyl]

Driving my alk down?! Really? What's the relationship there?!

 

[schoeplein]

Alk and pH adjust respectively, but not directly related. If you have too much buffering your pH, your Alk wont move and vice versa. Too many other minerals and you wont be able to lower or raise your pH or Alk with other additives.

 

[steve-s]

Okay....

Phyllis... What are you using to maintain your alk/Ca and how often? 2 DKH/day or mEq/l?

Depending on your calcifying animal load, 2 DKH/day is not an unusual drop. Waste producing bioload will also be a factor.

Cheers
Steve

 

[Phyl]

I am dosing b-ionic. I don't have a heavy calcifying animal load and hadn't been burning through Ca much if at all (tops 5pts per day). I think we've finally gotten the Mag in line because yesterday the Alk (measured in DkH) was exactly where it was the day before (but the Ca had dropped 20 points...).

We'll run tests again tonight to see where things stand. It had been so stable for so long and then WACK! Things get crazy! I've lost a Kenya tree (not a great loss in my book, that thing's been throwing babies like crazy) but everything else is on the rebound. Man did I have some cranky LPS.

 

[Phyl]

I am dosing b-ionic. I don't have a heavy calcifying animal load and hadn't been burning through Ca much if at all (tops 5pts per day). I think we've finally gotten the Mag in line because yesterday the Alk (measured in DkH) was exactly where it was the day before (but the Ca had dropped 20 points...).

We'll run tests again tonight to see where things stand. It had been so stable for so long and then WACK! Things get crazy! I've lost a Kenya tree (not a great loss in my book, that thing's been throwing babies like crazy) but everything else is on the rebound. Man did I have some cranky LPS.

 

[steve-s]

the Alk (measured in DkH) was exactly where it was the day before (but the Ca had dropped 20 points...)......It had been so stable for so long and then WACK!

This is typical of an Mg problem. More often than not a simple tweek will correct it. Low or hard to maintain alk with a high(er)/self raising/less correction requirement for Ca is a strong symptom.

As far as your Ca drop, that would be par for course once the Mg was fixed. It should be easy enough to get back in line with Part A of the B-ionic. Odd the two part was not maintaining the Mg in the first place. Do you shake well before use?

BTW, a 5 ppm daily draw (Ca) is pretty good. Albeit LPS are pretty slow growing.

Cheers
Steve

 

[Phyl]

The two part should be keeping my Mg in line?! Hmmmmmm..... Very interesting. I really need to test the Mg next time I mix salt. I wonder if it starts out low with the RC. That or I'm just not shaking well enough! I do shake it, but I don't get crazy...

 

[steve-s]

Depends on what really would be using the Mg as to whether the two part might maintain it but it does add some. More commonly it will be coralline or precip related than calcification of corals. Test your saltmix (@ 35 ppt) to be sure it's not lacking, many are.

Cheers
Steve