sps and alk?

[Dr.DiSilicate]

Just wondering where others are keeping their alk. I Had been keeping mine around 8 or so. I had a drip while on vacation this summer and have been having trouble getting things back in check. It spiked to over 11 this weekend and I lost a large milli along with a few things looking like total poop. LPS seem to love it. So, the question stands, what do you keep your alk at? Should I let mine drop back down or try to keep it around maybe 10? Opinions welcomed! My tank currently looks like crap.... colors very pale, poor polyp extension...

 

[09bumblebee]

I keep mine at 8.5 I've heard of people experimenting with high and low levels and they haven't seen any reason to keep in higher.

 

[MikeM]

I aim to keep my tank at 8.3. And for what it is worth, at Aquamart our goal is to keep all of our display tanks and coral flats at 8.3 as well.

 

[djkms]

I aim between 8-9

 

[Dr.DiSilicate]

Thanks guys, That's what I thought. I hope all this flux in the alk is the cause of the bleaching. Now I am trying to figure out how fast to lower the alk. Stop dosing all together till it dope (2 or 3 days) or dose less and less for a week or 2. I also changed salt during this whole thing which has made it hard to predict dosing as the salinity seems to have much more alk than kent.

 

[SAZAMA]

just below nine 8.9dkh

 

[280g-reefman]

8-9

 

[Coloradoreefer]

I've been toying with lowering my alk but I've had such awesome success with keeping it around 10. So I think as long as its not over 10 but not lower than 8 everything should be okay. And lower it slowly or vice versa.

 

[jahmic]

Re: sps and alk?

I'm right around 8.5

I let the alk creep up to 10.5 a few months ago, my LPS loved it as well...but my parameters were more difficult to keep stable.


Slowly brought it down and the Alk fell to 8.5 and the parameters just seem more stable trying to maintain that level. Left them there and everything looks happy.

 

[Coloradoreefer]

So do you mean calcium and mag are easier to keep stable?

 

[Coloradoreefer]

I'm right around 8.5

I let the alk creep up to 10.5 a few months ago, my LPS loved it as well...but my parameters were more difficult to keep stable.

Slowly brought it down and the Alk fell to 8.5 and the parameters just seem more stable trying to maintain that level. Left them there and everything looks happy.

Do you mean alk is more stable to keep level when it's at 8.5?

 

[Smiley]

I read this a while back and always kept my alk around 11dkh, calcium around 550, and magnesium around 1500. I always had great color, nice growth, and little algae. I figured as long as i was stable, being high would give me room if i accidentally neglected the tank for a few days.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/11/chemistry

 

[jahmic]

Re: sps and alk?

Do you mean alk is more stable to keep level when it's at 8.5?

I was trying to keep these levels:

Alk-10.5
Mag-1390
Ca-450

I found that my levels would fluctuate too much and I couldn't keep the 3 stable...I upped my Mag to 1420 thinking I was getting precipitation, but that didn't help either. I run dosing pumps and was constantly adjusting them to keep things in order.

Previously my levels were:
Alk-8.5
Mag-1290
Ca-420

I slowly increased the parameters over a 2 month stretch, but once Alk got higher than 10 I wasn't able to just set my pumps and keep stable parameters. I slowly allowed the levels to decrease over a 3 week stretch by dialing back my dosing, and the levels just naturally went back to where they were before and have remained stable for the past month or so.

Dunno the reasoning behind it...but I tried maintaining those levels and couldn't keep the tank stable. Perhaps it's more difficult in a smaller water volume (this was in my 28g nanocube), but things have been much easier now that my Alk is lower.

 

[Coloradoreefer]

I was trying to keep these levels:

Alk-10.5
Mag-1390
Ca-450

I found that my levels would fluctuate too much and I couldn't keep the 3 stable...I upped my Mag to 1420 thinking I was getting precipitation, but that didn't help either. I run dosing pumps and was constantly adjusting them to keep things in order.

Previously my levels were:
Alk-8.5
Mag-1290
Ca-420

I slowly increased the parameters over a 2 month stretch, but once Alk got higher than 10 I wasn't able to just set my pumps and keep stable parameters. I slowly allowed the levels to decrease over a 3 week stretch by dialing back my dosing, and the levels just naturally went back to where they were before and have remained stable for the past month or so.

Dunno the reasoning behind it...but I tried maintaining those levels and couldn't keep the tank stable. Perhaps it's more difficult in a smaller water volume (this was in my 28g nanocube), but things have been much easier now that my Alk is lower.

Your theories are sound but one thing I have noticed and that is the lower the kh obviously the lower the ph and I'm still trying to dial in my cal reactor. I'm at a pretty steady stream now so my ph is taking a hit. I'll have to keep the kh a little higher than 9.5 an probably hover around 10 to 10.5

 

[jahmic]

Re: sps and alk?

I've never ran a reactor but it would make sense that your pH would take a hit if you are introducing small amounts of CO2 into the system. A higher kh would be beneficial for sure if you can keep it there.

 

[Haddonisreef]

The one thing I try is not to chase ph!!