What am I doing wrong? Or am I just being impatient ?

[Shifty203]

Looks like you're off to a good start.

I'd agree with lowering the lights. They'll probably work at that height, but you're probably wasting some power lighting the floor.

I notice you have a glass thermometer in there. Personally I'd remove it, as they tend to break, and can cause lots of issues if it does.

[mandyplo]

Thanks for all the input - I'll lower the lights tomorrow morning. Any tips on how to lower my Alk??

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by mandyplo

Any tips on how to lower my Alk??

I wouldn't lose a lot of sleep over it. It should naturally come down as organics build up, although if it stays that high and bothers you, switching to a lower alk salt might be your only easy option.
But 11dkh is fine for now, certainly not the cause of your concerns.

[gregzz4]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

I wouldn't lose a lot of sleep over it. It should naturally come down as organics build up, although if it stays that high and bothers you, switching to a lower alk salt might be your only easy option.
But 11dkh is fine for now, certainly not the cause of your concerns.

Agreed
Try performing 10 instead of 15% weekly changes, or do 15-20% every 2 weeks
This will let your Alk level drop some through usage as you are most likely adding more Alk to your tank with WCs than your tank is using right now
Of course, this is barring you needing to change water due to Nitrate or Phosphate issues

Your corals and skimmer will let you know when you need to change water, so don't fret so much about doing weekly changes to start with
I notice I need to do a WC when my skimmer starts to act up/create less foam/overflow, or my LPS corals start acting as yours have with lots of clamping/closing
I'm not saying this is when I change my water, just that this is what I've noticed as I've gotten used to my tank

I also know when I need to do a carbon change for the same reasons as, when the organics from corals fighting builds up in my mixed reef, I start seeing signs such as less skimmate and clamped/closing softies/LPS, and new algae growth