Dosing ALK. 1st. Timer

[Whiskyclown]

Hello guys I'm am starting to dos red Sea ALK because I've been testing the water after a day of water change and it's very low it is at 6.6 dkh so I decided to start dosing ALK but don't know how to do it. I want to have it at 8.5 dkh . My tank hold a total valume of water is 25 gallons. so i dos I little bite of ALK and I started seeing that it kinda flaky I was not sure it supposed to be like that . I don't got a dosing pump for the ALK and Cal. So can you guys hlep me figure this out and I don't like to change numbers lol thanks in advance

 

[Billldg]

First thing we need to know is what type of salt you are using and what is the salinity. Also, how big of a water change did you do. It will help us in deciding if your water changes will do, or if in fact you need to dos.

What are you keeping in your DT?

What did you use for testing?

We don't want to jump the gun and start dosing if it isn't needed.

 

[Whiskyclown]

First thing we need to know is what type of salt you are using and what is the salinity. Also, how big of a water change did you do. It will help us in deciding if your water changes will do, or if in fact you need to dos.

What are you keeping in your DT?

I'm using Instant Ocean salt and Its at 40ppt I do a 5-gallon water change once a week

 

[Billldg]

I'm using Instant Ocean salt and Its at 40ppt I do a 5-gallon water change once a week

How r you checking your salinity and what is in your DT, if that is accurate then your salinity is at 1.030. I personally would keep it at 1.026.

How r you checking your ALK? What test kit.

 

[Whiskyclown]

How r you checking your salinity and what is in your DT, if that is accurate then your salinity is at 1.030. I personally would keep it at 1.026.

How r you checking your ALK? What test kit.

What is DT I'm using Hanna checker for the ALK and a refractometer salt yes I use to have it 1.027

 

[Billldg]

Dt is display tank, or main tank. OK, first things first, the Hanna checker is a great way to test, I use one myself. Do you use their cleaner and clean it after every test. Reason why I ask is I didn't and would always get 7.5 to 7.8. Then I checked with my Red Sea test kit and found my ALK at 6.7. Point is the Hanna is only as accurate as the vials r clean. If you are using a refractometer and it has been recently calibrated then it should be good also. I am asking these questions only because I don't want you to overdose the tank. What r you keeping in the tank, softies, LPS, or SPS and r the just frags or colonies. Reason I ask this is because a water change should have raised your ALK and Cal up. I did a water change 1 week ago and that alone raised my ALK from 7.8 to 8.7, I checked it the next day.

 

[Whiskyclown]

Dt is display tank, or main tank. OK, first things first, the Hanna checker is a great way to test, I use one myself. Do you use their cleaner and clean it after every test. Reason why I ask is I didn't and would always get 7.5 to 7.8. Then I checked with my Red Sea test kit and found my ALK at 6.7. Point is the Hanna is only as accurate as the vials r clean. If you are using a refractometer and it has been recently calibrated then it should be good also. I am asking these questions only because I don't want you to overdose the tank. What r you keeping in the tank, softies, LPS, or SPS and r the just frags or colonies. Reason I ask this is because a water change should have raised your ALK and Cal up. I did a water change 1 week ago and that alone raised my ALK from 7.8 to 8.7, I checked it the next day.

I have a mix reef zoa's bird nest chalice Monti. Acans hammers and I do clean their containers

 

[Billldg]

I have a mix reef zoa's bird nest chalice Monti. Acans hammers and I do clean their containers

If you are using Red Sea Foundation B(ALK) then it is 1 ml to raise 25 gals .1 DKH. So I would dose 10 ml to raise ALK 1 DKH and then add another 10 ml the next day. You don't want to raise ALK no more than 1.4 DKH daily as it can shock corals. Then check the following day and see what you ALK is at.

The white flaky stuff is what is concerning me, maybe precipitation or something.

#reefsquad

 

[Whiskyclown]

If you are using Red Sea Foundation B(ALK) then it is 1 ml to raise 25 gals .1 DKH. So I would dose 10 ml to raise ALK 1 DKH and then add another 10 ml the next day. You don't want to raise ALK no more than 1.4 DKH daily as it can shock corals. Then check the following day and see what you ALK is at.

The white flaky stuff is what is concerning me, maybe precipitation or something.

#reefsquad

Yeah that's what I was thinking too my Cal. Is at 470ppm and my mag is at 1640

 

[Billldg]

Yeah that's what I was thinking too my Cal. Is at 470ppm and my mag is at 1640

Cal is fine, Mag is high for my taste. What is you PH at? When I kept my PH between 8.1 and 7.9 I used 40 ml of soda ask, now that I raised it to 8.2 to 8.3 my usage went to 104 ml and climbing, but I do see and increase in growth also.

#reefsquad

 

[dadnjesse]

Use this calculator http://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chemcalc.html

 

[Whiskyclown]

Cal is fine, Mag is high for my taste. What is you PH at? When I kept my PH between 8.1 and 7.9 I used 40 ml of soda ask, now that I raised it to 8.2 to 8.3 my usage went to 104 ml and climbing, but I do see and increase in growth also.

#reefsquad

I need to test my pH again but it's at 8.0

 

[Whiskyclown]

Use this calculator http://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chemcalc.html

Thanks for the link

 

[SPR1968]

If you are using Red Sea Foundation B(ALK) then it is 1 ml to raise 25 gals .1 DKH. So I would dose 10 ml to raise ALK 1 DKH and then add another 10 ml the next day. You don't want to raise ALK no more than 1.4 DKH daily as it can shock corals. Then check the following day and see what you ALK is at.

The white flaky stuff is what is concerning me, maybe precipitation or something.

#reefsquad

It’s probably precipitation, I get this in my system sometimes with the alkalinity B. I use the powder version mixed into solution and often find little specs of white flake in the sump