Alkalinity Levels

[cccharliecc]

So I have been trying to dial in my Alk levels and dosing properly. Does this seem like normal Alk consumption over the last 4 or 5 days?
3-6-18 - Alk was 8.79 so I dosed it up to 9.02
3-7-18 - Alk 8.79
3-8-18 - 8.68
3-9-18 - 8.51
3-10-18 - 8.34

I have been dosing 17ml per day for the first 3-4 days then yesterday I upped it to 27 ml. and its still not at the 9 range I am shooting for.

Do I need to dose even more? Is this normal?

 

[Braxton]

Whats your total water volume and what are you dosing with if i may ask

 

[cccharliecc]

220 gallon tank, 40 gallon sump....so maybe 200 gallons total water when you minus sand/rock.
Dosing with BRS 1.1 ml dosers. The Alk doser was calibrated to 1.6 ml and my Ca doser is calibrated to 1.4 ml.

 

[redfishbluefish]

Need a little more info....

What size tank?
How much hard coral/clams do you have?
What are you Calc and Mag numbers?
What salt and SG?

 

[cccharliecc]

220 gallon tank, 40 gallon sump
12 SPS frags, 3-4 LPS colonies, no clams
Ca 422
SG 1.025
Mg tested a few days ago was 1500

 

[redfishbluefish]

I'm a slow typer....I now see 200 gallons.

Also, whose two part are you using.

What I'd do is use one of the reef calculators and adjust back up to your desired alk level (let's say 9 dKh). Once you're there, then monitor and adjust alk/calc volumes to maintain this alk number.

 

[cccharliecc]

Dosing with BRS 2 part

 

[redfishbluefish]

Dosing with BRS 2 part

OK....using BRS's calculator and assume 200 total gallons with a starting alk of 8.4 and a target of 9.0 dKh, you'll need approximately 85 mls to get to that target.

 

[Braxton]

Nothing sounds crazy out of the normal to me. Your corals sound like they are sucking it up good. Like redfish said, use the calculator over on BRS and up your dosage

 

[cccharliecc]

wow....thats a lot.

 

[cccharliecc]

ok, I will adjust my code to add the 85 throughout the day today.
Then tonight I will adjust it back to 25 and see if it maintains.

Sound like a good plan?

 

[redfishbluefish]

Every tank is different, but with full colonies in a 220 gallon tank I could easily see your daily dosing eventually getting up to 100 - 150 mls per day, if not more.

 

[cccharliecc]

wow...ok.
Is it normal for Calcium not to be consumed as fast? Seems like that is my case currently.

 

[redfishbluefish]

Yes...alk disappears quickly.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Whats your total water volume and what are you dosing with if i may ask

lol

That could be important lol

 

[redfishbluefish]

Note though, that in an ideal tank you're still dosing equal amounts of alk and calc.

 

[Braxton]

lol

That could be important lol

Partially haha

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

wow...ok.
Is it normal for Calcium not to be consumed as fast? Seems like that is my case currently.

Your demand is pretty low (0.2 dKH per day is what 27 mL is supplying to your tank), and calcium kits don't have good precision/accuracy to see it, but it is declining too. Probably about 1.5 ppm per day.

 

[cccharliecc]

yea....I don't have much in the tank as of yet....I'm trying my best to take things slow.