Back to the drawing board...ALK and Cal

ReeferMaddness843 · May 12, 2017

Thank you for the info regarding that product. I have Red Sea mag liquid for dosing when testing shows necessity. Will definitely keep an eye on that parameter so I may also maintain the stability there via dosing as/if necessary outside of water changes.

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
Here's more info from another thread:

The magnesium in kalk+2 is not useful and incredibly misleading. Here I detail how not useful it is:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/best-kalk-stirrer-brands-types.225280/

from those who do not care to switch to another thread, here's the short story:

1. Magnesium is not soluble in limewater, so it will just sit on the bottom

2. The amount present in kalk+2 (Brightwell claims 0.15%) is not nearly enough to meet the demand for magnesium based on that amount of calciuma nd alkalintiya dded (which might, however, be adequately met by water changes with a salt mix with plenty of magnesium).

3. The amount of magnesium in kalk+2 is LESS than is present in many bulk brands of calcium hydroxide as an impurity.

I did a calculation in that thread that, even if one ignores basic chemistry and incorrectly assumes all of the magnesium that Brightwell claims to be in the product gets into the tank water, at a dosing of 1% of the tank water volume daily using saturated limewater, the amount of magnesium added per day is too small to be noticed (0.02 ppm per day).

ReeferMaddness843 · May 12, 2017

I don't expect it to be a parameter cure all, just trying to get my stability solid day to day and cut my immediate necessity for multiple testing and dosing.

revhtree · May 12, 2017

Found that my sand is calcifying...

Stopped all dosing. On the floor pitching a tantrum. Lol.

JALIASC · May 12, 2017

At least it's an easy fix!

NeverlosT · May 12, 2017

This kind of thing used to happen to me, and I was definitely dosing too much due to precipitation issues, it was a primary driver for my switching to a calcium reactor setup.

I hope that you get it worked out soon, best of luck!

revhtree · May 12, 2017

JALIASC said:
At least it's an easy fix!

Lol and what is that?

Bruce Burnett · May 12, 2017

good calcium reactor you get to stop dosing, except testing magnesium you will have to dose even if you put some mag media in the reactor.

GoVols · May 13, 2017

... Has anybody read the verbiage on the Brightwells salt mix?

Terence · May 13, 2017

You have a DOS so adjustments are simple - one value change right from your phone. Just wait two or three days, test, calculate the drop, and then put that in for both. Test 24 hours later. Adjust. Test 48 hours later. Adjust. Test every week. Adjust.

d2mini · May 13, 2017

Rev, you really should have a CaRx on this tank, not dosing two part.
Eventually I'll even be switching my 120g over! Just waiting for demand to pic up.
Not only will it be MUCH cheaper to run, you will be adding other minor trace elements besides just alk and calc.
You also shouldn't have any problems like you are experiencing with out of balance parameters.
I went through the same things with my old 350g system. 300 ml of Alk a day and not nearly as much Calc. Couldn't get it balance, always seemed to be fiddling with it, and got tired of spending so much on the stuff.
Switched to a solid CaRx setup and loved it.

Terence · May 13, 2017

^ I concur, I much prefer a CRx but some have a hard time understanding how they work and prefer a balling method. I do not feel that they are complex, but for those that do, the fully saturated versions like the DaStaCo are super simple to use.

GoVols · May 13, 2017

Terence said:
^ I concur, I much prefer a CRx but some have a hard time understanding how they work and prefer a balling method. I do not feel that they are complex, but for those that do, the fully saturated versions like the DaStaCo are super simple to use.

I would love to have a DaStaCo

but their media provides no trace elements.

d2mini · May 13, 2017

You don't need that though.
People have problems because they cheap out on the equipment.
As long as you have a good DUAL STAGE regulator and a good feed pump, as well as a way to monitor the effluent pH, it's so easy and rock solid.
Let it run at a steady drip 24/7 and all you have to do is keep an eye on Alk, and pretty much forget about Calc.

GoVols · May 13, 2017

Yes,
You don't need it but (lol)... I like it.
If I went back to a cal reactor then I would buy a 2 stage GEO and use @hybridazn method.

hybridazn · May 13, 2017

revhtree said:
Found that my sand is calcifying...

Stopped all dosing. On the floor pitching a tantrum. Lol.

Just make the switch, I posted in your other thread about the CaRX.

GoVols · May 13, 2017

hybridazn said:
Just make the switch, I posted in your other thread about the CaRX.

I like your second video too.
It shows the flow rate as a bench mark, for others.

truepercs · May 13, 2017

I think i would get the issue corrected and stabilized for a while before making any equipment changes.

Terence · May 13, 2017

As I said, I do not think it that complex. But many do and abandon the CRx because of their difficulty understanding it.

The saturated method eliminates one of the variables and makes upping your Alk/Ca as easy as turning up one dial.