low ALK issues

B

bimmerzs

If Ca and mg are good then I would retest with a different kit or confirm with a LFS....your kit could be bad. I would think your OH would be low as well if your Alk really is that low. The 2 part is also not a good way to raise alk, it is only good to maintain your levels, I would suggest Kent Super Buffer or the like to slowly raise your alk within range then recalculate your tank's alk consumption.

Cheers,
 
A pH of 7.8 is typically less than ideal. I too would recommend using some other type of buffer, you could even use baking soda. You should check out the reef calculator under the helpful threads sticky in this forum, it will tell you how much of whichever buffer you will need to get you to the desired Alk. Be careful though and don't dose it all at once. Before you do that I would also recommend double checking the reading with another test kit, just to make sure your test kit isn't out of whack. Also what are your other params at like calcium and magnesium?
 
Those sound good, have you had a chance to double check the reading with another test kit? What brand are you using on the Alk test?
 
I use B-ionic 2 part as well and for the longest time my alk was always on the low side. 5,6,7 but never up to 9. I tried different options to get both the pH and alk to better levels. The tank is a 40 gallon SPS tank. I use the B-Ionic doser and have the timers scheduled to dose between 12:30 a.m and 4 a.m. About a month ago I did a bunch of reading on different buffers and ended up buying Seachem Reef Buffer (raises pH) and Reef Builder (raises alk). I started adding the Reef Builder to the top off water and my alk has gone up to 9 and pH now is about 77 late at night to 8.3 at its highest during the day. The highest my pH ever got to was 8.0. Previously I tried baking soda, baked baking soda, Salifert Buffer, Kent Buffer and this is the only thing for my tanks that has worked. I haven't had to use the Reef Buffer yet.
 
When dealing with dosing solutions like b-ionic or 2-part, you increase the amount you dose to adjust the number. Have you adjusted that volume upwards? The recommended amounts on the bottles are just starting points, your tank will dictate the actual amount needed to keep the levels you want. Just make sure you don't adjust upwards more than .5 dkh per day.
 
@acat1976 wrote:
I have slowly been adding baking soda said:
The low alk values could also be due to the amount present in the salt you're using. I recently discovered that my tank was running at 6.0 dkH with Ca at 460 and Mg around 1400. I'm using the recipe #1 alkalinity solution from Randy Holmes-Farley's DIY two part with good results.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top