Alk, ph and lights

[turningtim]

Is there a correllation between lights (bad ones) an a constant drop in ALK? My Ph has gone up a bit from 8.2-> 8.4 and I know that this will effect the chemistry of the water.
I can't keep on top of my ALK, it is constantly low. I have added buffer (which I don't like doing) but still remains below 8.0 DKH.
Water is PH 8.4
Trate -10
ALK 7.2 dkh
Calc 420
Mag 1320
Sg 1.025
Tropic marin salt
RO water
Salifert Kits and have tested with Tropic marin ALK also!
My lights are due and going to order shortly. But just wondering if something else is wrong....
Thanks
Tim

 

[bang guy]

No, lights won't matter. The higher PH will make a difference though.
Personally, I wouldn't worry about it as long as your corals are growing - 7.2dKH is only slightly low.
Can you rattle off all the other things you're dosing? Perhaps there's a bad reaction going on.

 

[turningtim]

Well heres the story. I don't dose anything usually unless something is off. Use to drip kalk but stopped after I switch from TM to TM proreef salt 6weeks ago. The ca has come up to 420-440 on average and I like LPS so I thought it was better. But since the change my ALK has been way down. Now I have been told that TM Pro doesn't have the ALK that TM did, so I wonder if I should go back to the kalk?
I WC every week 10-15% (55 w/16gal sump) unless I miss and the do 20% every 2nd week. If I miss I add 2ml of essticail elements to make up trace stuff.
Now the only real think I see is that my buttons don't like to low ALK as well as my Xenia. But the Xenia I can blame on the lights?
I will have a new sump/fuge system built by the end of the week, so thats going to throw another wrench in the works. this why I would like to figure this out now. I hate guessing and don't want to add to many varibles to the equation.......
Thanks Bang
Tim

 

[bang guy]

What size tank do you have? You can try a dose of Baking Soda and see if that can raise the ALK. Do the dose first thing in the morning when PH is at its lowest.

 

[turningtim]

55 w/ 16 gal sump. I dripped the kalk as top off.............
How much baking soda? Should I mix and then in the tank or is it something that I can add to my mixing tank when mixing the salt for WC's?
Tim

 

[bang guy]

1 teaspoon mixed in a cup of RO water. Pour it slowly into the sump. That should raise the ALK of 50 gallons of water by about 1dKH. It shouldn't affect your PH much but do it first thing in the morning to lower the chance of precipitation.

 

[turningtim]

Thanks Bang I'll give it shot!