Alk issue (Went from 7.7dkh to 10 dkh in a mont)

[SomeHappyFish]

A month ago I was slowing switching from the Aquaforest Sea Salt bucket to the Reef Salt bucket by Aquaforest for my corals. My Alk used to stay around 7.7dkh but since then it keeps raising. The Reef salt bucket ICP batch code give me these results on the website: 35 ppt should have a dkh of 7.8 which is does (I did a test with my Hanna checker). But now my alk is a 10dkh since my last water change this past friday.

Friday before the water change + lights off : 9.7dkh
Today + Lights on: 10 dkh

Different time, different lights but still in the same range, which is too high.

Magnesium is about the same 1350-1400ppm

calcium went from an average of 380 to 425ppm

My usual maintenance is:
-Weekly 10% water change
-0.5ml/daily Organic trace element by Fauna Marin
-0.2ml Min S


I'm not sure I understand what is happening. I doubt the trace elements would raise the dkh this much or at all ?

 

[SomeHappyFish]

8 dkh would be my sweet spot.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Can you link to exactly which product you mean by this;

-0.5ml/daily Organic trace element by Fauna Marin

Alk can rise for several reasons, including falling nitrate.

 

[SomeHappyFish]

Can you link to exactly which product you mean by this;

-0.5ml/daily Organic trace element by Fauna Marin

Alk can rise for several reasons, including falling nitrate.

Organic - Fauna Marin

Buy Fauna Marin Organic - Fauna Marin at the best price of CAD $ 27.99 at BIGShow Frags

bigshowfrags.com

 

[ronsonb]

Brought my Nitrate down from 40 to 10 and my Alk went from the usual 8ish to 11.7 by the next time I had checked.

That was when I did some reading and learned of the Nitrate and Alk relationship. Lesson learned, though still not really sure what I could have done other than massive water changes.

 

[SomeHappyFish]

Brought my Nitrate down from 40 to 10 and my Alk went from the usual 8ish to 11.7 by the next time I had checked.

That was when I did some reading and learned of the Nitrate and Alk relationship. Lesson learned, though still not really sure what I could have done other than massive water changes.

My nitrate went up not down I overfeed by a bit..

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Organic - Fauna Marin

Buy Fauna Marin Organic - Fauna Marin at the best price of CAD $ 27.99 at BIGShow Frags

bigshowfrags.com

I don’t know what organics are used, but some can raise alk.

Dissolution of calcium carbonate sand also boosts alk, and that happens often but is usually lost in the demand for alk.

I’d suggest occasional water changes with very low alk seawater, which you can make from your normal salt mix and either muriatic acid or sodium bisulfate.

 

[SomeHappyFish]

I don’t know what organics are used, but some can raise alk.

Dissolution of calcium carbonate sand also boosts alk, and that happens often but is usually lost in the demand for alk.

I’d suggest occasional water changes with very low alk seawater, which you can make from your normal salt mix and either muriatic acid or sodium bisulfate.

Could I try testing the alk of Rodi water then adding around 1 ml of the organic by fauna and retesting the alk of the RoDI water then I will be able to see if it raised the alk?

 

[ronsonb]

Is there any risk of dropping Alk too quick doing this?

I opted for larger routine water changes with my normal salt. A) Didn’t know this could be done and B) Figured if I dropped it by 1.5-2ish might cause havoc on the corals.

I don’t know what organics are used, but some can raise alk.

Dissolution of calcium carbonate sand also boosts alk, and that happens often but is usually lost in the demand for alk.

I’d suggest occasional water changes with very low alk seawater, which you can make from your normal salt mix and either muriatic acid or sodium bisulfate.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Could I try testing the alk of Rodi water then adding around 1 ml of the organic by fauna and retesting the alk of the RoDI water then I will be able to see if it raised the alk?

No. Organics such as sodium acetate won’t be fully detectable as alk until metabolized.

 

[SomeHappyFish]

No. Organics such as sodium acetate won’t be fully detectable as alk until metabolized.

Until metabolized ? Day or 2 ? Sorry Randy and I don't know much about this

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Is there any risk of dropping Alk too quick doing this?

No, it is 100% predictable what the alk drop would be by water change.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Until metabolized ? Day or 2 ? Sorry Randy and I don't know much about this

Needs to be in tank.

 

[SomeHappyFish]

Needs to be in tank.

I think the error is my fault... The hanna reagent has been open for 5 months now and I did 22 test out of 25. The vial should be used in 3 months.

The last 3 test, where for "fun
Test number 23 gave me a 10.4dkh.


Test #24 and 25# on my new tank gave me a dkh of 9 at 34 ppt. But the icp of my salt says otherwise.

I will be picking up a aquaforest test kit tomorrow to compare the numbers.

 

[SomeHappyFish]

Okay so I bought a Salifert Test kit and I got twice a 10.9 dKh at 35 ppt.

Does the test kit work on Ro/Di water ? If so I get a 0.3 dkh and also the last time I checked the TDS was 1ppm.