Do I need to bring all three down?

[Hannahmunt]

I’d like to get my water conditions to around these and keep them stable. All my results are high, how can I reduce all three?

current:

Alkalinity - 10.3
Ph - 8
Calcium - 480
Magnesium - 1410

Target:

alkalinity - 8
Ph - 8.2
Calcium - 410
Magnesium - 1260

the target parameters are based on David saxbys tank.

I do a 15% water change every two weeks with natural sea water.

I have ab+ on a doser along with nopox

tank is two months old stocked with lps and soft corals.

 

[Spare time]

Nothing is wrong with those numbers. You can let them drop on their own if you desire.

 

[Spare time]

I am assuming you dose?

 

[Spare time]

Out of curiosity, where do you get your new from?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Check the parameters in your new salt water. I think your salinity must be higher than 35 ppt if you add nothing and the tank shows these values (or the tests are off) .

 

[Hannahmunt]

I am assuming you dose?

I don’t dose no.

recently tested and still all are very high. Today they are reading at:

Dkh: 10.3
Ca: 545
Mg: 1525

this is a week after a water change. Im using natural sea water from my lfs and tested the water and it’s all normal readings.

 

[Spare time]

I don’t dose no.

recently tested and still all are very high. Today they are reading at:

Dkh: 10.3
Ca: 545
Mg: 1525

this is a week after a water change. Im using natural sea water from my lfs and tested the water and it’s all normal readings.

What do you use to test salinity? How do you calibrate it? Like Randy said above, its either an issue with measuring salinity or measuring KH, calcium, and magnesium

 

[ZombieEngineer]

Calibrate your refractometer or other salinity measuring device with 35ppt calibration fluid. I suspect you are actually at like 40+ppt if you are using natural sea water.

 

[anthonygf]

If your reef is fine and all corals and fish are happy why try to change it. If the numbers you get are from just normal water changes and you don't have to dose you are so fortunate, why mess with a good thing, you may regret it.

 

[Hannahmunt]

What do you use to test salinity? How do you calibrate it? Like Randy said above, its either an issue with measuring salinity or measuring KH, calcium, and magnesium

I use hanna checkers for all my tests. Salanity I use this:

 

[jimk60]

Either your tests are wrong or your LFS isn't selling you actual natural sea water!

What do you use to test salinity? How do you calibrate it? Like Randy said above, its either an issue with measuring salinity or measuring KH, calcium, and magnesium

 

[ss30]

What are you using to top-up evaporation salt water or ro water?

 

[Bpp124987]

I don’t dose no.

recently tested and still all are very high. Today they are reading at:

Dkh: 10.3
Ca: 545
Mg: 1525

this is a week after a water change. Im using natural sea water from my lfs and tested the water and it’s all normal readings.

what is “normal readings” in the replacement natural sea water?

What are you topping up evaporation with?

 

[Coralreefer1]

Do you have stony corals, coralline algae and/or Clams because if you do you will need to have elevated calcium, magnesium and alkalinity levels. And as they grow or you add more, you will need to potentially carry a higher level of these.

 

[damsels are not mean]

Either all your tests are wrong or you're not using natural seawater. Those numbers should not be even possible in your case. Double check that salinity with something else (maybe even take it into the lfs) .

 

[3429810]

Do you have stony corals, coralline algae and/or Clams because if you do you will need to have elevated calcium, magnesium and alkalinity levels. And as they grow or you add more, you will need to potentially carry a higher level of these.

Why would you need to have elevated parameters ever? It can be good but for beginners it can go wrong quick. You also don’t need to elevate them more the more corals you put in. That is why people dose so that they can maintain what ever number they are at.

 

[Hannahmunt]

What are you using to top-up evaporation salt water or ro water?

I use ro water in an automatic tip off

 

[Hannahmunt]

Either all your tests are wrong or you're not using natural seawater. Those numbers should not be even possible in your case. Double check that salinity with something else (maybe even take it into the lfs) .

Yeah doesn’t seem right to me. I’m going to try different salt water from somewhere else.

 

[jimk60]

I would seriously consider mixing your own salt especially if you already have a RO system. Just something that you can control yourself.