Want to keep SPS but…. What to do with alk level?

[sanzz18]

My tank is 2 1/2 years old and only really have GSP in it. During majority of this time I have been unsuccessful in keeping montis or acros. They all eventually STN starting with burnt tips, color fading, bleaching, and slowly loosing the skin.

So my alk constantly wants to rise to to over 10dkh over time. I used red sea blue so water-change water should be around 8.5 and I test it to verify that. I do not dose anything to make the alk go up. I have another thread that Randy states it is either the sand/ph dissolution or nitrate consumption releasing alk. This question is not to answer why it is going up it is for another reason.

So currently, my Alk is at 10.7, Cal is 440, Mag 1500 (raised it to this last month to help combat GHA and I think it helped), PO4 is 0.15 (I use lanthanum in my ATO to help maintain this not GFO), NO3 are 22 (working on lowering them slowly with water-changes to 10-15). Salinity 1.026, temp around 78.

Should I try to lower my alk before buying more SPS testers or let it be since it will not stay low around 8 right now (where I actually want to keep it)?

If lower it, I usually do it by dropping the alk on my water-change water with sodium bisulfate. How do I keep the alk low and stable without having to constantly do the above?

 

[dadnjesse]

Good luck. I have never heard of a tanks Alkalinity going up on it's own. Maybe you should get rid on the sand.

 

[sanzz18]

Good luck. I have never heard of a tanks Alkalinity going up on it's own. Maybe you should get rid on the sand.

Yeah I didn’t either but if you search these forums I am not the only one. Can’t get rid of the sand, hate the BB look lol

 

[Pistondog]

How are you testing alk?
I use hanna, but if reading is suspect, verify with a read sea kit.

 

[sanzz18]

How are you testing alk?
I use hanna, but if reading is suspect, verify with a read sea kit.

I am using Hanna as well. I also compare the rising trend with Salifert. Different value cause it is usually 0.5 dkh different but same rising trend.

 

[GarrettT]

I’m willing to bet it only rises when your PH drops below your usual 8.5-8.3 level. I would keep a close eye on that and see if a connection develops. Regardless if something else is raising your Alk, keeping your PH high will help combat it. I’ve learned somethings in this hobby just work and can’t be explained.

How much is your Alk rising per day or week?

 

[Spare time]

That alk is fine btw

 

[sanzz18]

I’m willing to bet it only rises when your PH drops below your usual 8.5-8.3 level. I would keep a close eye on that and see if a connection develops. Regardless if something else is raising your Alk, keeping your PH high will help combat it. I’ve learned somethings in this hobby just work and can’t be explained.

How much is your Alk rising per day or week?

I haven’t measured daily but it seems to have stalled out at 10.7ish the last few weeks. I just don’t know if I should try SPS again now. I don’t really have room for error from what I read with the Alk being where it is. Do you think I should try a few cheap ones again? I just really want the alk around 8-8.5 but it doesn’t look like that is going to happen for me right now until some corals start consuming lol.

That alk is fine btw

I know many people keep there tanks around my level. It just wasn’t where I preferred to keep mine because I read countless times that you have more room for error when it is lower regarding Alk to nutrients correlation and issues that can arise.

 

[GarrettT]

I personally wouldn’t add sps until all parameters were under control. Alk and Nitrate are easy to lower. Just add MA and do a large water change (MA not directly in tank). I would absolutely scrub the nsw or mix heavily for multiple days before adding. Lowering PO4 is as easy as adding phosgaurd or gfo.

When corals are added, if the Alkalinity continues to rise, just lower it once a week with a water change using MA. I do that all the time. It’s very unlikely that your Alk is fluctuating enough to cause harm over a one week period without adding Alk directly.

 

[sanzz18]

I personally wouldn’t add sps until all parameters were under control. Alk and Nitrate are easy to lower. Just add MA and do a large water change (MA not directly in tank). I would absolutely scrub the nsw or mix heavily for multiple days before adding. Lowering PO4 is as easy as adding phosgaurd or gfo.

When corals are added, if the Alkalinity continues to rise, just lower it once a week with a water change using MA. I do that all the time. It’s very unlikely that your Alk is fluctuating enough to cause harm over a one week period without adding Alk directly.

Okay, that sounds like a plan. If I left all my parameters the way they pretty much were now, would they be considered under control? My alk is 10.8 just now as it was last week. It hasn’t budged. Just curious.

 

[Macdaddynick1]

My .02 is that your alk is not an issue. I want to know more about your flow, the lights, and other parameters. Did you do an ICP? My wild guess would also be latnum chloride dropping po4 and po4 rising back. Po4 swings cause more rtn than alk swings for me personally. Also 22 no3 is great, with alk that high. How is your feeding schedule? Are you starving your corals because you’re too worried about the po4 and no3 numbers?

 

[GarrettT]

I would lower it, but that’s just me. Nobody has ever had issues keeping corals at 8dkh under typical parameters. One less thing to rule out imo.
Po4 <0.1ppm
No3<10ppm

 

[Troylee]

Your alk is fine and will go down as sticks and stones use it up.. only reason I could see it raising is your nitrates are dropping.. or you’re dosing it.

 

[Lavey29]

Are you dosing coral aminos or nitrates? This can raise alk. Also when I had my magnesium at 1500 for GHA I noted my alk was elevated also. Perhaps something else off in the tank so coral demand for alk and cal dropped. How is your calcium level?

 

[Icryhard]

I haven’t measured daily but it seems to have stalled out at 10.7ish the last few weeks. I just don’t know if I should try SPS again now. I don’t really have room for error from what I read with the Alk being where it is. Do you think I should try a few cheap ones again? I just really want the alk around 8-8.5 but it doesn’t look like that is going to happen for me right now until some corals start consuming lol.



I know many people keep there tanks around my level. It just wasn’t where I preferred to keep mine because I read countless times that you have more room for error when it is lower regarding Alk to nutrients correlation and issues that can arise.

You could try to use lemon juice. It's acid will cause the buffer (alk) to tank the "hit" and thus will lower it.

 

[Seansea]

You have corraline algae? If not get some. That will eat up your alk rapidly. Also will kind of tell u that u are ready for more challenging corals. Then start with the cheapest cool looking acro or monti u cand find. Once it survives or starts to grow u good for more challenging stuff

 

[Icryhard]

Are you dosing coral aminos or nitrates? This can raise alk. Also when I had my magnesium at 1500 for GHA I noted my alk was elevated also. Perhaps something else off in the tank so coral demand for alk and cal dropped. How is your calcium level?

Interesting. I dose aminos (10 ml for 400l) and maybe once every three days I up my nitrates with 1 ppm, but it doesn't bring my alk up. My alk is consumed about 1 ppm per 7 days. How could these things cause alk to rise?

 

[Troylee]

Interesting. I dose aminos (10 ml for 400l) and maybe once every three days I up my nitrates with 1 ppm, but it doesn't bring my alk up. My alk is consumed about 1 ppm per 7 days. How could these things cause alk to rise?

Lowering nitrates make alk rise.

 

[Lavey29]

Interesting. I dose aminos (10 ml for 400l) and maybe once every three days I up my nitrates with 1 ppm, but it doesn't bring my alk up. My alk is consumed about 1 ppm per 7 days. How could these things cause alk to rise?

You answered the first part of your question by saying your alk is consumed. This means corals are growing so your calcium and other things like trace are being consumed also. Now if the tank is off somewhere and corals are not growing then various things can rise. I think it has to do with the byproduct of these additives as they interact with other things in the water. I'm no scientist but I have experienced alk rising without dosing it and i noted that it correlated to my amino dosing and nitrates dropping. Check a Google search on aminos causing alk to rise in reef tanks.

 

[Dburr1014]

Figure out your alk situation before testing another sps.
Keep it high, bring it low and stable, whatever you decide and maintain it there for a couple months then try again.