midiman said:
They attribute cessation of pulsing to pH below 8.3, and meltdown below 8.0, with
alk and iodine being contributing factors.
Actually there is no direct scientific link to what causes them to stop/start pulsing, hence all the "hype". It's all completely anecdotal.
As far as the alkalinity and pH are concerned, unless you have a cronicly low pH or a heavily stocked tank, there is absolutely no reason to maintain a higher than
NSW level. If alkalinity is in the right range it will support the pH as long as the tank is stocked appropriately in considration to waste producers. If so, then pH will regularly stay above 8.0 in the day unless supressed environmentally. Even then, pH will natuarally fall below 8.0 in the early AM due to
CO2 production from algaes. The only way to avoid or lessen that is to drip
kalk or use a reverse lit refugium with macro algaes.
If you plan on adding scleractinians to the tank in future, the higher chemistry will do them no benefit. They will end up depositing the
CaCO3 faster but in doing so the skelatons will be thin and brittle. Often easily damaged and having malformed shapes. Branching
LPS and
SPS will have thin reedy stalks that will break off easily and typically be quite unhealthy.
You would end up sacrificing the overall health of the tank for the hypothetical observations of one coral. Keep the water parameters healthy, the chemistry within
NSW levels and the appropriate light for a given species is for the most part key in keeping any coral. Some require or do better with additional food sources but ther than that it's not in your best interest to add chemicals that you cannot directly link to the corals requirements.
Cheers
Steve