So ever since installing my ca. reactor a little over a year ago I have had problems keeping my alk where I want it. I would like to have it around 9 yet it always wants to creep up to 12. I am running a geo 612 with large arm media and a milwaukee ph controller. I have the controller set to 7.0 and I am running about 1 drip every other second. I am also running a precision marine kalk reactor through my top-off. Right now Ca is around 450 (Api), Alk is at 12 (API and Salifert), Mag is around 1300-1350 (Salifert). I have had issues with montis on and some tip recession on some acros. I did a water change last sun and the alk just slowly raises through the week. What should I do. Raise the ph on the controller? Leave it alone and just try to keep the alk stable at 12? Ditch the reactor and go back to two part? I would like my alk around 9 and I am ready to the the reactor out the window. I never had this issue even dosing two-part manually.
Alk question.
- Thread starter icedgxe
- Start date
I am about ready to throw things out the window. My red planet started receding as well as a couple of ohter acros and my montis still haven't fully come back around. It seems like things will be better right after a water change and as the week goes on they get worse. I did a water change on tues and Wed A.M.= Alk 8 Ca 420 Wed P.M. Alk 9 Ca 420-430. Thurs A.M. Alk 10 Ca 430-440. I am also thinking about dtiching the kalk reactor for a couple of reasons and wanted to get other peoples opnions. The filtration room is in the garage so the evaporation rate is high and unstable. Some days it high some low, some mornings and night low and during the day high or vice versa. Also my sump is a 75g with no baffles. So in order to cut on the ato, a good amount of water must evaporate before it will top off. This means that the top off runs once or twice a day max and puts in a good amount of water at once. I may watch and wait till it finishes topping off and measure the alk a little while later to see the diff. b/c to my knowledge alk should go down and ca up, not both up. Also My drip on the ca reactor is about one drip every second and a half to two seconds. Ph is set at 7.0 in the reactor. So...a couple of questions. Does anyone think the the kalk reactor may be hurting me with instability instead of helping? Should I ditch it and stick to ca reactor only and compare readings over a few days? Could a high nutrient level maybe be inhibiting growth therfore allowing the alk to creep up over the course of a few days? Slow drip rate more on the reactor or even raise ph more? Thanks for reading this long post and help pleeeeeease.
reef dummy
Member
Sometimes acro's and monti's die off for no good reason. I have a healthy tank with stable parameters and I can't keep a birdsnest or green monti alive to save my life. Orange and purple monti no problem, but green, no way, try explaining that. I have an anemone, clams, several sps colonies that are supposed to be hard to keep and a goniopora which is really hard to keep long term. Some corals just die in captivity. I do like 2-part dosing though. I have no experience with a reactor so I can't help you there.
Boomer
Reef Sanctuary's Mr. Wizard
You are adding to much Alk. I doubt you really need that kalk reactor unless you are looking at for a higher pH. In short, you have over shot your daily Alk demands big time and even the Ca++ somewhat. That is why they are rising. Your Alk demand is more two fold than the Ca++. Ca++ will leave solution by biotic or abiotic means. Meaning, not only corals, croalline ,etc., but also CaCO3 deposits, such as those on pumps or other equipment that have a whitish gray like color, i.e., hard water deposits. Alk or buffer will be part of this. However, the Alk/buffer is also neutralizing acids produced in the tank, which the Ca++ has nothing to do with. So, you are adding more than is require for all these Alk reactions to take place. You have this system set up for what looks like a daily Ca++ demand of 15 ppm, which is nuts 
You daily Ca++ demand is ~ 5 ppm / day but you are adding 10 ppm / day to much.i.e, 15 ppm added - 5 ppm demand= 10 ppm to much /day. Now from that CA reactor and Kalk unit for every 20 ppm Ca++ you add you are also adding 2.8 dKH / day. So, for that ~ 15 ppm /day, that is 2 dKH. You are using 5 ppm Ca++ 0.7 dkH / day and addding 10 ppm Ca++ to much each day which is adding 1.4 dKH /day more. You have gone from 8 - 10 dKH in 2 days. And that is 2 dKH for two days and what is 1 dkH 1 day and 1 dkH 2nd day ? 2 dkH. Now, some of that dKH will be used up in other reactions. What you are doing here is suppose happen based on what you are adding and what your daily demands are. Meaning, that Ca++ form the CA reactor and kalk reactor has to be cut back by 10 ppm /day.
You daily Ca++ demand is ~ 5 ppm / day but you are adding 10 ppm / day to much.i.e, 15 ppm added - 5 ppm demand= 10 ppm to much /day. Now from that CA reactor and Kalk unit for every 20 ppm Ca++ you add you are also adding 2.8 dKH / day. So, for that ~ 15 ppm /day, that is 2 dKH. You are using 5 ppm Ca++ 0.7 dkH / day and addding 10 ppm Ca++ to much each day which is adding 1.4 dKH /day more. You have gone from 8 - 10 dKH in 2 days. And that is 2 dKH for two days and what is 1 dkH 1 day and 1 dkH 2nd day ? 2 dkH. Now, some of that dKH will be used up in other reactions. What you are doing here is suppose happen based on what you are adding and what your daily demands are. Meaning, that Ca++ form the CA reactor and kalk reactor has to be cut back by 10 ppm /day.Thank you very much for the response. I knew I was over shooting my demands which is why I slowed the drip rate to 1 drip every other second and raised the ph in the reactot to 7.0. I think I may go ahead and simply things by taking of the kalk reactor and just tune the ca reactor to run alone. I am pretty well stocked so maybe higher nutrients are slowing growth wich is not helping. Thanks again for the response!