Did adding Alkalinity Buffer Daily cause my Calcium to Drop?

that Reef Guy · Apr 22, 2014

I have always done big weekly water changes so my Calcium and Magnesium were always very very high.

Calcium - Around 500
Magnesium - Around 1500

But lately due to my Alkalinity being Screwed Up I have been doing a double dose every day.

The Bottle recommends a single dose twice a week.

But my Alkalinity keeps dropping and dropping even when I do the double dose every day.

I checked my Magnesium and it dropped to 1410 while my Calcium dropped to 360.

The only thing that I have been doing is dosing all this Alkalinity.

Is that the problem?

I remember starting out that a book said that if you added Calcium, then the Alkalinity and Magnesium would drop.

It said that they are all related and changing their numbers changes the other numbers the opposite.

Is that true?

If it is how to you balance it?

ritter6788 · Apr 22, 2014

Yes it's possible. What is your current alkalinity level? You have to be very careful and not overdose alk. Alk swings are killer. Dosing too much alk or cal can cause precipitation.

that Reef Guy · Apr 22, 2014

ritter6788 said:
Yes it's possible. What is your current alkalinity level? You have to be very careful and not overdose alk. Alk swings are killer. Dosing too much alk or cal can cause precipitation.

So what do I do?

If I dose Calcium drops.

If I do not dose Alk usually Drops 1 point a day.

It has been as low as 4.8 DKH even with me Dosing.

ritter6788 · Apr 22, 2014

Get the alk were you want it and dose to keep it stable. It will take a lot of frequent testing to figure out a routine. Dosing pumps are a big help but manual dosing can be done also. Alk and calcium should be dosed in proportion to keep balance. It's ok to dose one or the other if one is too high already. Once you get your parameters in line then you'll want to dose both alk and cal to keep parameters rock solid. Dosing pumps are a big help with this if manual dosing gets to be a pain.

that Reef Guy · Apr 22, 2014

[TABLE="width: 640"]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 10"]Someone told me that if I get my Calcium to 450 my Alkalinity will then Stabilize and stay constant? [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 3"]Calcium is currently at 360[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 2"]Is this True?[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

ritter6788 · Apr 22, 2014

that Reef Guy said:
[TABLE="width: 640"]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 10"]Someone told me that if I get my Calcium to 450 my Alkalinity will then Stabilize and stay constant? [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 3"]Calcium is currently at 360[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 2"]Is this True?[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

Not really. Magnesium helps keep alk and cal stable. Alk is used up much more quickly than calcium and magnesium slower than calcium. Work on getting alk in line and stable first.

evolved · Apr 22, 2014

It sounds like you're overdosing Alk, or dosing it way too quickly, and causing precipitation.

-Logzor · Apr 22, 2014

When you dose alk does it turn into white flakes in the water? If it is, mix it with RO/DI water first in a cup then dose in a high flow area, this will reduce the precipitation and help boost your alkalinity. If it's precipitating then you're just pulling calcium out of your water.

mike007 · Apr 22, 2014

Also I might add spread out dosing alkalinity and calcium you do not want to dose the two together at the same time.

that Reef Guy · Apr 22, 2014

evolved said:
It sounds like you're overdosing Alk, or dosing it way too quickly, and causing precipitation.

What is "Precipitaion"?

that Reef Guy · Apr 22, 2014

-Logzor said:
When you dose alk does it turn into white flakes in the water? If it is, mix it with RO/DI water first in a cup then dose in a high flow area, this will reduce the precipitation and help boost your alkalinity. If it's precipitating then you're just pulling calcium out of your water.

I mix it with RO/DI Water and Let it sit but it still has a Ton of those White Flakes on the Bottom of the Cup.

I mix it up many Times too before I add it to the Tank.

They Blow all over the Tank when I dose it too.

Sometimes they land on Coral and Burn them I think.

I have some Favia with Holes in them which I think is from the Buffer Flake landing on them.

I cannot find a way to get the Flakes dissolved?

What do you guys do?