Advice on dosing calcium?

[HawkeyeDJ]

I've been dosing alkalinity for awhile now in my 24g AIO cube. I manually dose 5ml of Red Sea Alkalinity daily to maintain 8.4 to 9.0 DkH.

Now I'm noticing my calcium is beginning to drop significantly (450 down to 300) so I figure it's time to start dosing calc.

I know it is important to take my time raising my calc so as to not shock the system. No more than 20 ppm per day as I understand it. I'll be using Red Sea Calcium supplement.

The only sps I have in the tank is a silver dollar-sized monti. Everything else is softies. GSP, Pulsing Xenia, Green Toadstool leather, and some zoas. I plan to add a Green Slimer and a Birds Nest later this summer, once I have the calcium figured out.

I test my calcium with Red Sea.

Any veterans have advice for this noob regarding dosing calcium?

 

[Saltyreef]

I've been dosing alkalinity for awhile now in my 24g AIO cube. I manually dose 5ml of Red Sea Alkalinity daily to maintain 8.4 to 9.0 DkH.

Now I'm noticing my calcium is beginning to drop significantly (450 down to 300) so I figure it's time to start dosing calc.

I know it is important to take my time raising my calc so as to not shock the system. No more than 20 ppm per day as I understand it. I'll be using Red Sea Calcium supplement.

The only sps I have in the tank is a silver dollar-sized monti. Everything else is softies. GSP, Pulsing Xenia, Green Toadstool leather, and some zoas. I plan to add a Green Slimer and a Birds Nest later this summer, once I have the calcium figured out.

I test my calcium with Red Sea.

Any veterans have advice for this noob regarding dosing calcium?

Just to dose it opposite of alk so it doesnt precipitate.

 

[X-37B]

Get ca to desired level. Then dose eaqual amounts of alk, ca. Unless your number are off, like your ca, you should dose eqaul amounts of alk and ca.

As a note I dose 2 part by hand and dose alk in tank and ca in sump with no waiting with no issues.

I wait a few minutes and add ca toy 20g after alk.

 

[Icryhard]

Get ca to desired level. Then dose eaqual amounts of alk, ca. Unless your number are off, like your ca, you should dose eqaul amounts of alk and ca.

As a note I dose 2 part by hand and dose alk in tank and ca in sump with no waiting with no issues.

I wait a few minutes and add ca toy 20g after alk.

Maybe an odd question, but if I dose for example 20 ml of CA, I should also dose 20 ml of alk for example? If that's not what you mean, what do you mean with "dose equal amounts of alk".

 

[Saltyreef]

Maybe an odd question, but if I dose for example 20 ml of CA, I should also dose 20 ml of alk for example? If that's not what you mean, what do you mean with "dose equal amounts of alk".

Alk and calcium should be consumed in equal portions but there are a bunch of variables that make that impossible for a large majority of reefers.

I was dosing more alk than calcium to stay in range. Each at its own feed rate.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I've been dosing alkalinity for awhile now in my 24g AIO cube. I manually dose 5ml of Red Sea Alkalinity daily to maintain 8.4 to 9.0 DkH.

Now I'm noticing my calcium is beginning to drop significantly (450 down to 300) so I figure it's time to start dosing calc.

I know it is important to take my time raising my calc so as to not shock the system. No more than 20 ppm per day as I understand it. I'll be using Red Sea Calcium supplement.

The only sps I have in the tank is a silver dollar-sized monti. Everything else is softies. GSP, Pulsing Xenia, Green Toadstool leather, and some zoas. I plan to add a Green Slimer and a Birds Nest later this summer, once I have the calcium figured out.

I test my calcium with Red Sea.

Any veterans have advice for this noob regarding dosing calcium?

I had similar issue and while adding CA was barely increasing and resorted to ESV calcium chloride which raised and stabilized my Calcium levels.
Do note, as the calcium levels rises, so will the precip of calcium carbonate as alk and CA balance each other and as calcium increases, it can lower the alk levels.