Alk and Calc balance

reefaboo · Jun 16, 2015

So not sure how i ended up in this situation but currently my

Alk is 6.8 ( dropped from 7.3 to 6.8 in one day)
Calc - 580
Mag about 1500 or so

now i did a 10 gallon water change over a 50 gallon tank with red sea coral pro salt mix which is supposed to have an alk of 12dkh but the alk in my main tank didnt really raise

i am planning on dosing Alk part of b-ionic solution heavily over the next two days and bring my alk to 8.5, but wondering if my calc being soo high would it affect alk raise ?

tank is not sps heavy but there are about 10-15 pieces of sps altogether (including montis) is it possible my tank is using 0.6dkh per day ?

are lps affected by sudden alk swings ?

thanks for answers

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jun 16, 2015

The water change would only have boosted alk a little bit. Water changes aren't a good way to maintain alkalinity. Use a supplement for that, such as baking soda (the alk part of B-ionic is not better for this purpose, but will work).

If you have confidence that the calcium is correct (some mixes start close to that high), I'd just supplement alkalinity until the calcium drops considerably.

reefaboo · Jun 16, 2015

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
The water change would only have boosted alk a little bit. Water changes aren't a good way to maintain alkalinity. Use a supplement for that, such as baking soda (the alk part of B-ionic is not better for this purpose, but will work).

If you have confidence that the calcium is correct (some mixes start close to that high), I'd just supplement alkalinity until the calcium drops considerably.

Yes pretty sure calc is that high

why not bionic alk part ?? what makes baking soda better ?

and by baking soda, would this work ? had to bake at 300F i think correct ?

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jun 16, 2015

Baking soda isn't better, just a lot cheaper, and you'll want to use the more expensive B-ionic where it really shines: in equal parts dosing with the calcium part.

But using it now is also fine.

That one is fine, and no need to bake it unless you also want a pH boost.

reefaboo · Jun 16, 2015

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
Baking soda isn't better, just a lot cheaper, and you'll want to use the more expensive B-ionic where it really shines: in equal parts dosing with the calcium part.

But using it now is also fine.

That one is fine, and no need to bake it unless you also want a pH boost.

soo much to learn

thanks Randy

so i just keep adding alk .. not how much tank is using but to where i want my alk at

thanks again

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jun 16, 2015

reefaboo said:
soo much to learn thanks Randy

so i just keep adding alk .. not how much tank is using but to where i want my alk at

thanks again

Yes, but to get there you'll need both the boost and to offset the ongoing demand.

reefaboo · Jun 16, 2015

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
Yes, but to get there you'll need both the boost and to offset the ongoing demand.

yup figured that out

thanks randy

calc values of 580 wont have any affect on it i hope

how soon can i raise from 6.5 to 8.5 ?

48 hours is good ?

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jun 16, 2015

48 hours sounds like a good plan.

The calcium at 580 ppm will maybe increase the abiotic precipitation of calcium carbonate slightly (giving some extra demand), but not that much.

reefaboo · Jun 16, 2015

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
48 hours sounds like a good plan.

The calcium at 580 ppm will maybe increase the abiotic precipitation of calcium carbonate slightly (giving some extra demand), but not that much.

thanks