Dosing ALK leads to “snow globe”

[Hemmbone20]

My tank is at the point where I need to dose Alk and I have been doing so manually using the Red Sea part B.
Since I started dosing this I check my alk daily using a Hanna checker to make sure I’m getting the dose amount dialed in.
My Alk had been pretty steady for 2 weeks around 8.7-8.9dkh.
My question is that when I dose this solution, it almost instantly turns to precipitation and the tank looks like a snow globe for a few minutes. I’ve tried doing it a few different ways, sometimes I pour the solution into the return pump chamber of my sump, other times I pour it into my power head In the display tank.

If the solution turns to precipitation, is it still being utilized by the tank? Am I wasting product by doing it this way?
Eventually I’m going to get a dosing pump but for now I’m curious if what I’m doing is wasteful.

 

[Formulator]

It always looks like that when you add a lot of alk at once. The trick is to add it slowly and directly into a power head or the return section of your sump so that it quickly disperses and dissolves.

 

[Hemmbone20]

It always looks like that when you add a lot of alk at once. The trick is to add it slowly and directly into a power head or the return section of your sump so that it quickly disperses and dissolves.

If it turns into “snow” is it being wasted? Or does it eventually all dissolve all the same?

 

[Uncle99]

If your saying that when you dose ALK is makes a cloud then, that is the same for everyone.

 

[Formulator]

If it turns into “snow” is it being wasted? Or does it eventually all dissolve all the same?

Its not all wasted, but you are definitely losing some that may not redissolve. You should add it more slowly to prevent creating a big cloud. Add slowly into a powerhead and then you won’t get a small localized area of concentrated solution where it precipitates.

What is your calcium?

 

[Hemmbone20]

Its not all wasted, but you are definitely losing some that may not redissolve. You should add it more slowly to prevent creating a big cloud. Add slowly into a powerhead and then you won’t get a small localized area of concentrated solution where it precipitates.

What is your calcium?

Calcium is about 470.
Next time I’ll try adding it with a 5ml syringe slowly with drops… I bet that will help.
I should probably just get a dosing system set up but it doesn’t seem completely necessary yet

 

[Formulator]

Calcium is about 470.
Next time I’ll try adding it with a 5ml syringe slowly with drops… I bet that will help.
I should probably just get a dosing system set up but it doesn’t seem completely necessary yet

Lowering your calcium will help too. 470 is waaaay too high relative to your Alk target. Balanced calcium for an Alk target of 8.7-8.9 is about 420 ppm. Having excessive calcium will make the precipitation more dramatic AND less reversible.

 

[Hemmbone20]

Lowering your calcium will help too. 470 is waaaay too high relative to your Alk target. Balanced calcium for an Alk target of 8.7-8.9 is about 420 ppm. Having excessive calcium will make the precipitation more dramatic AND less reversible.

Ok, great thank you! Ive been using Red Sea black bucket salt which has a higher dkh and 450 calcium, but it seems unreasonable to maintain a dkh that high. I’d have to dose a ton. The tank seems to want to balance out at high 8’s.

 

[Formulator]

Ok, great thank you! Ive been using Red Sea black bucket salt which has a higher dkh and 450 calcium, but it seems unreasonable to maintain a dkh that high. I’d have to dose a ton. The tank seems to want to balance out at high 8’s.

I agree, that salt mix has unnecessarily high alk. 8.5-9 is a great place to be, especially in a young tank.

 

[PharmrJohn]

Calcium is about 470.
Next time I’ll try adding it with a 5ml syringe slowly with drops… I bet that will help.
I should probably just get a dosing system set up but it doesn’t seem completely necessary yet

When I was maintaining ALK in my old 90, I would mix up my small batch, over dilute it with tank water, put it into a liter container with a tube attached to the lid (with a small drip valve attached) and just let it drip into the sump. Kind of a set it and forget it MacGyver Job. Never had a problem with precipitation.

 

[Spare time]

I find that unless you use bicarbonate, you need a slow doser for alk supplements to avoid this. I usually recommend dosing bicarbonate if you're dosing by hand

 

[jcmjoe]

Low magnesium can also cause alkalinity supplements to precipitate out as well if I’m not mistaken. Please correct me if I’m wrong!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

My tank is at the point where I need to dose Alk and I have been doing so manually using the Red Sea part B.
Since I started dosing this I check my alk daily using a Hanna checker to make sure I’m getting the dose amount dialed in.
My Alk had been pretty steady for 2 weeks around 8.7-8.9dkh.
My question is that when I dose this solution, it almost instantly turns to precipitation and the tank looks like a snow globe for a few minutes. I’ve tried doing it a few different ways, sometimes I pour the solution into the return pump chamber of my sump, other times I pour it into my power head In the display tank.

If the solution turns to precipitation, is it still being utilized by the tank? Am I wasting product by doing it this way?
Eventually I’m going to get a dosing pump but for now I’m curious if what I’m doing is wasteful.

How much did you add to what size tank?

 

[Hemmbone20]

How much did you add to what size tank?

It’s a 90 gal system, I add about 10mls daily.
Sometimes if I miss a day I’ll do 15mls to catch up. The directions say it increases 0.1dkh per ml, for every 25 gallons.
I figure In a 90 gal system I probably have 75 gallons of water so I triple the number and add what I need to maintain what I want.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

It’s a 90 gal system, I add about 10mls daily.
Sometimes if I miss a day I’ll do 15mls to catch up. The directions say it increases 0.1dkh per ml, for every 25 gallons.
I figure In a 90 gal system I probably have 75 gallons of water so I triple the number and add what I need to maintain what I want.

So adding 10 mL makes the tank stay cloudy after it mixes in?

 

[Hemmbone20]

I find that unless you use bicarbonate, you need a slow doser for alk supplements to avoid this. I usually recommend dosing bicarbonate if you're dosing by han

So adding 10 mL makes the tank stay cloudy after it mixes in?

No it doesn’t stay cloudy. It gets cloudy when I first add it, but it’s mostly white flakes instead of a cloud. Eventually the white flakes disappear too

 

[Reefahholic]

Put it on a pump. Done.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

No it doesn’t stay cloudy. It gets cloudy when I first add it, but it’s mostly white flakes instead of a cloud. Eventually the white flakes disappear too

As long as they redissolve shortly after mixing in, it’s not a concern. If the look is an issue, dilute the product and add it more slowly. Its true you can avoid it by switching to bicarbonate alk additives, but that also gives up the pH boost.