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What does it mean if i cant keep a high stable alk


Candymancan

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Candymancan

So ive been hsving issues with a zoanthid i bought.  It was a sunny D zonathid.  Its been closed for nearly 3-4 weeks now it was open for a week when i got it but then closed up.   While the other 3 i got at the same time have been open.  Those are rastas,  vampire in drags, and rainbow infusion.  Although the rainbows started to close up too.  I have about 10 other colors of zoanthids and paly and they were all fine.

 

My alkalinity was around 11 or 12 when i got those zoas.  (Fresh big water change with reef rystals).  Normally i keep my alkalinity at 7-8 sometimes 9.  Because it seems to be more stable at this range.  But once alk dropped from 11-12 to 7-8 over a week or so thats when the sunny d closed up.   So i did a 50% water change since my nitrates were creeping up.  And i got tired of them being closed and was hoping a water chabge would help.

 

Well it did.  5 outa 7 polyps are half way open now 3-4 days after the water change.   Alkalinity was 12 again.   Nitrates did drop too so i dunno if its nitrates or alk.

 

 

Anyway.  My alk is 9 right now.  It drops quickly ive been dosing 20ml a day to keep it at 9-10 but it drops too quickly so i might have to do 30-40ml of the seachem alk bottle.   My question is if i dont dose alk stabilizes at 7-8 and i rarely have to dose.  If i want to keep it at 9-10 i have dose a lot of alk daily.   

 

What causes the alk to stay stable at 7-8 but drop so fast at 9-10 ?  My calcium is 460 magnesium i need a new kit i rsn out. But last i checked it was over 1300 and thats before my water change so i know it has to be 1300-1350. 

 

 I should also note with the alk at the 10 range my ph is 8.0, with alk in the 7-8 range Ph is 7.8.    So higher alk keeps my ph higher as well.   I cant get my ph any higher then this unless its in the 12 range then itll be 8.2,  the tanks got alot of surface argitation and two emperor 400s with the biowheels and spraybars which also add alot of water splashing.   Windows open dont really help either.  Its mainly a alkalinity thing i noticed as far keeping a higher ph.  Or maybe i need more oxygen i dunno

 

I dunno.  Debating on letting alk drop back to 7-8 and see if the sunny d stay open or if they close again.. maybe it was something else in the water that my water change removed or added i dunno.  But im pretty sure it was the alkalinity.   Ive read sunny d can be a kinda picky zoanthid. 

 

Oh and i have a 135g tank with 70+ different corals.  Over 70% are LPS and SPS.

 

Sorry for a long post but i like to give a lot of info to help with answers

 

 

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There's just almost no alkalinity in the tank to begin with wheras there's nothing in the water with a higher concentration than magnesium.   200 ppm vs 1400 ppm.

 

They get used at the same rate, but the relative proportions make it seems like alkalinity is getting used a lot faster.  (about 600-700% faster)

 

IMO you either have to do more frequent water changes or start dosing in between to avoid that dip.

 

I'd be trying to avoid high pH....nothing good happens there....only higher likelihood of abiotic precipitation (see: supersaturation), higher ammonia toxicity. 

 

pH 7.8 is nice and safe....corals love it.

 

Whether you have alkainity of 11 or 8, it needs to be stable.  The problem isn't hte level, it's the rate of usage that's gone up -- you need to dose (or do more water changes) no matter what.  IMO.  😉

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Candymancan

This is the thing..  with alk at 7-8 i dont have to dose for like a week easily.  If its 9-10 i gatta dose daily and dose alot..  today i put in 35ml of seachem part 2 in ny 135g and it raised alk from 9.0 to 10.   Then watch tomorrow itll be 9 again. Then 8 the next day.

 

But when its 7-8 it stops and stays there and i dont habe to dose but msybe once a week.. its weird

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Sounds like abiotic precipitation to me....related to high mineral levels combining with high pH. 

 

The solution as I mentioned should be to let pH sit where it wants in the high 7's. 

 

If you're using a dosing solution other than baking soda, chances are it's goosing up your pH as you dose whether you want it to or not, and that would be at least part of your problem.

 

Check out these two articles:

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Your alk is fluctuating too much. That's an issue for corals.

 

Stability is key and once you have daily consumption of alk there are only 2 ways to deal with it.

 

More waterchanges through the week or daily dosing. 

 

Most of us have to dose daily to maintain alk stability. Consumption changes with coral growth as well as nitrate levels so testing 1-2 times a week for alk to keep up with any consumption changes is a good practice.

 

 

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  • 2 months later...

Check the alk in your salt mix 

 

Seems to me like your salt mix is mixing lower around  7-8 dkh but when you try to maintain your alk at 11-12, water changes will lower it. The more water changes you do the lower your alk becomes. 

 

If this was the case I would just try to match your tank parameters to your salt mix parameters. 

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