How do I increase my alkalinity?

[namlessdude]

I am cycling a tank at the momment using libe rock that i brough from a 6 year old tank. I just started feeding the tank fish food to spike the ammonia and I am testing my parameters using API master test kit.

I tested the alkalinity and Ph which were 80ppm and ~7.8 respectively. I converted and found that equals to 4.4dkh which I read is very low for alkalinity. Water salinity is at 1.021 and the water is new. Should i be concerned about these values? When i looked into how to increase alkalinity i saw people saying to dose baking soda, some said do a water change (but my water is new!!), and some saying don't worry about it.

What should I do?

 

[Dread Pirate Dave]

I'd let the tank finish cycling first. Initial alkalinity is low but you don't have anything using it yet. Have you tested a fresh batch of saltwater to see where it is at? You may need a new salt mix.

 

[Timfish]

API's alkalinity test kit gives results in dKH, so I'm assuming you're using a digital tester for alkalinity? I would raise it to approprate levels to promote the organisms on your live rock and normally found in a healthy reef ecosystem. Easiest way to raise alkalinity is with baking soda. There are other products as well, each with it's own adherents.

 

[namlessdude]

API's alkalinity test kit gives results in dKH, so I'm assuming you're using a digital tester for alkalinity? I would raise it to approprate levels to promote the organisms on your live rock and normally found in a healthy reef ecosystem. Easiest way to raise alkalinity is with baking soda. There are other products as well, each with it's own adherents.

I think i might have confused everyone with the way i worded my post. Alkalinity was tested with a strip but the nitrite, nitrate and the rest were tested with the API. i am going to buy a more reliable test before adding anything and then potentially add baking soda to bring the Ph and Alkalinity up if need be.

 

[LPS Bum]

I agree that I’d let your tank cycle and stabilize first. Especially if you don’t have any corals in there at the moment.

I use homemade soda ash (baked baking soda) to raise alkalinity. It supplements my kalkwasser dosing. You can’t find a cheaper way to increase alk, and it’ll give you a pH boost as well.

 

[twentyleagues]

Test strips are not very inaccurate ime. Salifert, redsea, hannah I have used and still do all are within margin of error to each other. This is one of the most important tests you can perform especially once you have corals, get a good one.

 

[cngh]

I agree with others saying to finish your cycle first. And get better tests because the strips, while ok for a ballpark idea of where things are, aren't very accurate which you will need eventually. Also, your alk may be low if your SG is 1.021 as you say, it should be 1.025-.026. But again, need accuracy.

 

[Glowurm]

Gonna want to check why your salinity is so low, did you mix the water yourself?

 

[Timfish]

I think i might have confused everyone with the way i worded my post. Alkalinity was tested with a strip but the nitrite, nitrate and the rest were tested with the API. i am going to buy a more reliable test before adding anything and then potentially add baking soda to bring the Ph and Alkalinity up if need be.

FWIW, I've found API's alkalinity test kit the easiest to use and more accurate than my Hanna tester. Salifert is the other alkalinty kit I use. This comparison of test kits by teh Dallas Reef Club shows how the role a tester's perceptions can influence results.

 

[namlessdude]

Hey everyone! So i bought salifert alkalinity test and rab it twice to find my alkalinity to be at 6.4.

I ran salinity again and found that i am actually at 1.024 without me adding anything. My PH is still at 7.8 as of today but my ammonia is at 1ppm which i think is reasonable as the tank is new into the cycle and i have been throwing fish food in to feed the brightwell aquatics microbacteria.

I have live rock in but my nitrate and nitrite is still at 0 so im assuming the bacteria did not kick in from either the live bacteria nor the rocks.

As of now I'm thinking of letting things run its course like many comments mentioned. Does anyone recommend i increase alkalinity with baking soda which will also increase pH, or is this ok?

 

[twentyleagues]

Hey everyone! So i bought salifert alkalinity test and rab it twice to find my alkalinity to be at 6.4.

I ran salinity again and found that i am actually at 1.024 without me adding anything. My PH is still at 7.8 as of today but my ammonia is at 1ppm which i think is reasonable as the tank is new into the cycle and i have been throwing fish food in to feed the brightwell aquatics microbacteria.

I have live rock in but my nitrate and nitrite is still at 0 so im assuming the bacteria did not kick in from either the live bacteria nor the rocks.

As of now I'm thinking of letting things run its course like many comments mentioned. Does anyone recommend i increase alkalinity with baking soda which will also increase pH, or is this ok?

Have you tested a fresh batch of salt water? Seems low for no users, could be precipitating check heater for a white build up and sand for hard spots. You are not registering any nitrate some alk is used during nitrification but without a nitrate reading I doubt that is it.

 

[namlessdude]

Have you tested a fresh batch of salt water? Seems low for no users, could be precipitating check heater for a white build up and sand for hard spots. You are not registering any nitrate some alk is used during nitrification but without a nitrate reading I doubt that is it.

This is the same salt water i have been using. Is 1.024 still low? I can add more. I dont understand your nitrate statement. What do you mean by "i doubt that is it"

 

[elysics]

This is the same salt water i have been using. Is 1.024 still low? I can add more. I dont understand your nitrate statement. What do you mean by "i doubt that is it"

You could run the alkalinity test on the freshly mixed saltwater, to figure out if there's something wrong with your salt bucket or the way you are mixing it (or the way you are measuring)

 

[twentyleagues]

This is the same salt water i have been using. Is 1.024 still low? I can add more. I dont understand your nitrate statement. What do you mean by "i doubt that is it"

Have you checked alk on a fresh mixed batch of salt water?

You said you were not registering nitrate on a test. About 2dkh of alk is used during nitrification for every 25ppm of nitrate. No nitrate no alk used. Its going somewhere else or test is incorrect.

Edit- I keep my sg at 1.025. No 1.024 isnt bad.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Hey everyone! So i bought salifert alkalinity test and rab it twice to find my alkalinity to be at 6.4.

I ran salinity again and found that i am actually at 1.024 without me adding anything. My PH is still at 7.8 as of today but my ammonia is at 1ppm which i think is reasonable as the tank is new into the cycle and i have been throwing fish food in to feed the brightwell aquatics microbacteria.

I have live rock in but my nitrate and nitrite is still at 0 so im assuming the bacteria did not kick in from either the live bacteria nor the rocks.

As of now I'm thinking of letting things run its course like many comments mentioned. Does anyone recommend i increase alkalinity with baking soda which will also increase pH, or is this ok?

If you have live rock in the tank, there’s no disadvantage and at least one advantage (help the coralline) to maintaining alk at at least 7 dKH.

 

[namlessdude]

Have you checked alk on a fresh mixed batch of salt water?

You said you were not registering nitrate on a test. About 2dkh of alk is used during nitrification for every 25ppm of nitrate. No nitrate no alk used. Its going somewhere else or test is incorrect.

Edit- I keep my sg at 1.025. No 1.024 isnt bad.

Ill mix a new small patch of salt water today and test for alkalinity. I am in the process of buying calcium, phosphate, and mag test kits to test for those too. The alk test i initially used was a strip that reported 80ppm. but when I ran a sali testkit the alkalinity was actually 6.4 which is significantly higher than the strip (4 ish on strip). It's still not high enough so I'm thinkin of going home and adding some baked baking soda to increase alkalinity and control the pH.

 

[twentyleagues]

Ill mix a new small patch of salt water today and test for alkalinity. I am in the process of buying calcium, phosphate, and mag test kits to test for those too. The alk test i initially used was a strip that reported 80ppm. but when I ran a sali testkit the alkalinity was actually 6.4 which is significantly higher than the strip (4 ish on strip). It's still not high enough so I'm thinkin of going home and adding some baked baking soda to increase alkalinity and control the pH.

I would definitely check the fresh saltwater first and double test the tank if your fresh is much different. Possibly just a couple water changes will correct if something in the tank is actually using it.

 

[namlessdude]

I would definitely check the fresh saltwater first and double test the tank if your fresh is much different. Possibly just a couple water changes will correct if something in the tank is actually using it.

I will run the tests today and experiment. This process has genuinely been fun as I love problem solving. Do you have any recommendation on natural ways to increase pH?

 

[GatorGreg]

I’m not sure why no one has asked. But OP is sitting here waiting for his tank to cycle, ghost feeding and monitoring ammonia and I’m not sure why. By their own admission the tank was started with 6 year old live rock they bought from someone. Was this rock bought straight from a tank, wet? Or was it dry and dead?

In OP initial post they mentioned they bought LIVE rock from a 6 year old setup. If this is true that tank probably has already had a small cycle and is ready to rock and roll. Why are we trying to spike ammonia on 6 year old live rock?

Why is OP trying to feed the tank for an ammonia spike. The tank likely already has an established bio filter from the 6 year old rock.


HOWEVER! I have seen an abundance of new reefers of late getting very much confused. For some reason there is a wave of new people coming in that are calling dry dead rock “live rock”. It does make the process more confusing for people trying to help. I’ve seen reefers go buy ACTUAL LIVE ROCK. Sometimes ocean rock and then start doing Dr. Tim’s fishless cycle on it. Pouring in ammonium chloride in their brand new ocean rock.

 

[namlessdude]

I’m not sure why no one has asked. But OP is sitting here waiting for his tank to cycle, ghost feeding and monitoring ammonia and I’m not sure why. By their own admission the tank was started with 6 year old live rock they bought from someone.

In OP initial post they mentioned they bought LIVE rock from a 6 year old setup. If this is true that tank probably has already had a small cycle and is ready to rock and roll. Why are we trying to spike ammonia on 6 year old live rock?

Why is OP trying to feed the tank for an ammonia spike. The tank likely already has an established bio filter from the 6 year old rock.


HOWEVER! I have seen an abundance of new reefers of late getting very much confused. For some reason there is a wave of new people coming in that are calling dry dead rock “live rock”. It does make the process more confusing for people trying to help. I’ve seen reefers go buy ACTUAL LIVE ROCK. Sometimes ocean rock and then start doing Dr. Tim’s fishless cycle on it. Pouring in ammonium chloride in their brand new ocean rock.

Interesting points!

My initial experience is that I bought a 10 gallon fully cycled tank used from someone and I took it home, bough 2 clown fish and lost them due them developing ICK... I was sad because i didn't have a QT tank or proper knowledge on how to cycle. So I decided to start bigger but slower and got the larger tank and got the rocks into the tank. All the videos talk about cycling a tank and starting with ghost feeding and bacteria. The substrate and filter ceramic media is brand new, but the rocks are live. So by ghost feeding I am hoping to increase the bio filtration by culturing bacteria on the substrate and the ceramic filter media. Also, I am using this as a learning opportunity, especially considering that cycling the tank and ghost feeing isn't going to "kill" the live rock so there isn't any down side other than my parameters could fluctuate which I can learn how to adjust.

Also, it has been only a few days but my ammonia is at 1ppm right now, which is relatively high considering the little that I have ghost fed. This can be concerning because I'd assume that the rock would have filter that faster to prevent an ammonia spike to this extent. Given this spike I would assume that the tank is not ready yet for livestock.