WTF IS WRONG WITH MY ALK

[xJoshx]

maeda i had same problem with my alk.

 

i used Kents Superbuffer-dKH powder. stuff works quick i tested 2hrs after i added i was at 6Dkh 1 dose it brought me from 6 to 9 and ph still has been the same 8.2 hopefully u find something that werkz

[The Propagator]

Hey Madea,

I have the same problem.

It started off as a bi-product of a NASTY tank crash for me though. My system was literally fried by a faulty power cord that bubble through below the waters surface on an MJ I was using for my recirc skimmer supply line. It was nasty. Cloudy tank, white corals and all. I further shocked the system with a NOOB mistake and performed a massive water change. This of course shocked the bejesus out of the system as a whole and stunted my nitrogen cycle at the half way point which in turn threw my alk for a loop. It has taken me a good 2-2.5 months to get it to even keep a decent reading of alk every 2 days.

There for the 1st month it would drop 4-5 point in 24 hours. But my PH and calcium were fine

 

Now my alk drops 2 .5 - 3 full points every two days on the dot.

I started out using reef builder by Seachem in powder form. That works well and I achieved the numbers but 3 days later POW back to a full 2.5 - 3 point drop.

 

Prior to my tank crash I had never dosed for an alk specific problem. I used b-ionic as directed. BUT I only tested calcium. I dosed both at the same time every time I dosed so I though tI was A ok an didnt need to test it. ( read noob mistake !)

If you let your alk get low and stay low with out correction for a long period of time it will take a long period of time for the substrate, rock, water etc etc...to saturate and stabilize.

Now of course as you are already doing you want to make sure you keep an eye on your mag levels too.

BUT if you had mag issues I believe you would also have calcium issues not just alk issues.

 

I just purchased two bottles of Kent Marine DKH Pro buffer yesterday.

I am getting ready to dose with it right now actually. I will let you know what it does and how long lasting it is over the next 3 days.

 

As already mentioned when your sps an dlps start taking off it will soak it up real good as well.

But you would have to have a crazy amount in your system per volume for that to happen.

I do have a crazy amount LOL! Because of this I am sure I will always have to does calcium and alk at least 2 times a week.

 

Hope all that rambling helped you at least a little...

 

D

[Maeda]

Hope all that rambling helped you at least a little...

 

D

 

I love you're insane-coral-mad-man-rant prose style.

 

I have 16 colonies around baseball or larger size, and around 6 mini colonies about golf ball size, and about 2-3 frags all in my 30 gallons of water. I dose 3 times a day. o.O

 

Very interesting thing you said, about the alk soaking into the rock(?) and substrate. Could you elaborate a little more?

[xJoshx]

PREPARE FOR A EPIC SPEECH BY PROP

[The Propagator]

Every thing is interconnected.

As Alkalinity becomes more available things will eat it up at just as fast a rate as they are right now

until they too reach a certain equilibrium just like the nitrification cycle.

Organisms living in on around our rock and substrate all utilize it.

When I say "saturate into" thats what I really mean. Organisms living in or on taking it in.

IE coraline algae. MASSIVE alkalinity and calcium eater. In some cases it can be more so then your coral collectively.

 

Are you also getting brown diatom type algae blooms in small quantities on your glass and PH's now and again a few days apart since this alk problem showed up?

If so then there is a good chance your nitrification cycle has gotten shocked and stunted some how and its effecting your alkalinity.

Have you done a large water change recently say right before the problem started?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PREPARE FOR A EPIC SPEECH BY PROP

 

Eat it possum boy !

 

I am no where near inteligent enough to be able to explain that in detail.

All I know is thats what happens. Not all in betwene

[Sexy Shrimp]

Tagging along for future reference :~§

[bdare]

I'm soooo happy I'm not the only one who's had these problems and I feel MUCH better knowing even Mac Daddy Prop had the same problem!!!

[The Propagator]

Hell every one has problems with their tank at one point and time.

Its just what you do about it that makes the difference.

[Maeda]

Hell every one has problems with their tank at one point and time.

Its just what you do about it that makes the difference.

 

I never have problems.

Ok, that's a lie.

 

Is there anywhere I can get a more technical explanation Prop?

I trust your post, but would still love to read more.

 

I'm continuing my dosing.

[The Propagator]

Reefkeeping.com usually has a lot of good info.

 

Yeah I am dosing too...

Been using the Kent Pro DKH

So far it's getting sucked out just as fast as the others.

[The Propagator]

Ok so after 3 days of use Kent Marine Pro-Buffer DKH is doing two things...

 

SH!T AND NOTHING ! ( in my case any ways)

 

Seachem reef builder lasted longer ( well a 1 - 2 days longer any way ).

 

Literally 10-12 hours after adding it in full strength dosage Kent marine Pro buffer DKH drops 1.5 - 2 full points.

I am ordering a magnesium test kit tonight.

Thats the only thing I can think of that would be doing this.. this quick because it sure the hell ain't coral growth.

[bdare]

Hey Prop,

 

How much are you adding? I've got about 60 gallons of total water volume including my sump and skimmer. Right now my LMIII is set to dose .3 or 300ml and my alk still drops slightly over 24 hours! All the corals in my tank are stoney (cept a few) but that's A LOT of alk!

 

I'm adding Randy's 2 part receipie 1.

 

Ben

[The Propagator]

Hey Ben,

Well Kent Marine Pro buffer DKH says I have to plop in about 35 mil for a regular dose.

But today and last night I had to does way over that to get it back up.

I put in 75 mil. both times.

Same results though. dropped like a rock over night.

I am gonna get up and check it tonight around 3am ( roughly 16 hours from the latest dose) and check it. I bet its down big time again.

[bdare]

Hey Prop,

 

I'm surprised to hear you're still using Kent products. Not that there's anything wrong with them, but why don't you buy in bulk? There's a pretty substantial cost savings to be had....

[The Propagator]

Weary I guess.

 

Which do you use? 2 parts (what ever) .com or other ?

[cmador]

Weary I guess.

 

Which do you use? 2 parts (what ever) .com or other ?

I'm guessing these guys - http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/ - I'm using their two part, too, so I'm tagging along with you guys.

[bdare]

Exactly...

 

Bulkreefsupply.com. I buy 1 gallon buckets of each Alk, Ca and Mg supplements. You get ~8 gallons of liquid from the 1 gallon of dry goods. The price savings is AWESOME. I think it's like $26 for a gallon of Alk / CA B-ionic. $30 gets you 8 gallons of each Ca and Alk...

 

The Mg lasts FOREVER!

 

Ben

[JustReef]

Is there a problem with just using baking soda for alk dosing? Seems like the cheapest option for small tanks.

 

I had a similar problem with falling alk, though not as bad as Prop. It's a lot easier to fix in smaller system. Of course once I got it relatively fixed, I switched salt mix and F'd it all up again.

[bdare]

Baking soda is the same thing as recipie 2 from bulkreefsupply. It will slightly lower ph when it's dosed and not as much can dissolve in water. It will take twice as much baking soda as baked baking soda (recipie 1). Recipie 1 slightly raises ph and uses 1/2 the dose as #2.

 

I use recepie #1 for dosing with my litermeter, but I add recipie #2 (baking soda) when I need to make adjustments. This helps reduce the chance of precipitation because there isn't the localized spike in Ph.

 

I really don't know what the price breakdown is cause I haven't seen Arm and Hammer in a 1 gallon bucket.

[SeeDemTails]

If it makes you guys feel any better, my alkalinity is perfect lol!

 

Hope you guys get it figured out!

[Maeda]

The bulk reef supply goodies, are a little wimpy if you ask me.

 

I switched back to seachem for most of my stuff. I'm still using my large bucket o'alk though.

 

I'm going to go ahead and start testing daily, after hearing your results prop. It sounds like we have the same problem and its sounding like testing at more regular intervals will give us a clue as to what is happening.

 

If you want a no risk sample of the bulkreef stuff prop shoot me a pm on where to send it.

[filefish949]

The bulk reef supply goodies, are a little wimpy if you ask me.

 

 

LOL WTF?? oh yea, I forgot, you are an advanced aquariest.. LOL

 

If it makes you guys feel any better, my alkalinity is perfect lol!

 

Hope you guys get it figured out!

 

what is perfect?

[Maeda]

LOL WTF?? oh yea, I forgot, you are an advanced aquariest.. LOL

 

Mixed to their recommend specs (or RHFs specs) I have to dose more ml in a day to keep my alk up then if i used say, seachem or b-ionic.

 

Is that good enough for you?

[bdare]

The bulk reef supply goodies, are a little wimpy if you ask me.

 

I switched back to seachem for most of my stuff. I'm still using my large bucket o'alk though.

 

I'm going to go ahead and start testing daily, after hearing your results prop. It sounds like we have the same problem and its sounding like testing at more regular intervals will give us a clue as to what is happening.

 

If you want a no risk sample of the bulkreef stuff prop shoot me a pm on where to send it.

I have to admit... when I first read this I was like WTF... but then I checked it out on the calculator:

 

http://reef.diesyst.com/flashcalc/flashcalc.html

 

To raise Ca 50 ppm for 60 gallons it takes an extra 120ml of Randy's 2 part... Although this is a lot more, I think there is still a cost savings to be had when buying in bulk.

 

Ben

[filefish949]

I have to admit... when I first read this I was like WTF... but then I checked it out on the calculator:

 

http://reef.diesyst.com/flashcalc/flashcalc.html

 

To raise Ca 50 ppm for 60 gallons it takes an extra 120ml of Randy's 2 part... Although this is a lot more, I think there is still a cost savings to be had when buying in bulk.

 

Ben

 

yea, but it takes 2 cups of powder to make a gallon, of mix and you get 2 gallons of powder for like $25 or so