Your experience with ALK swings

[jackson6745]

I the last 7 years of serious SPS keeping I have had my ALK swing all over. I have overdosed on limewater, had calcium reactors turn media to mush, added too much two part etc... All causing my alk to go to the upper end of the salifert testkit (16dkh) never losing acros or even seeing a difference in them.
On the lower end I can't ever recall seeing my alk below 6 DKH. Never had any mishaps causing alk to go too low. I just maybe missed a few days of dosing here and there. Never lost acros when the alk went low either.

On a daily basis my alk will swing 2 dkh. In the morning it's usually around 8dkh after manually adding 50ml of b-ionic to my nano it is bumped up to 10dkh. I do this every day have never seen anything negative happen to my SPS.

What I don't understand is that on every reef discussion board that I participate in, I read about guys losing acros because of "alk swings" like my tank goes through everyday. I read about tip burn because of "alk swings". Recession from the base because of "alk swings". Bubbles on acros because of "alk swings" Is alk a scapegoat for these problems or am I just an exception never having problems at all with "alk swings"? What's your experience with the infamous ALK SWING?:shocked1:

BTW Magnesium levels would probably the 2nd most popular answer for someone losing acros when no one really know the cause

 

[prattreef]

I'm with you Rich. My Alk. swings a few points daily without issue. Chronically high or low Alk conditions can be a problem, but the swings-- especially small ones are not IME.

 

[cali_reef]

I'm with you Rich. My Alk. swings a few points daily without issue. Chronically high or low Alk conditions can be a problem, but the swings-- especially small ones are not IME.

I think issues caused by Alk (or blamed on) are from long term exposure to low alk. IME, a little higher alk never done anything negative to my tanks.

 

[rickytsui]

I think issues caused by Alk (or blamed on) are from long term exposure to low alk. IME, a little higher alk never done anything negative to my tanks.

+ 1 sometime my alk go up to like 13 thats when i go away for the weekend and my tank do just fine i think like what cali said is really bad if u keep it in long term

 

[jerl77]

dont know i dont ck ha ha ha

 

[ecvernon]

only deadly ALK swing i had is when i had my reactor turn to mush. lol

 

[MIKE NY]

you guys are lucky..it must be just my tank...mine does swing over a few weeks time with no iill effects, but if I have a swing of more than +/-2 in a 24hr period I can see it on my corals especially montis and torts.....which by the way I lost all three big colonies, ORA cali, oregon, Miyagi, had for many years when the selinoid stuck and it climbed to over 15 over night. They just started with bleached tips and then RTNing....I fragged and fragged now I just have a few little frags hanging on....

 

[Wes]

I've lost some acros from an "alk swing" when I was using a carbon dosing/zeo system.

With the increased popularity of carbon dosing, vodka dosing, bacteria dosing, etc. I see more and more problems where an "alk swing" is supposedly to blame.

It's one of the big reasons I don't mess around with that stuff anymore. SPS seem to die easier when "dosing". I went back to the old fashioned GFO + waterchange and have not had any trouble since.


Sent from my iPhone using Reefs

 

[cali_reef]

Mike, A CaRx melt down usually couples with a huge drop in PH, you sure the RTN is not caused by a low PH?

 

[MIKE NY]

... the PH did drop down to about 7.9 not a hugh drop, but I'm sure it contributed to it. The torts and montis took it the hardest everything else bounced right back

 

[SevTT]

I the last 7 years of serious SPS keeping I have had my ALK swing all over. I have overdosed on limewater, had calcium reactors turn media to mush, added too much two part etc... All causing my alk to go to the upper end of the salifert testkit (16dkh) never losing acros or even seeing a difference in them.
On the lower end I can't ever recall seeing my alk below 6 DKH. Never had any mishaps causing alk to go too low. I just maybe missed a few days of dosing here and there. Never lost acros when the alk went low either.

On a daily basis my alk will swing 2 dkh. In the morning it's usually around 8dkh after manually adding 50ml of b-ionic to my nano it is bumped up to 10dkh. I do this every day have never seen anything negative happen to my SPS.

What I don't understand is that on every reef discussion board that I participate in, I read about guys losing acros because of "alk swings" like my tank goes through everyday. I read about tip burn because of "alk swings". Recession from the base because of "alk swings". Bubbles on acros because of "alk swings" Is alk a scapegoat for these problems or am I just an exception never having problems at all with "alk swings"? What's your experience with the infamous ALK SWING?:shocked1:

BTW Magnesium levels would probably the 2nd most popular answer for someone losing acros when no one really know the cause

I think it's a scapegoat, unless it happens very rapidly, or is chronically at a low level. Since pH is linked to Alk, a fast alk swing will equate to a fast pH swing, and that's bad, of course. It can cause stress, but at least with my corals, I haven't noticed anything catastrophic, and due to my occasional stupidity I've had a few significant ones.