Help! DKH rising quick!

Chadster · Nov 28, 2023

My dkh is rising very fast without me dosing too recently. Yesterday my DKH was 9, I dosed the correct amount at 6p.m. to get it up to 10dkh. Tested a few hours after I dosed and indeed, it was at 10.
Woke up today and tested it to be 10.5. started monitoring it throughout the day and it's currently at 11.5 and still climbing.

My tank is a 38g water box. Been running for over a year now with coral and fish. Today I got a shipment of 38 different frags. Sps,lps, softies. In preparation for this, last night, I took all live stock out. Removed 50% of the rockwork, stirred up and siphoned the sand bed, cleaned filters. Added a couple pieces of new dry rock. Did a 10% water change. Also dosed all-for-reef for the first time(liquid). Usually I dose red sea foundation abc. So completely new to all for reef. I checked a few hours after dosing and it appeared to been been dosed correctly as my alkalinity was right where I wanted it, at 10dkh. Today in the morning I dosed about 6ml of ph buffer.

Tank inhabitants seem to be breathing very heavy and fast while remaining stationary. With the exception of my 2clownfish and goby who seem to be doing fine.
As for the corals, most of them seem fine from what I can see.

The only thing I could think of is maybe the all-for-reef has a very extended release or maybe it has something to do with how much I stirred up my sandbed. I'm lost!
Please help me identify what is causing this rise in Dkh and advice on what to do about it. Thank you

Parameters. Ph: 8
CA:450
Mag: 1350
DKH: 11.5
Salinity: 1.025
Phosphate ulr: .17
Nitrate hr: 8.1
Nitrite: 0
Ammonia: 0

ReefingDreams · Nov 29, 2023

Chadster said:
My dkh is rising very fast without me dosing too recently. Yesterday my DKH was 9, I dosed the correct amount at 6p.m. to get it up to 10dkh. Tested a few hours after I dosed and indeed, it was at 10.
Woke up today and tested it to be 10.5. started monitoring it throughout the day and it's currently at 11.5 and still climbing.

My tank is a 38g water box. Been running for over a year now with coral and fish. Today I got a shipment of 38 different frags. Sps,lps, softies. In preparation for this, last night, I took all live stock out. Removed 50% of the rockwork, stirred up and siphoned the sand bed, cleaned filters. Added a couple pieces of new dry rock. Did a 10% water change. Also dosed all-for-reef for the first time(liquid). Usually I dose red sea foundation abc. So completely new to all for reef. I checked a few hours after dosing and it appeared to been been dosed correctly as my alkalinity was right where I wanted it, at 10dkh. Today in the morning I dosed about 6ml of ph buffer.

Tank inhabitants seem to be breathing very heavy and fast while remaining stationary. With the exception of my 2clownfish and goby who seem to be doing fine.
As for the corals, most of them seem fine from what I can see.

The only thing I could think of is maybe the all-for-reef has a very extended release or maybe it has something to do with how much I stirred up my sandbed. I'm lost!
Please help me identify what is causing this rise in Dkh and advice on what to do about it. Thank you

Parameters. Ph: 8
CA:450
Mag: 1350
DKH: 11.5
Salinity: 1.025
Phosphate ulr: .17
Nitrate hr: 8.1
Nitrite: 0
Ammonia: 0

Stop dosing PH buffer. That is likely spiking alk. Pull back the All for Reef dose as well. Better start slow and increase a bit daily until you fully understand the impact on your system.

The way All for Reef (calcium formate) works is that it gets converted by bacteria after dosing and over time. So think of it like slow/extended release alkalinity. It will not register on a test kit immediately like a normal 2-part additive. And I don't think it's possible to know exactly at what point it will be completely metabolized either.

Just an observation, but my opinion is that you're doing too much at once. One change at a time and observe the impact. With too many variables, it's impossible to narrow down the cause for your successes and failures. Especially important with bringing in such a sizeable coral load at once.

CasperOe · Nov 29, 2023

What @ReefingDreams say- and a couple of 20% water changes over a couple of days to bring your levels slowly back to where you want to have them.

Any particular reason why you're aiming for alk at 10? Fairly high with little margin for error.

I keep mine between 8-8.5.

gbroadbridge · Nov 29, 2023

Chadster said:
My dkh is rising very fast without me dosing too recently. Yesterday my DKH was 9, I dosed the correct amount at 6p.m. to get it up to 10dkh. Tested a few hours after I dosed and indeed, it was at 10.
Woke up today and tested it to be 10.5. started monitoring it throughout the day and it's currently at 11.5 and still climbing.

My tank is a 38g water box. Been running for over a year now with coral and fish. Today I got a shipment of 38 different frags. Sps,lps, softies. In preparation for this, last night, I took all live stock out. Removed 50% of the rockwork, stirred up and siphoned the sand bed, cleaned filters. Added a couple pieces of new dry rock. Did a 10% water change. Also dosed all-for-reef for the first time(liquid). Usually I dose red sea foundation abc. So completely new to all for reef. I checked a few hours after dosing and it appeared to been been dosed correctly as my alkalinity was right where I wanted it, at 10dkh. Today in the morning I dosed about 6ml of ph buffer.

Tank inhabitants seem to be breathing very heavy and fast while remaining stationary. With the exception of my 2clownfish and goby who seem to be doing fine.
As for the corals, most of them seem fine from what I can see.

The only thing I could think of is maybe the all-for-reef has a very extended release or maybe it has something to do with how much I stirred up my sandbed. I'm lost!
Please help me identify what is causing this rise in Dkh and advice on what to do about it. Thank you

Parameters. Ph: 8
CA:450
Mag: 1350
DKH: 11.5
Salinity: 1.025
Phosphate ulr: .17
Nitrate hr: 8.1
Nitrite: 0
Ammonia: 0

All for reef is indeed 'slow release' as the Alk ingredient is metabolised by bacteria.

You need to follow their dosing instructions and ramp up slowly over days/weeks while watching Alk daily.
It's not a change I would perform at the same time as adding multiple new coral to a tank - rather get it dialed in first by following their directions.