HELP. alkalinity not raise after adding supplement

[sandee]

I have had this NanoCube DX 12g for 3 month, and was able to keep my water parameters pretty stable ( nitrate 0, nitrite 0, ammo 0, pH 8.2).

Until last month, calcium and alkalinity was pretty stable too (calcium @ 500, alk @ 10dKH), but somehow alk is being used up more quickly over the past month. It's now about 7.6 dKH.

 

Is this common for a nano reef at about 3 months old?

 

Recently the green tear shape bubble algae has been growing big and fast.

I will remove them today. Could that be a factor lowering my alk?

 

The weird thing is I had been dosing Seachem Reef Carbonate at 5ml per day consecutively for 5 days, and measured the alk again, but it remains pretty much the same (pH became 8.8 If I don't dose daily, I notice alk definitely drops. It went to as low as 6.5 dKH last week, and I switched to dosing Kent Pro Buffer dKH for 4 days (5ml daily) and it raised the level only 1 dKH. That's MUCH LESS than what the product bottle indicates it would do.

 

Please help me. I've done search before, and I know I need to maintain calcium level in order to raise alk properly. I'm keeping calcium at 450+

but this alk issue is weird to me.

I kept an Eclipse 6 nano reef for over a year, with only GSP and zoos, but didn't face this type of alk problem.

 

my corals are surviving, but the recordea color is not as bright. If I keep dosing every day, its florescent color comes back a little. My colt coral can't stand up straight anymore.

 

(My new water mixed for a water change, it measured 7.6 dKH. Water change seems to only help raise about 1dKH. Shoud I do a massive WC, instead of a weekly 10% change?)

[steelhealr]

HI Sandee...I'm having a similar problem. I have trouble keeping my pH over 8. You didn't mention what kind of salt you are using. I started out with Oceanic but I am now switching to Tropic Marin to see if there is a difference. Oceanic is very low in alkalinity. My next step is to see what's going on with my RO water. Really don't think bubble algae has anything to do with it. There are new posts comeing up here, especially from FAC_NY, raving about Natural Sea Water by Catalina sold at Petco. You could try buying one jug and see what happens with your next water change. Let me know what happens. SH

[sandee]

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

I use Oceanic Natural Sea salt. I've been thinking about raising the alk for new mixed water before water change.

 

I use RO water from a water store. How can I find out if something is not good with my RO water?

[sandee]

after steelhealr pointed out Oceanic salt's alk situation, I did a search here at Nano-Reef, I found that Oceanic Salt mix is known to produce water low in alkalinity. perhaps that's the major reason for my problem.

 

after today's dose of 5ml Kent Pro Buffer, my alk level reached 9.0 dKH.

I will target at 10 dHK and try to maintain it there.

 

I will add alk in freshly mixed water before my future water changes.

If my new water is at about the same alk level as my tank water,

hopefully I can figure out my tank's actual rate of alk consumption/depletion.

[steelhealr]

Sounds like a plan. As expected, my RO is 7 exactly. Adding RO water to the SW mix should NOT affect it's pH. Some people have posted that 7 is 'acidic' compared to 8.2, but, that is not the case. A pH of 7 has balanced hydroxy and hydrogen ions. So...something is going on in our tank to keep the pH down. SH

[steelhealr]

Sandee....FYI..after much talk and research, I found a local lfs that carried B-Ionic 2 part buffering. I've started using it on my tank and my pH is coming up.....7.6 to 8. I am not sure if this is the magic bullet or not. SH

[oogie]

Generally speaking, ALK level of 8 is not all that bad. Actually lots of people target their alk at 8.

 

I think some of your coral is not doing well because you are trying to fix things too quicky! Corals you have described can thrive without any additive in your aquarium.

 

Remeber this very important factor:

STABILITY is much more important then your actual levels.

 

Try not to change your PH more then 0.4 in a single day.

Try not to change ALK more the 0.5 in one single day. If you do, rapid change in water chemistry will kill our tank.

 

BTW, what do you exactly have in your tank?