Alk Burn *advice please

[DanSavesTheDay]

Reefers who have experienced this issue please chime in!!!

I have been watching alkalinity burn slowly take place over the last few days. I was letting my dad dose for me while on vacation and because I was waiting on my hannah reagent in the mail I used the API KH test kit I had on hand. The reading came up as almost 10 so I decided to skip dosing for 2 days. Well my reagent arrived the other day and I got a reading of 7.7 which my normal drop is .2 per day *keeping mostly frags*.

I also started carbon dosing *NoPox* recently *1.5ml daily in my 88g* to help bring down my nitrates

I am also dosing phosphates *NeoPhos* to provide the needed ppm of phosphate to reduce nitrate *dosing .04ppm of phos per day*

What should I do about the alk burn *some is on the sides on the branches*

Thank you in advanced!

 

[Perry]

Playing with nutrients when alk is not stable is a recipe for disaster. I would take one issue at a time. As a general rule, the lower the nutrients, lower the alk. I would stabilize and keep alk at desired level, and discontinue use of N&P lowering products until new signs of growth appear. You may encounter color shift to browning or richer pigmentation, but at least the coral will be alive. Also, if your corals are stressed, you may want to discontinue alk and ca dosing until stabilization is accomplished. Given the current stress, I find it hard to believe that calcification is occurring, test alk daily until you see that number begin to fall. Give it a couple of weeks, if the coral begins to heal, and you see no additional tissue loss, then start addressing nutrients,.
Cheers

 

[happyhourhero]

I agree with Perry. You have too many things going on to even pinpoint why the sps are struggling. I would stabilize alk for a while and then worry about nutrients. I have had periods of nitrates around 50 and phosphates around .5 and the world didn’t end.

 

[DanSavesTheDay]

Playing with nutrients when alk is not stable is a recipe for disaster. I would take one issue at a time. As a general rule, the lower the nutrients, lower the alk. I would stabilize and keep alk at desired level, and discontinue use of N&P lowering products until new signs of growth appear. You may encounter color shift to browning or richer pigmentation, but at least the coral will be alive. Also, if your corals are stressed, you may want to discontinue alk and ca dosing until stabilization is accomplished. Given the current stress, I find it hard to believe that calcification is occurring, test alk daily until you see that number begin to fall. Give it a couple of weeks, if the coral begins to heal, and you see no additional tissue loss, then start addressing nutrients,.
Cheers

Is it a good idea to cut off the parts with dead tissue or will they grow over? I can understand if I should avoid doing so because of stress

 

[Perry]

Is it a good idea to cut off the parts with dead tissue or will they grow over? I can understand if I should avoid doing so because of stress

I would let it be until algae begins to form, when this happens, you can trim algae spots off away from skeleton, use magnifying glass or glasses to get a closer look. Eventually a healthy coral will grow tissue over the dead skeleton. Time and patience at this point.

 

[DanSavesTheDay]

I would let it be until algae begins to form, when this happens, you can trim algae spots off away from skeleton, use magnifying glass or glasses to get a closer look. Eventually a healthy coral will grow tissue over the dead skeleton. Time and patience at this point.

Alright thank you for a quick response. Always glad I can get advice from fellow reefers here