Alk will not go down

Pslreefer · 12/15/2017, 06:30 PM

Been having this issue since my tank cycled. Its had water in it since July 19th.

My alk stays steady at 13.5 and today tested its at 15.5... I did add ph buffer yesterday as the ph was quite low do to having a lot of people in the house.

But still, why will it not drop period? I test using Hanna and do 2 tests to make sure.

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mal7887 · 12/16/2017, 05:18 AM

If it is a new tank it is possible you do not have anything consuming it yet or it is very very slowly.

Pslreefer · 12/16/2017, 09:39 AM

That is what I’m thinking though I do have about 20 frags but they are not growing very fast

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Cheapreef · 12/16/2017, 10:03 AM

Whatever you added to buffer your PH has bumped you Alk, you can't raise PH without effecting your ALK.
What is low PH, do you have a number? My tank has run a contstant 7.75-7.95 without issues, fantastic growth. Stablinitly is key, Alk being the most important, then Calcium and mag. Do Not Chasea PH number.

rvareef · 12/16/2017, 10:06 AM

id hold off on adding the buffer until your frags get bigger

RobZilla04 · 12/16/2017, 04:05 PM

If pH is within the range of acceptable leave it alone. Period.

Alk will consume as coral and corraline grow. If they are growing slowly or not at all, Alk will remain stable.

bertoni · 12/16/2017, 04:18 PM

I agree that the pH buffer adds alkalinity. That's how they function. They are high-pH alkalinity supplements that consume carbon dioxide from the water column. I'd stop dosing the buffer, and live with the pH as it is, most likely. A lot of tanks run in the pH 7.8 zone because most houses have a lot of carbon dioxide in them. What was your tank's pH before the buffer dose?

This article has more information:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/rhf/index.htm

Pslreefer · 12/16/2017, 05:54 PM

It was always a steady deep purple on api, when it went down it was a light brown. So hard to say exact numbers with api.

I do run a reverse lightning schedule for my cheato under the stand. DKh was originally 13.5

There was just an additional 4 people in the house which prolly caused it to spike down. I didn’t want to buffer due to a kalk increase but didn’t realize it would jump 2 points.

Normally I don’t buffer at all.

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bertoni · 12/16/2017, 06:37 PM

Buffers generally don't solve pH problems anyway, since aeration brings the pH down fairly quickly in most tanks, so I'd just stop using it.

Pslreefer · 12/16/2017, 08:17 PM

DKh went down .1 from last night.

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bertoni · 12/16/2017, 08:27 PM

Consumption should bring alkalinity down over time if no more is added. That's not much of a drop, though. A lot of tanks go through 2-3 dKH per day.

Lsufan · 12/17/2017, 07:27 PM

If u are using a salt that has high alk like reef crystals & nothing is consuming the alk, then it will stay high. I have a tank full of lps & sps & I just use regular instant ocean because I don’t like the high alk in reef crystals.

I agree with the others on the ph. It is unlikely that ph is a issue & using buffers will do more harm then good in most cases. If ph is a issue buffers won’t fix the problem anyway because they are just a temporary fix.

crawlerman · 12/21/2017, 10:19 AM

The best thing you can do is throw away your ph test kit and never worry about it. If you have a crazy amount of people in your house maybe crack a window near the tank. Keep alk, calcium and magnesium in range and steady. Keep nutrients under control. At this point you would be best to just let it fall naturally. Test to make sure, but with the newer tank and not a lot of corals, you can probably maintain your levels with bi-weekly water changes.

josephxsxn · 12/22/2017, 07:59 AM

I know my PH was depressed over in-sufficient water agitation and gas exchange, mid-day I was running 7.6 when it started become a problem at night.. I tested a cup of water in outdoor air for an hour with an airstone and was back to a PH of 8.2... I just run 2 airstones in an enclosed part of my sump now to handle the spray and my PH stays right around 7.9-8.2 now.

hkgar · 12/22/2017, 03:29 PM

DO NOT ADD BUFFER. Ph simply has a mind of it's own and, except for lowering tank water co2, you can do nothing to control it. Well lights can have a small effect. Here is a chart of my PH over about 7 days. You can see the days I did a 3 day lights out for cyano, but even that had little effect.

Pslreefer · 12/22/2017, 10:09 PM

Yep no buffer added since and haven’t even checked ph, however I did test alk and it’s at 14.9 now. Veryyyyy slowly going down. We’ll see when I’m back home next Tuesday or Wednesday.

I can’t stand new tanks, ugh.

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12/15/2017, 06:30 PM	#1
Pslreefer In Memoriam Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Port St Lucie, FL Posts: 597	Alk will not go down Been having this issue since my tank cycled. Its had water in it since July 19th. My alk stays steady at 13.5 and today tested its at 15.5... I did add ph buffer yesterday as the ph was quite low do to having a lot of people in the house. But still, why will it not drop period? I test using Hanna and do 2 tests to make sure. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

12/16/2017, 05:18 AM	#2
mal7887 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Tampa Posts: 643	If it is a new tank it is possible you do not have anything consuming it yet or it is very very slowly. __________________ Matt Don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining. Current Tank Info: 190 Last edited by mal7887; 12/16/2017 at 06:16 AM.

12/16/2017, 04:05 PM	#6
RobZilla04 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: St. Augustine, FL Posts: 1,857	If pH is within the range of acceptable leave it alone. Period. Alk will consume as coral and corraline grow. If they are growing slowly or not at all, Alk will remain stable. __________________ 90g Mixed Reef

12/16/2017, 04:18 PM	#7
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	I agree that the pH buffer adds alkalinity. That's how they function. They are high-pH alkalinity supplements that consume carbon dioxide from the water column. I'd stop dosing the buffer, and live with the pH as it is, most likely. A lot of tanks run in the pH 7.8 zone because most houses have a lot of carbon dioxide in them. What was your tank's pH before the buffer dose? This article has more information: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/rhf/index.htm __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

12/16/2017, 05:54 PM	#8
Pslreefer In Memoriam Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Port St Lucie, FL Posts: 597	Alk will not go down It was always a steady deep purple on api, when it went down it was a light brown. So hard to say exact numbers with api. I do run a reverse lightning schedule for my cheato under the stand. DKh was originally 13.5 There was just an additional 4 people in the house which prolly caused it to spike down. I didn’t want to buffer due to a kalk increase but didn’t realize it would jump 2 points. Normally I don’t buffer at all. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

12/16/2017, 09:39 AM	#3
Pslreefer In Memoriam Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Port St Lucie, FL Posts: 597	That is what I’m thinking though I do have about 20 frags but they are not growing very fast Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

12/16/2017, 10:03 AM	#4
Cheapreef Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 1,076	Whatever you added to buffer your PH has bumped you Alk, you can't raise PH without effecting your ALK. What is low PH, do you have a number? My tank has run a contstant 7.75-7.95 without issues, fantastic growth. Stablinitly is key, Alk being the most important, then Calcium and mag. Do Not Chasea PH number.

12/16/2017, 10:06 AM	#5
rvareef In Memoriam Join Date: Jun 2014 Posts: 664	id hold off on adding the buffer until your frags get bigger

12/16/2017, 06:37 PM	#9
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	Buffers generally don't solve pH problems anyway, since aeration brings the pH down fairly quickly in most tanks, so I'd just stop using it. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

12/16/2017, 08:17 PM	#10
Pslreefer In Memoriam Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Port St Lucie, FL Posts: 597	DKh went down .1 from last night. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

12/16/2017, 08:27 PM	#11
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	Consumption should bring alkalinity down over time if no more is added. That's not much of a drop, though. A lot of tanks go through 2-3 dKH per day. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

12/17/2017, 07:27 PM	#12
Lsufan Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Baton Rouge Posts: 1,410	If u are using a salt that has high alk like reef crystals & nothing is consuming the alk, then it will stay high. I have a tank full of lps & sps & I just use regular instant ocean because I don’t like the high alk in reef crystals. I agree with the others on the ph. It is unlikely that ph is a issue & using buffers will do more harm then good in most cases. If ph is a issue buffers won’t fix the problem anyway because they are just a temporary fix.

12/21/2017, 10:19 AM	#13
crawlerman Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 503	The best thing you can do is throw away your ph test kit and never worry about it. If you have a crazy amount of people in your house maybe crack a window near the tank. Keep alk, calcium and magnesium in range and steady. Keep nutrients under control. At this point you would be best to just let it fall naturally. Test to make sure, but with the newer tank and not a lot of corals, you can probably maintain your levels with bi-weekly water changes.

12/22/2017, 07:59 AM	#14
josephxsxn Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: DTW, Michigan Posts: 122	I know my PH was depressed over in-sufficient water agitation and gas exchange, mid-day I was running 7.6 when it started become a problem at night.. I tested a cup of water in outdoor air for an hour with an airstone and was back to a PH of 8.2... I just run 2 airstones in an enclosed part of my sump now to handle the spray and my PH stays right around 7.9-8.2 now.

12/22/2017, 10:09 PM	#16
Pslreefer In Memoriam Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Port St Lucie, FL Posts: 597	Yep no buffer added since and haven’t even checked ph, however I did test alk and it’s at 14.9 now. Veryyyyy slowly going down. We’ll see when I’m back home next Tuesday or Wednesday. I can’t stand new tanks, ugh. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk