how do you folks keep you Alk. stable?

Discussion in 'Water Chemistry' started by Swisswiss, Sep 30, 2015.

to remove this notice and enjoy 3reef content with less ads. 3reef membership is free.

  1. Swisswiss

    Swisswiss Caribbean Reef Squid

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2011
    Messages:
    2,879
    Location:
    Geneva Switzerland
    URGH! in the past I use to chase the numbers when it came to Po4 and No3 now that i have those tamed I'm fighting my Alk. since my rest up about 3 months ago iv had my alk. go from 11 (dkh) and slowly drop to 7. once it hit 7, with the suggestions of a fellow reefer, i decided to take action and started dosing red seas foundation B. obviously i screwed up the initial dosing and jumped my alk from 7 back up to 11 in a 24h period (luckily with no ill effects). since then iv been dosing 15ml daily and i thought i had found the right dosing amount since it tested out at 9.8 the last couple of times i tested after a water change.

    however i tested today mid week to see where my numbers are and here are the results:

    temp 25°C
    sal. 1.025
    Ph 8.2 (tested out at 8.4 the last couple weeks)
    Dkh 10.1...
    cal. 450
    mg 1400
    no3 0
    po4 <0.03

    are small alk. swings acceptable or should i be striving to keep it as fixed as possible?
     
  2. Click Here!

  3. Va Reef

    Va Reef Giant Squid

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2010
    Messages:
    3,627
    Location:
    Chesapeake, Va
    Acceptable just depends on who you talk to. On my system I expect daily stability. I've also spent weeks finding my average daily uptake, and always make sure my water change water is the same as my tank water.

    I go through about .2 meq/L a day. Which I believe comes out to 7mL daily of tropic Marin's part 2 from their 3 part solution.
     
    Swisswiss likes this.
  4. Swisswiss

    Swisswiss Caribbean Reef Squid

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2011
    Messages:
    2,879
    Location:
    Geneva Switzerland
    how did you calculate your daily uptake?
     
  5. Vinnyboombatz

    Vinnyboombatz Giant Squid

    Joined:
    Oct 24, 2010
    Messages:
    6,344
    Location:
    Dunnellon, Florida
  6. Va Reef

    Va Reef Giant Squid

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2010
    Messages:
    3,627
    Location:
    Chesapeake, Va
    Easiest way is to not dose or do water changes for a week, measure your starting alkalinity, then after the week is up, measure your alkalinity again. Subtract the two numbers then divide by 7 (number of days) to get a rough estimation of daily uptake. I tested daily just for curiosity's sake. I did the same for calcium and magnesium to determine my dose rates for the 1st and 3rd parts respectively.
     
  7. Swisswiss

    Swisswiss Caribbean Reef Squid

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2011
    Messages:
    2,879
    Location:
    Geneva Switzerland
    thx for the reply bros. ill try that out reef, is it normal that my calcium and mg don't budge at all despite my alk. swinging?
     
  8. Click Here!

  9. Todd_Sails

    Todd_Sails Giant Squid

    Joined:
    Jul 3, 2011
    Messages:
    4,732
    Location:
    A Texan in S.E. Wisconsin
    The Alk is often the least stable, Ca next, Mg is usually fairly stabe IMO.

    You asked how.....
    For years I've used Kalwasser.
    I finally bought a dosing pump (4 head), and plan to use at least 3 of them.
    Kalwasser precipitates at any moderate concentration though.
    For this however, I have started manually dosing Baking Soda for the Alk because it stays in solution better when I plan to put it in a jug and dose with it for weeks at a time.

    I agree on finding an average, starting there, realizing some adjustments may still have ot be made.

    While a great idea- that I have heard of before- I don't test or try to match my WC water on the Big 3- I use Kent Salt and do about 20% every 3-4 weeks. (52Gallons)
     
    Swisswiss likes this.
  10. Swisswiss

    Swisswiss Caribbean Reef Squid

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2011
    Messages:
    2,879
    Location:
    Geneva Switzerland
    technically speaking... when you dose something to keep your Alk. stable your actually making it "swing" back to the value you're targeting correct?

    I did test a few hours after having dosed foundation B. I'm thinking if i tested before dosing it may have been at 9.8.....which makes sense since the bottle says 1ml/100l will increase dkh by 0.1 (i have a 450 litter system so. 4ml/400 L= 0.1 dkh increase. since iv dosed 15 ml that would equal an increase of about 0.3-0.4. so 10.1 - 0.3 = 9.8)

    ill try testing tomorrow morning before i dose, see what value i get
     
  11. Av8Bluewater

    Av8Bluewater Giant Squid

    Joined:
    Aug 27, 2008
    Messages:
    3,401
    Location:
    Dallas
    Calcium reactor. If it drops turn a knob for more and keep tweeking until you find the sweet spot.
    With Carib sea coarse grain it adds a perfectly proportioned supply of Alk,mag,calcium, potassium ,strontium and other trace elements.
    Simply doesn't get any easier.
    (Side note: I wouldn't run a reactor without the carbon doser regulator)
     
  12. Swisswiss

    Swisswiss Caribbean Reef Squid

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2011
    Messages:
    2,879
    Location:
    Geneva Switzerland
    iv heard about calcium reactors but was unaware it supplied mag. as well. I'm thinking about investing in a dosing pump too. came across this one

    https://ecom.amenworld.com/epages/2...2/?ObjectPath=/Shops/295366/Products/JEBDP-06

    thoughts?

    im afraid to spend less because i fear ill spend more in the long run but some models of dosing pumps are disgustingly expensive. this one seems like a good deal....to much of a good deal if you know what i mean
     
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2015