Fine tuning alkalinity?

[dentdominator]

If your testing and fine tuning alkalinity how long would you wait before making the next adjustment.

Thanks in advance.

[t4zalews]

I'd check every day at the same time. So test, then test the next day at the same time to see how much alk was consumed. Then adjust your dosing accordingly.

[bertoni]

Eventually, testing once per week or even less often might be fine, I'd work on evening out the daily doses, and getting a longer trend line.

[dentdominator]

After a few days of adding alkalinity my levels are exactly where I want them, 7.5 dkh from 4.8 dkh. The kicker is the tank is precipitating. I hope all it needs is time to settle down and balance itself out.

Prior to adding alkalinity solution via dosing pump the tank parameters using Oceanic salt where,

PH 7.8 now 8.0

Calcium 500 ppm+

Magnesium 1500 ppm

I'm only dosing alkalinity at the present time 325 milliliters daily. 27 milliliters every 2 hours using a 1 milliliter per minute dosing pump.

Will it settle down and find a balance and will the precipitation go away?

Thanks in advance.

[HighlandReefer]

Which alk supplement are you using? Using sodium carbonate to increase alk levels can result in greater precipitation of calcium carbonate. Using baking soda to increase your alk level (sodium bicarboante) is less likely to cause precipitation since it does not increase your pH.

You can run a filter bag to help collect the precipitants faster. A good qualitiy skimmer will eventaully remove them.

[dentdominator]

Which alk supplement are you using? Using sodium carbonate to increase alk levels can result in greater precipitation of calcium carbonate. Using baking soda to increase your alk level (sodium bicarboante) is less likely to cause precipitation since it does not increase your pH.

You can run a filter bag to help collect the precipitants faster. A good qualitiy skimmer will eventaully remove them.

I'm using BRS Bulk Soda Ash (Sodium Carbonate) 2 cups to 1 gallon of ro/di water.

As far as skimmers, The tank has 2 skimmers, 1 etss 1400 and 1 etss 800 on the same system. I don't think I'm lacking on skimming capabilities.

It doesn't look that bad but its definitely precipitating some. Just random flakes floating around. No snow storm or cloudy water etc.

My biggest concern would it eventually balance itself out?

Before I added alkalinity the calcium concentration was high (500 ppm+) so when I added the alkalinity I'm guessing it threw the calcium off balance. Even though magnesium is good at 1500ppm.

I should see a decrease in calcium eventually. Therefore, the precipitation should go away, right?

Thanks again.

[HighlandReefer]

The precipitants floating in your tank should be collected by your skimmer, but it may take time. You should be dosing the Sodium Carbonate in a high flow area using a drip method. If you add to much of the Sodium Carbonate solution at one time, you will get precipitation. Many hobbyists do add a filter bag somewhere in their system to help collect precipitants and other debris floating in the water quicker than what the skimmers can do by themselves.

Your calcium and mag levels are quite high, which adds to the super-saturation of your tank water over normal seawater. When calcium and mag are high, then this also helps to increase the likelihood of calcium carbonate precipitation, especially in the local areas where you add the Sodium Carbonate which drives the local pH up. In other words, the super-saturation state of your tank water combined with high pH in local areas where you add the sodium carbonate are what is adding together to cause the calcium carbonate precipitation. The local alk level is higher as well where you add the sodium carbonate. ;)

[bertoni]

The precipitates aren't going to be a problem long term.

I am suspicious about the test kit. Is the tank at 7 meq/L? Or is the kit just not working? Which kit are you using? The same goes for the calcium kit. If it's like the Salifert, you can just use two syringes and add the result to get a number.

I'd start dosing into the display tank and seeing whether there's more precipitation.

I agree that the high calcium might be part of the problem.

[dentdominator]

The precipitates aren't going to be a problem long term.

I am suspicious about the test kit. Is the tank at 7 meq/L? Or is the kit just not working? Which kit are you using? The same goes for the calcium kit. If it's like the Salifert, you can just use two syringes and add the result to get a number.

I'd start dosing into the display tank and seeing whether there's more precipitation.

I agree that the high calcium might be part of the problem.

Looks like the precipitation has settled down, a lot actually. I'm testing with brand new Salifert kits.

Salifert alkalinity test in a new superseded kit. Its supposed to be more accurate with better results.

The test results as of now,

Alkalinity (DKH) 8.0 - 8.3 DKH

Calcium 500 ppm +

Magnesium 1500 ppm

SPS corals are already responding with better polyp extension.

[bertoni]

Okay, I'd use a second syringe with the calcium test to get a more accurate number for the calcium. Just add the results of the two syringes together.

[LPS_Blasto]

I'd switch salts. I never had good luck using Oceanic.

I'm not saying you won't have to dose. Most any salt you buy is going to need to be dosed, based on your coral load in the tank.

I always had HORRIBLE pH and alk issues with Oceanic.

[wmdick_2007]

I would not raise Ca above 440 --- those flakes means you are at the edge. PH and Alk can be raised slowly with a normal Ca level.

Salt mixes above normal should be mixed below 1.025 and added. Evaporation will correct the salinity slowly.

IMHO -- I don't like it !

[DallasSVT]

CA is way to high at 500+! you need to keep it around 450.... 500 max. Once your CA comes down a bit it will be a lot easier to bring dKH up to par; then you can slowly bring them both up to the desired levels.

The key is to keep them relative (there is a calculator online some ware that shows the proportions) when one of the big three gets way out of wack its hard to get them back on track. HTH


Dallas

[dentdominator]

Thanks for all the input. Alkalinity issues are going better than expected. I did miss calculating my dose. I thought I had a 1 milliliter per minute dosing pump. However, it is a 1.1 minute milliliter dosing pump.

I adjusted it for the mistake (30mls) that's a lot figuring 325mls.

Last alkalinity check was 9.3 dhk. Lets see where it brings it down to after I minus the 30mls.

I would like to see the alkalinity around 9.0 to 8.5 dkh maybe a little less but no lower than 8.0 dkh.

Also, the the tank is running on Vertex biopellets.

[dentdominator]

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