+KimP Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 I hear people keeping it anywhere from 6 to all the way up to 10 or 11. I'm curious about why there's such a big range. What do you keep your alkalinity at and why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ceastman Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 I try to keep mine around 9. I don't have a great reason for 9 other than below 8 is not good ( so I have time to react if my alkalinity starts going low) and trying to keep it higher has other challenges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 7.5-8.0 dKh is where I keep mine. If you carbon dose at all (biopellets, vodka, etc) you want it below 8.0 dKh to prevent alk burn on the tips of acros. Some believe you will get better growth with higher alk numbers so they chose to run higher. Some believe you get better coloration at lower alk numbers, so they do that. Natural seawater is about 7.0 dKh. I've received acros direct before and the alk is usually at 7.2 dKh, though there may be some bacterial interference while being shipped. The most important thing is just a stable alk level, as long as it is within accepted ranges of 6.5-11 dKh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 Around 9 for me as well. I'd say higher is probably better in an aquarium for buffering capacity, but overall alk stability is way more important than an arbitrary level as long as it's in the general range of what's acceptable for coral growth. Actual seawater has an alkalinity of closer to 7 but there's so much water, it's resistant to changes due to the volume. In a small closed system like an aquarium, higher alk will buffer against changes in ph. But still stability is still what's really important. Fluctuating alk = STN or RTN, especially in SPS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolt Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 I keep mine at 9, but now that I am getting better at keeping it stable I am planning to let it drift down to 8.5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan H Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 I generally shoot for 9. I've had problems when it goes below 8 so I err on the slightly high side. You can see my logs below. It's showing the last month but has aggregate data for about the last year. I check it almost daily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nori4dori Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 I keep mine at 9. I just got the Hanna alk yesterday, and I'll be testing daily, so I may try 8. I dose carbon and keep it ULN so anytime my alk climbs over 10 I see burnt tips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KimP Posted March 25, 2016 Author Share Posted March 25, 2016 Wow, I guess 9 it is! I've been keeping mine right at 7 or a little above, for no reason. I'm not carbon dosing or anything, just didn't know of a reason to keep it there or to raise it. Thanks for the input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gig 'em @ NDstructible Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 I keep mine around 7.7, I like to keep it above natural levels, but like Ty said I have burned the tips of my acros going above 8-9 while running biopellets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KimP Posted March 25, 2016 Author Share Posted March 25, 2016 I keep mine around 7.7, I like to keep it above natural levels, but like Ty said I have burned the tips of my acros going above 8-9 while running biopelletsHow do you know if you burned the tips of the acros? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 I keep mine around 7.7, I like to keep it above natural levels, but like Ty said I have burned the tips of my acros going above 8-9 while running biopelletsHow do you know if you burned the tips of the acros?Clear white tips with no color on an acro, it's pretty obvious when it happens. Almost looks like a digitata or stylo with their white growth tips except it isn't natural. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gig 'em @ NDstructible Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 +1 What Ty said. It's also not smooth anymore, I've seen the tips lose tissue and you can see the roughness of the coral skeleton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isaac Posted March 26, 2016 Share Posted March 26, 2016 since reducing my vodka dosing mine has stabilized around 8.5 +/- .5 (im down to 0.75ml/day!!! medical PCA pumps rock) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted March 26, 2016 Share Posted March 26, 2016 Mine varies between 5 and 14 in my various tanks with one system bouncing between 6 and 9. The only "problem" I've seen with stoney corals when alkalinity is outside "accepted" levels is they "tend" to grow slower but not always. One possible explanation why systems run at various levels is cryptic sponges feed off the Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) released by tank inhabitants and convert it into Dissolved Inorganic Carbon (DIC) which includes HCO3− or bicarbonates. In nature reefs have been found that run as low as 5.3 dKH (Those of you who have seen Hydro's system the last year he had it running in Elgin alkalinity stayed around 5 dKH). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rchavez Posted March 26, 2016 Share Posted March 26, 2016 I run full Zeovit so between 7-7.5 dKh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reburn Posted March 26, 2016 Share Posted March 26, 2016 Around 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted March 28, 2016 Share Posted March 28, 2016 I keep mine around 150 ppm. That's the figure that Hanna spits out. There's a calculation to convert it, but I don't see a need to take the time. I know 7dKH is 125ppm, so 150ppm is around 8dKH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted March 28, 2016 Share Posted March 28, 2016 150ppm x 0.056 = 8.4 dKh Fixed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rchavez Posted March 28, 2016 Share Posted March 28, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 150ppm x 0.56 = 8.4 dKh Oh,no he diddnit! Haha! Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 150ppm x 0.56 = 8.4 dKhOh,no he diddnit! Haha!Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2 Boom! Knowledge! [emoji14] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 Thanks, but I don't need to know the calculation now that we're opening FarmerTy's Guppies Emporium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo662 Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 Thanks, but I don't need to know the calculation now that we're opening FarmerTy's Guppies Emporium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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