desired Alk

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by thegrun

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by Koddie Doo

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by Koddie Doo

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.

03/27/2016, 02:57 PM	#1
Koddie Doo Czar of All ThingsAwesome Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: O'Fallon, IL Posts: 2,578	desired Alk What are you targeting to get to. I heard a 8-12 is ok. __________________ I like to superglue living creatures to rocks and suspend a crazy amount of light inches away from the surface of the water just to stare at it. Mostly Softies and Nems / Marineland 90 / RS-200 3rd

03/27/2016, 04:34 PM	#3
Koddie Doo Czar of All ThingsAwesome Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: O'Fallon, IL Posts: 2,578	Just got a new Hanna checker and it reads 8.1. How often should I check? Is daily overkill? __________________ I like to superglue living creatures to rocks and suspend a crazy amount of light inches away from the surface of the water just to stare at it. Mostly Softies and Nems / Marineland 90 / RS-200 3rd

03/27/2016, 07:25 PM	#6
Flippers4pups Home made abyss Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Lake Saint Louis, MO Posts: 2,047	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. __________________ Don Reefing since 1993 Current Tank info: 125 gallon DT , 125 gallon basement sump. Rw 15 & Rw 8. Panworld 150ps return. Reef Octopus 150 skimmer, 3 165w mars aqua led.

03/27/2016, 03:04 PM	#2
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	I find that around 8.3 to 8.5 is ideal for color, if growth is more important closer to 10.0 is better.

03/27/2016, 07:45 PM	#7
Pete_the_Puma Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 113	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!

03/27/2016, 08:50 PM	#8
droog Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Posts: 736	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