Auto Dosing ALk and Calcium

zemuss · Oct 23, 2014

I finally hooked up my BRS Dosing Pump which are hooked up to a timer to deliver 7.5 mil in 6 minutes twice per day. I have an issue with Calcium and ALk being low right now, so am hoping over time that dosing will help bring the parameters up. I am using the rest of the two part I have then switching over to the BRS additives.

Calcium 330
Alk 7.5

Yes I let the numbers go a bit on this tank and now its time to start paying attention to the tank again.

I also will start changing about a 2.5 gallons of water twice a week. (Tues and Friday):tongue:

Randy Holmes-Farley · Oct 23, 2014

I'd bring the calcium up faster than dosing the two part will normally allow.

Use this calculator to boost the calcium by 25 ppm on each of 4 days in a row. Use either calcium chloride, or just the calcium part of the two part.

All the while, continue the dosing of the two part with the doser with equal parts of the two parts, and gauge the amount based on the alkalinity.

That should get you to a fine place and keep you there.

Here's the calculator:

Reef Chemistry Calculator

zemuss · Oct 23, 2014

Ok is there an affect on corals with adding too much Calcium at once?

Randy Holmes-Farley · Oct 23, 2014

There's no impact of adding calcium up to natural levels.

The reason I suggest spreading it out is in case there are undesirable impurities in it, and so the concentration of those won't spike quite as much.

zemuss · Oct 23, 2014

The BRS two part kit is that your recipe?

Randy Holmes-Farley · Oct 23, 2014

Yes, pick my recipe #1 from the calculator.

zemuss · Oct 24, 2014

Sweet thanks. I will re-test everything tonight when I get home to see if just the dosing is helping and report back.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Oct 24, 2014

Sounds good.

Good luck

zemuss · Oct 27, 2014

Ok I am back and did two test since the last time we chatted about this issue of mine.

First test: ALK 9.0 and Calc 390

Second Test (Sunday) ALK 9.8 and Calc 390

I have reset the ALK timers to 5 minutes which is 5.5 mil of ALK twice a day, so roughly 11 mil down for 15. I left the Calcium doser the way it is to see if I hit 400 today.

This also tells me that I am not using the ALK quick enough and that the coral is using the Calcium a bit faster than expected. If I don't hit 400 tonight then I will increase the timers from 6 min to 8 minutes then gradually come back down to stabilize the dosing.

Progress is always good. IMO

Randy Holmes-Farley · Oct 27, 2014

zemuss said:
Ok I am back and did two test since the last time we chatted about this issue of mine.

First test: ALK 9.0 and Calc 390

Second Test (Sunday) ALK 9.8 and Calc 390

I have reset the ALK timers to 5 minutes which is 5.5 mil of ALK twice a day, so roughly 11 mil down for 15. I left the Calcium doser the way it is to see if I hit 400 today.

This also tells me that I am not using the ALK quick enough and that the coral is using the Calcium a bit faster than expected. If I don't hit 400 tonight then I will increase the timers from 6 min to 8 minutes then gradually come back down to stabilize the dosing.

Progress is always good. IMO

Sounds good.

FWIW, calcium takes a lot longer to show under or over dosing, so you may not really be using more than expected. But if you want to frequently monitor calcium, it is fine to set the dosing for whatever works for it.

zemuss · Oct 31, 2014

ALK is now 10.5 so i am going to adjust the timer down again to 3 minutes and see if 3.3 mil twice a day will be ok now.

Calcium is still 390 so someone or thing is using it up.

Going to boost it today to 420.

What is a good target? 420 or 450?

Randy Holmes-Farley · Oct 31, 2014

zemuss said:
ALK is now 10.5 so i am going to adjust the timer down again to 3 minutes and see if 3.3 mil twice a day will be ok now.

Calcium is still 390 so someone or thing is using it up.

Going to boost it today to 420.

What is a good target? 420 or 450?

I couldn't really give an opinion on which is better, but a boost is certainly a fine plan.

zemuss · Oct 31, 2014

BRS two part is mixed and i replaced the B-ionic two part which i was using.

Lets see how this stuff works for me..

Randy Holmes-Farley · Oct 31, 2014

zemuss said:
BRS two part is mixed and i replaced the B-ionic two part which i was using.

Lets see how this stuff works for me..

You'll need a bit more as my Recipe #1 (the BRS recipe) is a bit more dilute than the B-ionic.

tonymission · Oct 31, 2014

zemuss said:
BRS two part is mixed and i replaced the B-ionic two part which i was using.

Lets see how this stuff works for me..

Just curious why you decided to stop using b-ionic...

Randy Holmes-Farley · Oct 31, 2014

tonymission said:
Just curious why you decided to stop using b-ionic...

FWIW, the DIY is much less expensive. That's the only reason anyone would pick it (at least that I've ever heard), unless they live an a place where the commercial mixes are also just not available.

mike007 · Oct 31, 2014

My Issue Is alk. Is okay but ca. Is high when I dose equal amounts through doser. Should I cut down on dosing the ca. and leave the alk. dose alone?

Randy Holmes-Farley · Nov 1, 2014

How high is the calcium?

A two part dosed in equal volumes to maintain alkalinity will (if properly made) keep calcium about where it is, but if it starts high due to a salt mix with high calcium, it will stay high.

That said, if the calcium is actually already higher than you want for any reason, dosing less is fine.

mike007 · Nov 1, 2014

I retested ca. with Salifert kit and It reads 350. When I test with Hanna It reads 550. I have always had doubts with the Hanna tester. I am using Randy's 2 part recipe.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Nov 1, 2014

mike007 said:
I retested ca. with Salifert kit and It reads 350. When I test with Hanna It reads 550. I have always had doubts with the Hanna tester. I am using Randy's 2 part recipe.

Well, that's quite a difference. hard to know which, if either, is accurate.

What salt mix are you using? Maybe test some of that with both.