Alk is low and pH high.

[bryanfuel]

Starting to get into LPS and SPS and have some questions.

Here's the tank details:
Tank: 24G Biocube
Equipment: AI Hydra 26, Hydor 100W heater, filter floss, Rio 1400 return pump, chaeto w/ light bulb on reverse photo period, bag-o-carbon
Salt Mix: 5 stage RODI water with Red Sea Reef Crystals salt
Test Kits: API pH Ammonia Nitrite Nitrate, Red Sea Alk Calc Mag, Refractometer, Instant-read digital meat thermometer.
Coral: Frogspawn (1 head), Blasto (1 head), Bird's Nest (2" frag), Mummy Eye Chalice (1" diameter), Zoas, palys, mushrooms, toadstool
Fish: Filefish
Inverts: Peppermint shrimp, nassarius snails, fighting conch, brittle stars, astrea stars, vermatid snail, aipasia (Not for long )

Salinity: 1.025
Temp: 77F
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
Phosphate: 0
pH: 8.6?
Alk: 6.5 dkH
Calc: 390
Mag: 1150

Three days ago I added the frogspawn, blasto and birdsnest and checked the alk levels (probably should have measured levels first). Alk was 5.3 when I first measured. Since then, I've done a water change, dripped some Kalk in and have been dosing the max amount of Red Sea premixed 2 part every day (I have BRS 2 part jugs on the way). Because of this, my pH went way up as well. Should I stop dosing to prevent the pH from continueing to rise? Or should I add some vinegar/bubbles and continue dosing the max amount? I have another bucket of saltwater ready for a water change if that would be better. Corals all look healthy.

Thanks!

 

[siggy]

I personally would do water changes to elevate the big three then worry about the consumption and use kalk to supplement. 10-15% weekly on the cube is not unmanageable and should provide enough until the frags get larger.
GL

 

[LiveWire]

I agree with @siggy. Water change to reset and then go from there. I would also check the water parameters of the water that you will be using to make sure that the big 3 levels are higher than what they currently are.

 

[bryanfuel]

Will do!

 

[45ZoaGarden]

Will do!

I would get a better test kit. The Red Sea testers aren’t that good. I use Salifert for mag, api for cal, Hanna for alk and phosphate, apex probe for ph, Milwaukee for salinity, and api for nitrate. Your ph is fine, calcium, alk, and mag are all low. You will have to start dosing with stony corals. With sps and lps, you WILL have to start dosing. In no realistic world will weekly water changes keep up with cal,alk, mag with sps and lps corals. I have to up my dosage for calcium and alk 2+ ml a week to keep up with my euphyllia, chalices, and a few small Acro chunks.

 

[45ZoaGarden]

Sure, a wc might get you where you wanna be TODAY. But tomorrow, your corals will consume that calcium and alk you just put in the tank and you’ll be back to square 1. And please, for the love of god, DONT buy a garbage Jebao doser. Dosers are one of the most important pieces of equipment right behind lights and a good protein skimmer.

 

[bryanfuel]

Sure, a wc might get you where you wanna be TODAY. But tomorrow, your corals will consume that calcium and alk you just put in the tank and you’ll be back to square 1. And please, for the love of god, DONT buy a garbage Jebao doser. Dosers are one of the most important pieces of equipment right behind lights and a good protein skimmer.

At this very moment, I'm mostly worried about getting the levels up to where they should be in the first place. Once I get in the range I want, I'll be maintaining it with daily 2 part doses. For right now, that's going to be manually by dumping it in by a power head but I'll get some dosing pumps in the future.

 

[45ZoaGarden]

At this very moment, I'm mostly worried about getting the levels up to where they should be in the first place. Once I get in the range I want, I'll be maintaining it with daily 2 part doses. For right now, that's going to be manually by dumping it in by a power head but I'll get some dosing pumps in the future.

Wc is not the answer. Start dosing .5 ml a day, wait 2 hours then test. If it didn’t go up, make it 1ml the next day. Do this adding .5ml a day until you see the numbers go up. Then you know your tanks daily consumption. When you find the consumption, add .5ml to the consumption amount to bring it up. When you get to the desired level, drop the extra .5 ml and continue normal testing. Wc will cause a fast spike. Dosing a lot in one day will cause a spike. Spikes are bad and stress coral out.