Recovering from a doser malfunction

[Andrew D]

Hi all, I need your collective help. I was on vacation over new years and asked a friend to watch my tank. He did a great job with what I asked of him, but when I returned I discovered that my doser had popped it's discharge tube due to a blockage down the line and as much as 7 days of b-ionic alkalinity dripped onto the floor. What a mess, but more importantly my alkalinity dropped from 8.3 to under 6 in a very short period of time. I know stability is key when keeping sps but I also know that 6 is too low given my high light high nutrient system. My question therefore is how quickly should I bring things back to my ideal parameters? Is it more harmful to leave things too low or to bounce back too quickly?

Thanks in advance. Andrew

[lynchmob3000]

Turn it back to normal and then hand dose daily 20-25%more til you get to your set point. Should be all good as long as you go slow. Been there done that.


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[Andrew D]

Thanks. That's what I've been doing and so far things are still looking OK. I know it takes a while before the effects of such swings are visible though.

[DiscusHeckel]

In my opinion, I would not return to normal alkalinity quickly, providing that pH is not affected too negatively as alkalinity's buffering effect of pH diminishes in low alkalinity. Instead, I would do so over at least 10 days.

On three occasions, my alkalinity dropped down to 5.5 dKH from 6.85 dKH for similar reasons. Nothing happened to my Acroporids. I think upward swing affect them more than the downward swing. In my case, I use a kalkstirrer. So, pH is regulated well even in low alkalinity levels.

[plyle02]

Originally Posted by DiscusHeckel

In my opinion, I would not return to normal alkalinity quickly, providing that pH is not affected too negatively as alkalinity's buffering effect of pH diminishes in low alkalinity. Instead, I would do so over at least 10 days.

On three occasions, my alkalinity dropped down to 5.5 dKH from 6.85 dKH for similar reasons. Nothing happened to my Acroporids. I think upward swing affect them more than the downward swing. In my case, I use a kalkstirrer. So, pH is regulated well even in low alkalinity levels.

I totally agree Acros and sps in general can take lowered alk, more so than most think, and until you have run really low, like 5.5-5.7 low, you will realize that the colors do not shift, PE remains stable, and all in all, seem unaffected. The rise in alk, like Bulent pointed out could be a problem if done too quickly. 10 days sounds fair enough, and as pointed out, return to normal schedule ASAP as to no continue to drop any lower. Buffer on top of the normal schedule daily, in small increments, make observations, and be patient. Depending on nutrient levels, your corals may actually prefer 6.5-7.5dkh, especially if nutrients are really low. Just thought I would throw that out there

[Andrew D]

Thanks everyone. I am taking it slowly, having decided to not adjust the settings but rather supplement with a manual dose every day. This should take about 2 weeks to get back to normal (for me) levels given the amount I have to dose daily. As for the comment re. lower levels being preferred, I have high nutrients so usually run my alk a little higher. Will post an update in a few weeks. thanks again.