CALCIUM & ALKALINITY B-IONIC

[Pongo]

How are you measuring dKH?

Do you trust the test's accuracy?
Have you cross checked with another method of testing?

I would cross check my test results with another test method, maybe have the LFS check too.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

So yeah, it was Calcium I added because it was NOT cloudy... Very strange, right? Wondering what to do. Im worried if I add more Calcium the same thing may happen and spike the alkalinity to another orbit...

There's no chance the calcium component of B-ionic boosts the alkalinity. If there is no cloudiness, then I'd go ahead and boost the calcium.

 

[USMC 4 LIFE]

Take a pic of the bottle and your results next time you choose to add any.

 

[sil40sx]

That's weird. It's the other way around on mine (kinda).

I just add alk part only to maintain my alk, but my calcium goes up as well, not as much, but tens in a week.

BTW, you're aware that both bottles says calcium in it right? It only says alk or calcium on the middle part of the bottle.

Edit: never mind, you said it's not getting cloudy when you're adding it.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I'm no expert, but I use B-Ionic and I had the same concern as you. In the beginning, I made the mistake of adding 1 for 1...and my Alkalinity was always out of whack.

My recommendation is to measure Calcium and Alkalinity, and add only what's needed to maintain your parameters. Once I started doing that, my issues went away.

Over time, and I mean 6 months to a year, it will come to a point where they get consumed at equal-ish levels...but not at first.

That's my take from my experience...FWIW.

I disagree and think folks should dose equal parts to maintain alkalinity and will rarely go seriously wrong with that method. If calcium is already too high, and stays high over multiple tests, it's fine, however, to reduce the dose of the calcium part.

That said, folks should know that you cannot raise calcium using both parts of a two part or the alk will certainly get too high.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

That's weird. It's the other way around on mine (kinda).

I just add alk part only to maintain my alk, but my calcium goes up as well, not as much, but tens in a week.

BTW, you're aware that both bottles says calcium in it right? It only says alk or calcium on the middle part of the bottle.

Edit: never mind, you said it's not getting cloudy when you're adding it.

I expect that is just testing error.

 

[madreefer11]

I expect that is just testing error.

So you can just use the part 2 Calcium to boost Calcium? So for 180g tank ,my current Calcium is 400, how much would I need to boost it to 450?

 

[ckalupa]

Calculator here:

http://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chemcalc.html

According to this using original B-ionic 562ml (19 oz) will take 180 gals from 400 to 450. But not all at once!

 

[ckalupa]

On the earlier mentioned alk rise comment (2years ago) it sounds like it has to be a mix up. And B-ionic is very easy to confuse as their labels and bottles look identical. And both say “calcium buffer system” - I mark my alk with red sharpie now.

Notice the word “now”. Had to clean a mess when I filled my calcium doser container one day grabbing a bottle of calcium and dumping it in only to witness instant crystal gardens form before my eyes. Thank goodness it was a clear container. THEN I read the main ESV bottle again to see the word “alkalinity” in another place. Like to think I won’t make that same mistake again.

 

[vetteguy53081]

B-Ionic is good stuff. I find it best in near equal parts with the alk a little more than calcium when entered into the system and I do it via the sump- Not direct to the tank

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

So yeah, it was Calcium I added because it was NOT cloudy... Very strange, right? Wondering what to do. Im worried if I add more Calcium the same thing may happen and spike the alkalinity to another orbit...

That cannot happen unless the solutions are mixed up. Not all alk additives are cloudy when added.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

So you can just use the part 2 Calcium to boost Calcium? So for 180g tank ,my current Calcium is 400, how much would I need to boost it to 450?

Yes, and use a calculator like this one:

http://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chem_calc3.html