Can someone explain Alkalinity?

[DraggingTail]

I don't completely understand Alkalinity. Can some master reefers explain the difference between Alkalinity and dKH? How you test for them and how Ca and Mg play a role in the reef ecosystem?

 

[ndrwater]

There are some really good videos done by BRS on the subject. Let me see if I can find them


There is a good start, and I think you'll go down quite a wormhole watching BRS videos. They really do a great job

 

[Brew12]

I don't completely understand Alkalinity. Can some master reefers explain the difference between Alkalinity and dKH? How you test for them and how Ca and Mg play a role in the reef ecosystem?

This is a great article that Randy wrote.
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-04/rhf/feature/index.php

If you want the two cent version I'll try to give you that. We care about alkalinity because it how we monitor carbonate in the water. Calcium and carbonate are the main components of coral skeletons so they need both to grow. Magnesium helps coral grow and it also acts like a barrier to prevent calcium precipitation.

 

[DraggingTail]

There are some really good videos done by BRS on the subject. Let me see if I can find them


There is a good start, and I think you'll go down quite a wormhole watching BRS videos. They really do a great job

I been watching all afternoon. Casting to my TV on autoplay..

 

[DraggingTail]

This is a great article that Randy wrote.
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-04/rhf/feature/index.php

If you want the two cent version I'll try to give you that. We care about alkalinity because it how we monitor carbonate in the water. Calcium and carbonate are the main components of coral skeletons so they need both to grow. Magnesium helps coral grow and it also acts like a barrier to prevent calcium precipitation.

Can someone explain the math? My tank does not seem to jive with the formulas.

My testing log is below. What am I missing?

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...RdChcCXN_XPrurixjkQD8e_pVVA/edit?usp=drivesdk

 

[Justfebreezeit]

Your tank parameters look normal. What exactly are you confused about?

 

[DraggingTail]

Your tank parameters look normal. What exactly are you confused about?

In the article under Solubility of Calcium Carbonate, my numbers don't seem to fit.

My goal is to fix this coral.... It is losing tissue at the bottom. [emoji29]

I assumed my Alk is the problem.

 

[DraggingTail]

Here is a better pic.

 

[DraggingTail]

Sorry. Forgot pic

 

[Justfebreezeit]

I dont know what test kits you are using but with low nitrate and low P04 I would keep my Alk between 7-8. Pick a number like 7.5 and dont let it move from there. I test daily while i'm dialing the dosing in or notice something not perfect in the tank.

try to keep your daily alk change as low as possible.

 

[DraggingTail]

I dont know what test kits you are using but with low nitrate and low P04 I would keep my Alk between 7-8. Pick a number like 7.5 and dont let it move from there. I test daily while i'm dialing the dosing in or notice something not perfect in the tank.

try to keep your daily alk change as low as possible.

API for everything except Ammonia which is Red Sea. I am sure I have some Phosphates. But I need a low range Phosphate test which I do not have.

I know how to increase Alkalinity. How do I lower it?

 

[saltyhog]

API for everything except Ammonia which is Red Sea. I am sure I have some Phosphates. But I need a low range Phosphate test which I do not have.

I know how to increase Alkalinity. How do I lower it?

Wait patiently!

Seriously, just wait for your tank to use enough alkalinity to lower it to the point you want it. Then dose to keep it there.

I don't think your alkalinity is necessarily the reason for your coral's problem. Strive for stability. There's a broad range of alkalinity that corals can thrive in....if it's stable!

Get a better test kit if you can swing it....especially a ULR phosphate (I like the Hanna checker but there are other good test kits for PO4). You really don't know what your PO4 reading is or even if you for sure have detectable PO4. Zero phosphate is a bad idea on several levels.

 

[DraggingTail]

Wait patiently!

Seriously, just wait for your tank to use enough alkalinity to lower it to the point you want it. Then dose to keep it there.

I don't think your alkalinity is necessarily the reason for your coral's problem. Strive for stability. There's a broad range of alkalinity that corals can thrive in....if it's stable!

Get a better test kit if you can swing it....especially a ULR phosphate (I like the Hanna checker but there are other good test kits for PO4). You really don't know what your PO4 reading is or even if you for sure have detectable PO4. Zero phosphate is a bad idea on several levels.

I try to be patient but don't want to lose another acro. My other one that did this just slowly kept receding until there no more.

This was the other Acro that slowly died.

So, I was talked into trying again.

 

[DraggingTail]

Wait patiently!

Seriously, just wait for your tank to use enough alkalinity to lower it to the point you want it. Then dose to keep it there.

I don't think your alkalinity is necessarily the reason for your coral's problem. Strive for stability. There's a broad range of alkalinity that corals can thrive in....if it's stable!

Get a better test kit if you can swing it....especially a ULR phosphate (I like the Hanna checker but there are other good test kits for PO4). You really don't know what your PO4 reading is or even if you for sure have detectable PO4. Zero phosphate is a bad idea on several levels.

I thought I was keeping stability before I ever added coral.

Here is my log.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...RdChcCXN_XPrurixjkQD8e_pVVA/edit?usp=drivesdk

 

[DraggingTail]

Wait patiently!

Seriously, just wait for your tank to use enough alkalinity to lower it to the point you want it. Then dose to keep it there.

I don't think your alkalinity is necessarily the reason for your coral's problem. Strive for stability. There's a broad range of alkalinity that corals can thrive in....if it's stable!

Get a better test kit if you can swing it....especially a ULR phosphate (I like the Hanna checker but there are other good test kits for PO4). You really don't know what your PO4 reading is or even if you for sure have detectable PO4. Zero phosphate is a bad idea on several levels.

Other coral look good.

 

[saltyhog]

Your salinity doesn't look very stable and until the last couple of weeks your alkalinity hasn't been. Long term stability is the goal. I strive to keep alkalinity within a 0,5 dKh range.

How old is your tank @DraggingTail ? Sometimes acros struggle in immature tanks.

 

[DraggingTail]

Your salinity doesn't look very stable and until the last couple of weeks your alkalinity hasn't been. Long term stability is the goal. I strive to keep alkalinity within a 0,5 dKh range.

How old is your tank @DraggingTail ? Sometimes acros struggle in immature tanks.

8 months in February

 

[DraggingTail]

Your salinity doesn't look very stable and until the last couple of weeks your alkalinity hasn't been. Long term stability is the goal. I strive to keep alkalinity within a 0,5 dKh range.

How old is your tank @DraggingTail ? Sometimes acros struggle in immature tanks.

I waited until I had corraline before adding any coral since corraline needs the same building blocks as coral.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

It’s Gunna freak you out , and I may get banned.

Before I started auto dosing , ....I never tested alk. Ever.

My Red Sea kit came in the same box as my doser.


And my acros and sps grew like weeds.

I looked at the number of stony corals in my tank and knew water changes would not keep up and started testing and dosing.

Look at the first post in this. There is NO doser.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/my-cherry-30-cube-saltyfilmfolks.248152/
Also using real live sweater. Alk 6.5 -7.5.

It’s not the alk.

 

[DraggingTail]

It’s Gunna freak you out , and I may get banned.

Before I started auto dosing , ....I never tested alk. Ever.

My Red Sea kit came in the same box as my doser.


And my acros and sps grew like weeds.

I looked at the number of stony corals in my tank and knew water changes would not keep up and started testing and dosing.

Look at the first post in this. There is NO doser.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/my-cherry-30-cube-saltyfilmfolks.248152/
Also using real live sweater. Alk 6.5 -7.5.

It’s not the alk.

I notice your light is WAY above your water. My bulb is only 8" off the water and it's a 400w 20000k MH on 10 hours a day.

Could I be burning them up?

That milli is only a couple inches below the surface