Alk question.

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.

 

I am no Ca reactor pro by any means. I've only had mine a month or so, but I have read that slowing the effluent rate raises the alk and increasing it lowers the alk.

 

Well I have heard that as well but I believe that is when you are not using a ph contoller. If you aren't and you lower the drip rate then the ph in the reactor will fall, thus dissolving more media. If you raise the drip rate then you will be allowing the ph to rise in the reactor thus lowering the amoung of media dissolved. I am pretty sure that's what people are referring to.

 

You could decrease your CO2 input and decrease intake water flow

 

Oh okay. Well thanks for clearing that up. I use a controller and I have set it at different flow rates and tested but haven't seen much variation.

What is your pH set at?

 

Right now mine is set at 7.0 on the controller.

 

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.

 

Well I measured the alk again after the ato stopped and it was still 10. I will measure again after lights out to see what it reads. Also, I measured the alk of the effluent and it was around 15.