High alkalinity looking for advice

how did it get high?

What is it?

Did you verify with a separate test kit?

 

only real way is through water changes,but you will need alot. It should come down naturally.

how high is high?

 

There is no way any corals could be alive with those numbers.

I think you need to have someone retest all the water.

 

I did that one time with a water change. When I first started in the hobby I tried to raise my pH with that BS powder. Did nothing to pH, only shot my alk up, which in turn (after doing research) causes the calcium to precipitate out, made the water real cloudy. I didn't have corals at the time but I do believe it took a few weeks of water changes to settle it out.

Check out this article, good info: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/11/chemistry

 

The reactor won't bring your calcium up that much without sending alkalinity sky high, because it adds both at the same time. You'll need to raise the calcium with another product, but I don't know if you should do that until the alk comes down.

I just jacked my alkalinity up to 14 Corals definetley were suffering, mushrooms were closed and some of my bigger sps colonies started turning white at the bases. It came down to about 10 after 5 days. The corals are recovering. But the damage that was done will take months to repair.

My mistake was also the related to a poorly adjusted calcium reactor. I was running th ph too high, and alk dropped. When I raised it with baking soda I added way too much, way too fast.

People have overdosed 2 part or kalkwasser and suffered the same results. Alkalinity both high and low can have catastrophic effects on a tank. I've thought of going with a different method to control the alk, but in fairness the problems I've had were not the equipments fault. Regardless of the method, testing alk a couple times a week will allow you to catch a swing before it goes too far.

 

How do your corals look?

 

Definitely get a retest and preferably with a different test kit. It would be even better if you could have a 3rd test done to see if the 3 test results are fairly close. If the alk is higher than 13-14, this is what I suggest. Although you may not like it, I would make new salt water, a lot. Put all your livestock in another tank/container with heat and flow, and if possible, a filter or skimmer. Use the current tank water for the container/tank and slowly begin lowering the alk by adding new SW. During the interim, begin replacing the tank water. I would use a low alk salt, such as Coralife. {As was previously stated, adding CA when the alk is extrememly high will just precipitate the CA out.} It will be expensive I'm sure but you should be ok by doing it that way as long as the corals/livestock haven't been subjected to the high alk for a long period. You must lower it slowly though! If you cannot do it as suggested, maybe you can rehome them while things are getting back to par. Of course, that process would be slow also :9( Good luck!

 

What size tank do you have or total water volume? What is your pH reading? You don't want to lower it too fast because of pH shock. Try to lower it by about 1.5 dKh in 24 hours...preferably by cutting the total SW you're changing into to 2 changes in the 24hrs. So 2 -15g WC about 12hrs apart for the 24 hours. Just as a side note, if you tell us what size of tank and what's in it (fish, clams. CUC, nems, etc) we can help you much better with the 'possibility' that you won't lose anything ;0)