Dosing Q

[authentic]

I am dosing 2 part.140 gal system.presently dosing 220ml/day.alk is at 8.9 ,cal is 390
I had everything balanced at 8.0 and 420 about a week ago.should I just add calcium or reduce both equally.I never understood the term balanced when it comes to these two parameters if I just increase cal will my alk decrease?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I would forget the term balanced as it is not generally very useful to most people. While it has a technical meaning, it does not suggest specific goals for calcium relative to alkalinity.

If you have been dosing equal parts of the two part (as I generally recommend), then I suspect that the drop in calcium is probably just testing error. But since it is a small drop, boosting it back to 420 ppm is not a problem, even if it really is already at 420 ppm (meaning 450 ppm is fine).

So I'd make a one time correction of the calcium to 420 ppm, and then continue to dose equal parts of the additives based ont he ened for alkalintiy. Calcium should follow along unless a water change messes with it (that's the beauty of a two part).

You can use this calculator to determine how much is needed for the one time correction of calcium only:

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

 

[authentic]

thx randy

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

You're welcome.

Happy Reefing.