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Koddie Doo
03/27/2016, 02:57 PM
What are you targeting to get to. I heard a 8-12 is ok.
thegrun
03/27/2016, 03:04 PM
I find that around 8.3 to 8.5 is ideal for color, if growth is more important closer to 10.0 is better.
Koddie Doo
03/27/2016, 04:34 PM
Just got a new Hanna checker and it reads 8.1. How often should I check? Is daily overkill?
snorvich
03/27/2016, 07:19 PM
I find that around 8.3 to 8.5 is ideal for color, if growth is more important closer to 10.0 is better.

What he said.
snorvich
03/27/2016, 07:20 PM
Just got a new Hanna checker and it reads 8.1. How often should I check? Is daily overkill?

I test weekly (Tuesday)
Flippers4pups
03/27/2016, 07:25 PM
I target some where in the middle at 9 and test twice a week. That way if it drops, I catch it before it gets to 8. If I go to 10, I start to get burnt tips. That's what works for my tank. Your mileage may vary.
Pete_the_Puma
03/27/2016, 07:45 PM
I think you will find various people have had success at various ALK levels.

It used to be the though that higher levels were better, and people would aim for around 9-10 dKH.

More recently all the people running ULNS aim for much closer levels to the ALK found in natural seawater, around 6.5-7.5.

I run ULNS and aim for an alk of 7.2. I test daily or every other day but that's my OCD.

I think you will find that stability is much more important than the actual level.

I also think choosing the right salt depending on where you want to keep your alk is very important. I would never be able to maintain 7.2 if I used IO for example, it mixes at 10-11 dKH if I remember.


Good luck!
droog
03/27/2016, 08:50 PM
Corals can consume Alk quite quickly, and relative to other ions in the water there's not much to go around.

If you need to dose supplements to keep the Alk level constant, measuring DAILY or 3 times in one week (same time of day) can help you tune the dosing amount and keep Alk stable. Once it's dialed in, once a week should be often enough.

-droog
Reef Ruler
03/28/2016, 09:10 AM
Just got a new Hanna checker and it reads 8.1. How often should I check? Is daily overkill?

When figuring out my alk consumption and how much I needed to dose to maintain steady levels, I tested every day. Now I try to test weekly, but sometimes it's as long as 3 weeks or so in between tests.