How often do you check your alk?

30reef · #1 01/02/2008, 01:40 AM

I was wondering how often you check your alk? I hardly ever test mine due to the inaccuracy of the tests. My corals look good so it must be ok though, right? Some days I measure 11 and some days I measure 7. I am most certain it does not fluctuate that much day to day. Ca is stable at 450 most of the time.

I dose soda ash via top off water with a Litermeter. I add ca manually every other day, I put in a heaping tablespoon into the sump. I have had no problems doing it this way. If I disolve it in a cup first and then pour it in, the corals will sometimes retract their polyps for a bit.

While I am asking how often you test your alk, how often do you test your pH? For me, never. If your pH is off, what do you do to correct it? (I know how to do this, I'm just asking how everyone else does it)

Everyone's thoughts would be 'preciated.

kirstenk · #2 01/02/2008, 11:19 AM

I use the same system to deliver my ALK and CA to my tank. Baked baking soda in the topoff tub and manual dosing of DowFlake. My ALK remains stable where CA will get low if I get lazy/forget to dose it.

I know your not asking but if your ALK swings that much over any amount of time it seems to me you are not dosing enough soda to keep it where you want it to be. Stable ALK can be achieved with topoff dosing of the supplement.

How often do I test? ALK is tested a minimum of once a week and usually more. Just a habit and I also feel ALK is the single most important parameter for an SPS tank. When weather changes, my evaporation rate changes so I go into daily testing mode. Seems at the beginning of every summer I have tissue loss due to ALK rising. At that time, I cut back on the amount of soda I put into the topoff.

I check PH via a monitor. To me manual testing is a waste and will always read high no matter whose test it is.

Garage1217 · #3 01/02/2008, 11:37 AM

I checked for alk really for the first time the other day.. Was shocked to see it so low, registered 5... Ca was 460. I had neglected a water change the previous week and my tank is stocked heavy... Did a 5g change last night so will check it when I get home...

jasonh · #4 01/02/2008, 11:52 AM

I used to test my alk every few days, but it's stayed stable at 3.3 meq/l so I don't really bother any more. Ca on the other hand...I need to get a test kit. AT tested it at 590. I also don't have a lot of really demanding corals right now though...

I don't dose anything.

widefx · #5 01/02/2008, 12:00 PM

Ever since my minor SPS crash I have been testing every other day to daily. It seems that my alk consumption it 2/3 cup part 1 of randy's two part (basically 8dkh after dosing at night and 7dkh at night before dosing). I have stopped adding it to my ATO until I figure out how to get the correct saturation to my water evaporation.

Also note I am testing with API test kit daily and once a week with Salifert test kit. I really like the API for a quick check but it can only be read by 1dkh instead of .01

kirstenk · #6 01/02/2008, 12:12 PM

Its just darn right AMAZING how fast I can do an ALK. Under a minute for sure.....from getting the kit out to completing the test and putting it away!!

Garage1217 · #7 01/02/2008, 01:45 PM

Yeah quick test

I use the API kit as well. I am a total noob when it comes to dosing for alk... what do you all use..? 5dkh was pretty low it seems....

30reef · #8 01/02/2008, 01:47 PM

Thanks for the responses. I will start testing more often. I believe my tests are somewhat inaccurate though. I can do 2 back to back and get different readings. I have never had any issues with tissue loss. (knock on wood) I have been adding 3 tablespoons of sada ash to my 5g ro/di container and as of last night, my litermeter was set at 3.5 liters per day. That seems to keep the alk right in the middle. (around 9) I am going to order an Elos alk test kit as I have been reading that they perform well. I am also searching for a good deal on a pH monitor. Does anyone use the electronic pH pens? I don't want to buy used because there is no way to know if the probe is at the end of it's life and the probe is half the cost of the moniter. I just need to break down and buy one I guess.

oct2274 · #9 01/02/2008, 02:02 PM

i typically can't go more then 2-3 days without testing and adding alk to maintain it

Garage1217 · #10 01/02/2008, 02:28 PM

Do you guys do water changes on a reg basis..? Or very rare and just dose to maintain the levels..?

widefx · #11 01/02/2008, 02:30 PM

I change 25% every other week. This does not keep up with the demands of the corals.

Garage1217 · #12 01/02/2008, 02:33 PM

Good to know

oct2274 · #13 01/02/2008, 03:08 PM

i would have to do water changes every 3 days to keep my alk in line. much easier to test every two days and dose the proper amounts of alk and calcium using the chemicals calculator then to do water changes constantly, especially on a tank over 100 gallons

reef chemical calculator
http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chem_calc3.html

30reef · #14 01/02/2008, 03:25 PM

I have been reading alot of posts by Eric Borneman on the RC forums regarding water changes. He has been successful without water changes in his systems for years. I have not changed any water in my tank for 3 months now. The only additions I make are soda ash, calcium chloride granuals, Kent techM periodically, Ro/di and food. My Nitrates never exceed 1 and my corals grow well. I'm sure someone will post after this and slam me with reasons to change water. But whatever, it's working for me. I may start a 3 or 4 gallon water change every other month schedule just for the sake of using all of the salt I have.

It is amazing though at the amount of soda and ca you have to add to keep the levels up. I bought the 1g containers of the stuff from 2part and originally I figured it would last for a couple of years but in reality, I have used a fourth of it in just a few months of use. I think the 1g buckets have 4 or 5lbs of product in them. I also bought the 1g buckets of GFO and lignite carbon, I mix the two and put it in a TLF reactor. I change that every 2 weeks. The carbon works so good at removing color in the water, I had some frags bleach when I first began using it. Now all is ok though.

I think a good part of the soda and ca added are removed by the corallin algae, not the corals. ( In my tank at least)

Doglover_50 · #15 01/02/2008, 06:24 PM

Oh man--you are playing with fire if you are not doing water changes for that length of time. It is interesting you found taht entry by Borneman about no water changes--because in most of his writings, he emphasizes the importance of regular water changes--to the point of overemphasizing it. He may get away with it, but remember--he's a leading expert! That's not a slam--just a comment. It's great it's worked for you so far, but I suspect sooner or later you will pay the piper. You could buy the premade water and do the size water changes you are mentioning for about $5 per month.

I would disagree with you about inaccuracy in measuring alk. Even good systems are very quick and easy to measure it. But if you are doing nothing now, I'd suggest simply buying the test sticks for 15 second testing. They are far from perfectly accurate, but they sure do demonstrate significant reductions in alk. I think you are right that the coraline uses quite a bit of the calcium. Anyway, good thread to get input on!

oct2274 · #16 01/02/2008, 06:59 PM

i typically don't do water changes for 2-3 months. there are multiple people on the reefcentral forums that post they don't do water changes more then once a year...........and some much longer then that. I think they just test for a few things like alk, calcium, magnesium, and strontium. I really don't agree with going for a year or more, but there is absolutely no reason you can't go for 3-4 months as long as your water quality is good and you are supplimenting the main things.

30reef · #17 01/02/2008, 07:19 PM

I agree 100%.

What would be the benefit of doing a wc if all the params are in the norm? Even my Nitrate is very low.(<1 usually) I don't even have any algae growth other than the corallin. I don't clean the inside of the glass except maybe every 2 weeks. (and even then not totally nec.)

I don't run a refugium and maybe that helps keep some ingredients in the water longer. (I'm guessing, I know nothing about element export) My skimmer doesn't pull out much either.

I have been testing with a Salifert alk kit. And I just tested last night. The first test read 9.6, the second test within 15 minutes read 7. To me, that's a bad reading. Something I did wrong... probably. I just don't know what to believe. (I think Kirsten had a thread about this not too long ago) Do I leave it where it is at 9.6 or do I believe it is 7 and raise the alk? A quick read of the Salifert forum tells me this is acommon problem. I would think my tank is pretty stable now that I dose soda ash in the top off water using a litermeter and I know the alk swings would be very very minimal. I just wanted to hear from everyone what they do.

I am mixing some new water right now. I was impressed at how well the TM Pro disolved. I have not had the chance to test the fresh SW for alk levels yet. I ordered an Elos kit so I will test when it arrives.

Keith

oct2274 · #18 01/02/2008, 07:40 PM

i won't use the salifert test kit, i got one of the bad ones, then salifert sent me another one that had a 6.5 dkh reference solution and it read 7.4 lol. They are having serious quality issues right now. I got a bad mag kit from salifert too. Get one of the cheap api KH/alk kits from ATR or wherever you can find one. They don't have the grainularity that the salifert has, but they accurate and cheap. If you want good quality kits, get elos.