New concept in reef tank Alkalinity: How it works & how to gain 70% or more coral growth!
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- čas přidán 22. 07. 2024
- Today we're sharing a whole new perspective on your reef tank's Alkalinity. If you want to know the science behind what's really happening in your tank when it comes to pH and alkalinity, this episode is for you! Ryan shares the relationship between pH, carbonic acid, bicarbonate and carbonate on a whole deeper level so you can stop leaving 70% or more coral growth on the table.
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The content contained in this video is general information on the topic and should not be relied upon as your sole source of information or safety advice for this project or topic. Each product or situation is different and has its own concerns related to successful completion and safety that must be fully researched by the individual considering the project or product.
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If you're the type of reefer who loves the deep down science behind what's happening in your reef tank, then this is your episode! This level of Alkalinity science will not only leave you more informed, but will also help you find that 50%-70% more coral growth you've likely been leaving on the table.
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You folks should check out the Materials Science, Engineering and Chemistry paper "Plants to Reduce C02 in indoor Environment". Seems up the alley of this research.
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I dont mean to be off topic but does anyone know of a method to get back into an instagram account..?
I was stupid forgot my password. I would love any help you can give me.
The Info provided by this Channel is second to none. The information provided here has no comparison elsewhere other than being a Marine Biologist/ Chemist. The service provided to the reefing community is invaluable. Not to mention FREE. Thanks BRS!
Who else reached for their Alk test kit after watching this video?
I want to point out that he's really done his homework. I'm pretty sure he has taken some chemistry classes as he actually seems to understand what's going on. (I have a PhD in chemical engineering and he's got it down pretty well)
I love that’s it’s 2020 and we are still learning! That’s the best part of this hobby
I love the scientific breakdown of this video it is truly empowering for the reefing hobby. Great work
Fantastic job on this one!
Ten years ago we had to read dozen of reef chemistry articles to get a grasp on just parts of this. You're doing people a great service!
You guys are doing such a great job in contributing science knowledge to the reef aquaria hobbyists. A big thank you from Germany!
You guys Rock. I really enjoy these nerdy vids. They help explain a lot of things that we thought where right and are not. The one thing we know in this hobby is that it keeps changing. We all keep learning and that is the best part.
This is outstanding information !! Going back to watch it a few times so I can soak it up. Keep up the great work Ryan, I’m a believer.
Excellent video. Clear and scientific. You guys are great, presenting complex information in a way people can understand, without adding all the goofy extra stuff that’s in so many reefing videos. I love the no- nonsense approach
Well done BRS/Ryan! This info is truly invaluable. I'm starting to dose two part and now I feel like I have the proper knowledge to do it responsibly and understanding why & what's happening, rather than blindly.
Can't wait for the rest of the series. Please also mention in the series how carbon dosing plays a role on pH, Alkalinity, etc. Thanks.
Amazing episode, love the science and your professional approach. Keep up the amazing work, you’re an inspiration!
Thanks
Another GREAT video! My tank is now at the 6 month mark. Have been keeping my dkh at 8.5 for 2 months now from orginally 7 ( what Tropic Marin Pro kept it at) and my coral growth has really taken off after raising the dkh. Im using Seachem reef builder to raise and it has no imidiate impact on PH. It does keep my PH at 8.3 and this combination seems to work very well. My salt is still keeping Mag and Cal in check so far with weekly 10% water changes. Thanks for all the GREAT videos, I have learned so much from you guys!
Loving this series. Putting science behind theory is the best way to explain anything.
this makes learning how to reef much more easy. love all that brs does. in just 1 month I gained your 18 years of knowledge something very valuable and I thank you for that sir.
I'm preparing to convert my 125 gallon aquarium to a saltwater soft coral reef, and I really appreciate your help and video education. Thanks BRS
You have my respect for producing this series. As a pharmacist who worked as a lab assistant in a chemistry lab during undergrad, I appreciate your effort to educate the community.
Man what an excellent video. The best one you guys have ever released, in my opinion.
Fantastic explanation Ryan, clear and succinct. Thank you.
Love this video! Thanks for explaining that!
Watched this twice, 2nd time was a charm. Good job!
This is a good vid, thanks guys, appreciate all the good info
Thanks I'm dialing in my alk right now on my tank. Tons of info different opinions but this was well thought out and presented so I'll shoot for 9 now instead of 8.3 which is just a random number i pulled of a forum.
You make it sound so tempting to raise my alk but I am very comfortable in the 7.5 - 7.7dkh range. Slightly elevated and I check my dosing equipment frequently enough that I'm not too worried about forgetting about it or having a technical issue. I've also used the same test kits in the same way for many many years so even if I'm doing it wrong I'm getting the same results year in year out. I also carbon dose which I've always been told is best in a lower alkalinity environment. Still this video has got me considering trying a higher dkh in one of my satellite tanks. I do know my PH doesn't usually peak much above 8.1 maybe 8.2 and does drop to 7.8 at night.
Great video. Cant wait for the master calcium reactor series. Thanks guys.
Well done, y'all. Thanks!
I myself would like to see a master series on products like Tropic Marin all for reef! I think an in depth look would benefit a lot of people.
I use it and absolutely love it.
Wow! This was great! Love hearing about the chemistry of salt water tanks. I'm running alkalinity of 9.0-9.2 by dosing 2 part. To help raise pH I'm using the BRS CO2 scrubber and averaging 8.2 with a Hydor DC1000 skimmer. The BRS videos are the best! Thank you!
I just watched a video on co2 media in a reactor hooked to the skimmer! I want to try that but not sure I fully understand it! Did you use a scrubber or the method with the co2 media?
LOL "A bit reef nerdy". Yes, the vid I've been waiting for... bring it on!
one of your best video thanks for that infor coming back to saltwater for some sps pets, i really understand what the Alkalinity is all about now ~!
I always run my alk at 9. Just sounded right to me from the start
Great video once again guys, info is much appreciated. But that raja rampage even more so 🔥🔥🔥😜
Great, quality content!
The best explanation I have ever heard. Kudos!!!. PS...I am not a reefer...lol.
Lol, my 13-year-old brain has little idea what I just watched
X8HCI0 dont feel bad Iam 54 and been a reefer for years and Iam confused 🤷♀️
Man I’ve had my saltwater set up for a little over a year now. I have spent $1,000’s on top of $1,000’s losing corals with hardly any growth.
It’s 6:51am and I finally understand how to take care of my tank from watching your video.
And trust me, I’ve watched thousands 😅. But the information & the way you explained it makes me think you could teach neuroscience 😂
Seriously you have the gift of teaching. Thanks for sharing this knowledge and from here on out I will master reefing. Much ❤💯
Please write a book on setting up and maintaining reef aquariums! I will buy it!
Guys def helping me on new Red Sea 250. I have 2 longfin clownfish (phantom and black ice) with snails and crabs. Been taking it slow. Slow for the grow.
I hope this video makes it obvious to those of us in the hobby how climate change and consequently ocean acidification is affecting the world’s reefs. Our tanks are micro ecosystems that we can control through dosing but the world’s oceans are so much more.
Preach it!
I was admittedly a bit of a climate change skeptic before I started my tank. Now that I have a grasp of what’s going on in my tank, it’s hard to live denial about what is happening in the ocean.
i keep my dkh at 9 also. since my kids are home schooling, the excess co2 has made my alkalinity consumption increase. i had to increase my two part! the tank went from 9dkh to 7.2- 7.6. i could be wrong in the reason why my consumption went up alot! great videos, keep them coming!!👍
Interesting. Usually increased CO2 would lead to lower pH and lower alk consumption.
Great video!
Oh stoichiometry how I didn't miss thee. But more seriously this has caused me to reevaluate my target alkalinity. keep up the great work!
What was you target before? I always shot for 8
@@dartdude2668 Same target, but I may go up to 8.5 or 9
A scientific approach often takes off the blindfold to the subject in question.
I run my alk at 11, and have for years with no issues. I believe you are fine in the 12-7 range as long as its STABLE! Pick one and keep it there.
higher DKH means more calcium build up. :(
@@KingQuetzal i don't have that issue...
Sweet camaro
@@dartdude2668 thank you sir. check out my channel for some videos of her runnin.
I'm looking forward to seeing a video on calcium formate to control ALK and Ca. I want to better understand what it is or isn't doing.
Can't beat BRStv man.
You should do a video on how to take care of your reef tank when you’re gone on vacation auto feeder’s auto top off’s etc.
10.8 but I'll have a more accurate number when apex trident gets here Wednesday. Lol. Thanks guys. Bulk reef rocks
Fun fact: sodium hydroxide is commonly the main titrant for alkalinity tests. Actually, in the chemistry lab, sodium hydroxide is commonly THE universal base.
great video
I'm currently between 7.8 - 8dkh, aiming for 9 using all for reef DIY. Anyone reading this go buy a hanna dkh checker, I used red sea pro for years and am glad those days are behind me. 👍🏾
New to reef tanks. Im gonna go straight to the hanna tests. Can't be any worse than the api test kits. An actual number has to be better than guessing the color
@@joshirwin2 actually it depends on practise and how you perform the test. IF you read the equivalence point the same way every time, the Red Sea test set is just as acurate as the Hanna, or the Hannah is just as unprecise as the Red Sea test set.
@@joshirwin2 exactly that.
@@2cool4udk not really, because your relying on a colour Change which can be precived differently from person to person. Ambient lighting can also effect the colour of the test vial, at the end of the day to many variables.
@@solo636 That is true, the point im trying to make is, that if the goal is stable paramiter ie. Alk. then the red sea test is just as acurate as the Hannah. If you go to Hanna's website, they state the inaccuracy - which turns out to be just as bad as red sea test.
Just wanted to put it out there so people dont think the hannah is more accurate. It is just more easy to use and compare numbers, which in reefing, chasing exact numbers actually isnt to important
9 dkh can cause tip burn in certain corals if nutrients get too low. I just burned every tip on a ORA pearlberry acro at 9 dkh when nitrate and phosphate both went undetectable. All of my other acros showed no signs of stress.
How about when carbon dosing? I keep being told to keep it at 7-8
Brooo by going from 7 to 12 you’re not “nearly doubling” rather adding exponentially more carbonate and bicarbonate
Man !!!! After watching this vid I was able to get a job in biochemistry . JK. I did do a alk test and found it was 6.5.
Its now 8.7 . Thanks Ryan.
How long did you take to make that adjustment? 24-48 hrs??
I fight low pH and Alkalinity everyday. I dose Red Sea KH/Alkalinity Part B 50 mL everyday. The KH goes to 7 to 8 and pH rises to 8.3 for an hour or two and then falls back to 7.8 by the next morning. The KH falls back to around 5.8. If CO2 is my problem, could I just add an Ozone generator to my skimmer and eliminate the fluctuation? I would also benefit from the ozone killing any harmful bacteria.
My alk recently tested at 4.4
yeh shock horror.
I thinks it's due to a series of bubble scrubbing.
I know this has somthing to do with it but how?
It normally sits around 6-7 I've never been able to keep above but everything seems fine there so I've stop chasing the 9dkh that I was at the time
+1 for best video on youtube
Awesome
Ok so I’m new to this reef thing, can I dose 2 part with kalk? Or is that just going to negate or raise all my levels? I have a 120 gallon tank, and my alk level is 8.7, p.h. Is 7.7- 8.03 usually. I’ll raise my alk, but don’t think raising it .3-.6 will make that much of a difference.
I wonder if there are any other freshwater high tech planted tank people that watch these like me, just for the awesome water chemistry education. It’s also crazy how I do the exact opposite of this for my freshwater planted tank. Absolutely no alkalinity and injecting Co2. Maybe someday I’ll do a reef.
What about using Sea Lab 28
Will a refugium with chaedo algae be enough for a soft coral reef tank and help maintain the 8 pH?
All depends on the lighting you're using for the refugium and size of the refugium in comparison to your display. Definitely possible if implemented correctly.
I keep my alk at 12.5ish. It works well for my mixed reef
cool... Mine's hovering around 11.3-11.5 right now so good to know I still have some wiggle room to go up.
What salt u guys use?
Darwin Bush I use Reef Crystals.
Somewhat new to reefing...been out for 10 yrs. And to get to the higher "number" of alkalinity I can use 2 part?
Does it mean anything if I'm dosing an equal amount of alkalinity solution through out the day, and my alk actually rises through out the day and drops at night? This is shown in my trident there testing four times a day, and I double check it's reading with my Hannah a few times a week to make sure it's accurate and it is.
Normally you'd see a drop during the day when the corals are consuming it, then an increase over night when the lights are out. Of course, it all depends on how much you're dosing and when. As long as you're not seeing it trending up or down, I wouldn't worry about a day/night alkalinity swing too much. If it really bothers you, you could adjust how many times per day you dose and when you add those doses to the tank.
My tank was dropping below 8.3 so i got the skimmer co2 filter... now my tanks between 8.4 and 8.59 is there a too high for PH?
You shouldn't have any issues with a pH in the 8.4 - 8.6 range 🙂
Hai, please help me out, im having Ph with 8.2 and the alkalinity with 7.7dkh. how do i increase the alkalinity?
We like to use sodium bicarbonate or Soda Ash to dose alkalinity to our tanks. I'll include a link to a short video below where Ryan talks about the differences between the two and when you should use each of them 🙂 If you still have questions after watching, please let us know!
czcams.com/video/9i677FvvfX0/video.html
Would a few Areca Palm in the room by my tank absorb enough co2 to raise my PH? I think the tank lighting might keep these plants alive.
Hard to say exactly how much of an impact they'd have. Certainly won't reduce your pH.
Hey guys , my alkalinty is at 14dkh , can i add LPS OR SPS ? MY SOFT CORALS ARE DOING GREAT .THANKS.
Before adding more corals, try to get your alkalinity down to at least 12 dKH. We usually suggest 9 dKH as that's a good middle ground to account for potential testing procedure or test kit issues. If you want to get down to 9 dKH, you may have to consider the alkalinity of your salt mix. For example, salts like Red Sea Coral Pro and Instant Ocean tend to mix up with a high alkalinity.
That scene in Waynes World comes to mind when the two meet Alice Cooper, "WE'RE NOT WORTHY....WE"RE NOT WORTHY...WE SUCK!"..hahaha.....great video BRStv team!!
...but what REALLY blew me away about this video is the seriously strong parallel between reef water pH needs and the water (not blood or urine) our human pH needs. When one eats a lot of bread, meat and potatoes etc (alkaline foods) it forces your system to turn acidic. When one eats more neutral and acidic foods, fruits, vinegar's etc, it forces your body into a more alkaline state, which cancers cannot grow in an alkaline environment. I have always said, and told others, "If it has a commercial DON'T eat/drink it!!" When is the last time you saw a commercial for roasted chicken and carrots? NOT from a restaurant commercial, from the growers?...NEVER, yet Coca-cola and Doritos are every other commercial. EVERY major sporting event had CRAPPY FOOD adverts....think about it...HAPPY REEFING!!!...hahahaha
How do I lower my alk. It's 11.9 hanna tester. Calcium is 400.
Either stop dosing alkalinity and let the corals consume it naturally over time or do a water change with a salt mix lower in alk content
I've started dosing soda ash for the past week. My ph is at 8.5 and my alk is at 6.7 dkh. Which is actually down from before dosing by .6 dkh and ph is up by .5. It's like my temporary oh bump isn't so temporary. I'm afraid to bump up my alk dosing if my ph is going to go up more. Ideas?
If you need to make an alkalinity adjustment, we recommend doing that with Sodium Bicarbonate, then use the Soda Ash to maintain the alk level there. Of course, you could always consider dosing a combo of both sodium bicarbonate and Soda Ash if your pH is too high. That may take a little trial and error to get the combo exactly right for your system.
I just setup my tank and my RO water is neutral, my PH is only going between 7.5 and 7.8 and it is on week 2 of cycling. 32.5 fluval flex. alkalinity is 11dkh, calcium 480. I am not sure what to do, I am running an airstone in it but it isn't making much difference. Any tips?
What is your method of testing?
@@davidziegler7526 I have a seneye reef monitor and API test kit, the API test kit says 8.1PH. I noticed on my seneye it does have a calibration adjustment. I am wondering if it just needs to be adjusted, the temp definitely did, it was off 2 degrees.
I have low alkalinity (around 6) and high pH (about 8.5) This seems counterintuitive to what is being explained here. Is there any other reason this could be happening?
There are many factors at play, so while a high pH is abnormal with low alkalinity, it's not impossible. Sounds like dosing some sodium bicarbonate to get your alk up would be the best choice for you as it doesn't raise pH like Soda Ash does.
I got some sodium carbonate got some water out me tank teaspoon of carbinate shook it and it went red hot 😆😆 and it doesn't resolve propper I now mix it in ro water
Definitely mix with RO water instead of tank water 🙂
I love this channel it teaches me so much but please understand anything under seven is acidic anything over seven is a base or known as high pH which is the opposite of acidic do not call high pH acidity it will confuse people that confuse me here please understand thank you I appreciate what you guys do we leave a like and thumbs up
My takeaway from this was I bought a giant co2 scrubber for my reef tank & now me & my whole family breathe as hard as we can into the top of my Asian discus tank 😂🎉
How do you lower the alk at 13 ph is 8.2
If you want to lower your tank's alkalinity, you'll either need to stop dosing and let the corals consume it over time, or do some water changes with a lower alkalinity salt mix. We suggest picking a salt mix that more closely matches your alkalinity goal. For example, if your target dKH is 9.0, something like HW Reefer salt mix would be a great choice. If you're trying to keep alkalinity elevated around 10-12 dKH, then Red Sea Coral Pro or Instant ocean would be worth considering.
How about KH too high????
My skimmer Air feed is outside because I have a wood stove
The comment about 97% of Carbonate alkalinity being 90% Bicarb, 7% Carbonate, and 3% borate and others only makes sense at a certain pH. Otherwise those ratios are different.
Also, trying to explain this is inherently Anchorman-ish 😂
Overall great info tho guys
Im trying to lower my alkaline! Its so high! I tried everything (that i know)! Im over 14.0 dkh😭. My lps gave me Rowa phos so i bought a separate canister filter and added 500g into it for the last week! My tank is 180 gallons mix reef! Mostly soft corals. What else can i do? Also i did 3 separate 80 gallon water changes in the last 2 weeks! Still nothing!
To lower alkalinity, you have two main options. Option one is to stop dosing any alkalinity supplements, if you haven't already, and wait for the corals to consume the alkalinity naturally over time. This could take a while or be very quick depending on how many and how large your corals are.
Option 2 is to do a water change with saltwater lower in alkalinity levels. Since water changes aren't helping, my guess is that your salt mix is also high in alk. Salts like Reef Crystals, Instant Ocean, and Red Sea Coral Pro all have pretty high alkalinity. Consider using Tropic Marin Pro Reef, Red Sea Blue Bucket, Brightwell Neomarine, or HW Reefer salts just to name a few with alk in the 7-9 dKH range.
@@BRStv yes i stopped everything on dosing! I use Instant Reef Crystals! Im going to order a new salt today....i hope this works!👍🤞
@@BRStv Thank you very much for your help! You were right its the salt i was using! All my lfs couldn't figure it out! I placed an order with you and im excited to be getting my order from you guys soon! Thank you!
By using a CO2 scrubber hence raising the ph will Alk rise automatically as well?
Increased pH usually results in faster coral growth, which could actually increase alkalinity consumption. Definitely keep an eye on your alkalinity levels if you're heavily stocked with corals and adding a CO2 scrubber.
@@BRStv
Awesome. Thanks
Keep my alk at 8.4-8.5 guessing that’s why my ca and mg way too high?
Not necessarily. What are your current Calcium and Magnesium levels?
Bulk Reef Supply well last I tested (with API testers I know they aren’t very reliable am going to get the Hanna ca checker next) ca was 550 and mg per salifert mg test kit 1490-1500. THANK U FOR RESPONDING!😊😊🐠
I’m running 8 right now. How fast I can increase it to 9? In single dose? Or spread through out the day?
Good question...curious as well
Increase dosing slowly over the next few days or weeks depending on your current dosing schedule until you get to your target
We usually suggest to not raise alkalinity by more than 1 dKH in a 24 hour period. Since this isn't an emergency situation, raising this slowly over a couple of days would be ideal.
Damn! Iam doing this hobby wrong!for one thing Iam not a marine biologist or have a masters degree and Iam not extremely rich to buy everything that goes with it! But I do have some beautiful soft coral tanks without all the whistles and bells and some beautiful eon tanks with beautiful moon jellyfish that are huge and striving! I guess Iam lucky 🍀
Gotta say, saying that a calcium reactor "melts" the crushed coral is a pet peeve of mine. The coral ruble gets dissolved, not melted.
OUTSTANDING! ( I run at 9.75- 9.85) Small tank, daily doses of Cal and Alk ad twice weekly doses of Mag.
What u use to dose?
@@darwinbush1525 Biionic Calcium and Alkaline, and Kent Marine Magnesium. I also add some Fuel once a week for aminos.
Your definition of alkalinity is improper in chemistry. Just a heads up.
My PH goes up when I open the window in the room my tank is in.
That's pretty normal and an indication that there is some CO2 in the room being reduced by opening the window
Also shows why reefs in the wild must be struggling with all the increasing CO2 in the atmosphere going from 280ppm to over 415ppm now with a natural KH of 7 this must be dangerous for wild corals.
Do you increase the alkalinity of Tropic Marin pro salt before performing water changes? The salt mix is around 7dkh and will obviously bring the dkh down with water changes.
a 10% change will bring it down about 0.2 DKH . You can correct for that in the salt bin or your tank. If your water changes are done regularly its probably best done by upping your daily dose a few ml to compensate.
Omg I’m NEVER gonna figure this out 😔
Me too 😅
@@jackiekearney I love my reef tank but this dosing step has had me in limbo for weeks afraid to make the step! lol. Sure wish my hubby was more into the hobby..haha. I not only need to take ocean biology glasses but also engineering and carpentry!
My dkh is 13 is good
Generally speaking 12 dKH is as high as we'd like to see our tanks. 9 dKH is our recommendation, however.
Sir how to down my dkh
Am I the only one surprised that they mention anything less than 10.0 dkh as acceptable? Seriously, 7 dkh is acceptable?
APⁿ POPP
Friend:
How did you study for your phd in marine micro bilology and chemistry at the same time?
Me:
BRF!
I'm more confused than ever. What does a noob like me dose to raise alkalinity?
Check this video out. It's a much more simplified video aimed towards beginners 🙂
czcams.com/video/pw6OUznHvIc/video.html
I never tested my reef tank on 2 years and they all died last week...test your water reefers
Sorry to hear that 🙁