HELP alk way low

yea Im tunze head but really its the same result. Id still bet though two 5g water changes over a couple days would settle the pH and alk q's.
Agreed. But he's in a dorm. All them bodies won't help that.

I'm surprised we are pushing mag aside. Considering its the fulcrum in alk and ca balance. Which alk fluctuations can impact ph as well. Low mag will also tick off lps. But co2 seems to be an issue as well. I see a couple things that need to be tackled. Keep in mind we cant keep a blind eye to fresh salt mix either. My new TMPR bucket has a mag of 1200 at 1.027. So...
 
hmmm but if i remove the g3 then i will loose half my bio filter and all mechanical filtration
Your live rock is biofilter and skimmers are mechanical. The smaller hydor will provide oxidation and mechanical without stripping the water of too many nutrients.
 
Problem is if i remove the g3 the tank will mini cycle as I only have 15lb of rock and run all the media baskets in the g3 packed with bio media soooo........Im actually open to a sump but im gonna need to do it heavy diy to keep cost down if thats the route i go......also ill post mag results shortly, just found my test kit for it lol as i had lost it
 
Problem is if i remove the g3 the tank will mini cycle as I only have 15lb of rock and run all the media baskets in the g3 packed with bio media soooo........Im actually open to a sump but im gonna need to do it heavy diy to keep cost down if thats the route i go......also ill post mag results shortly, just found my test kit for it lol as i had lost it
That is incorrect. 15lbs on a 20g tabk is sufficient. In fact I've seen tanks with 8lbs in a 20.
 
Problem is if i remove the g3 the tank will mini cycle as I only have 15lb of rock and run all the media baskets in the g3 packed with bio media soooo........Im actually open to a sump but im gonna need to do it heavy diy to keep cost down if thats the route i go......also ill post mag results shortly, just found my test kit for it lol as i had lost it
I think an air pump would be the best cheapest method. I never mentioned removing the canister btw.
All alk cal mag bla bla bla aside. All these animals need co2 and o2. adding air is cheap.
 
It will still cause a mini cycle none the less because the bacteria to handle my bio load is spread through all the media and rock, if i remove the filter ill lose about 1/3 of that total bio filtration capacity and while the cycle will be small it will still none the less take a bit for the bacteria in the rocks to catch up.
 
It will still cause a mini cycle
oddly Ive never had a "Mini Cycle" adding or removing rock unless ammoina was disturbed.
Just do a wc or two and get an air pump outside the window.
Look at the chemistry. just regular wc will fix it or measured addition of saturated Kalk to the tank will stop the swing. for the same reason.
 
I guess brandon doesnt want to help. I don't believe a mini cycle will happen. Unless your tank is over stocked, i just don't see it happening. The 1 pound per gallon is an old rule. I will say I have 18lbs of rock in my 30 gallon without issues.
 
Well im looking into the possibility of a sump but there are challenges. First I would be dealing with a 10g sump or have to find a weird size like 12g or 15g so id only have so much room but in that space if im gonna deal with a sump ny need to haves are a filter sock, skimmer, refugium/frag chamber, and a pump/dosing/probe chamber, i think thats doable tho. Next currently i have my one 20g tank and cant very well drill a hole in that even if i drain it half way, could not risk a crack. So ill have to buy another 20g and drill it. Then ill have to take everything out of my current one and put it in buckets put the new tank on the stand and put everything back in it relativaly quickly, i can just plug the overflow and hang the g3 input and output off the side to filter while i set up the sump so i will have plenty of time to do that. Only issues really are 1)cost, 2)finding a place to drill the tank at, 3)cost, and 4)now i have an extra 20g laying about......tho i think ill start a new thread to discuss this more and keep with one for sorting out my chemistry issues.
 
You could also just install a weir(preskimmer box) and put the intake of the can into it. just having a water fall will add air.
fwiw I had a 5g hob nano on my desk for 2 years and my longest run sumpless was 3.5.
 
Add up the cost of all that. Might be cheaper going a different route. Really your only issue is CO2 which could be remedied with just a small skimmer. AIO tanks are affordable as well and achieve the same.
 
Why don't you drill a small hole on the supply where it enters your tank and add a hose to it that you can run out the window. can't get much cheaper than that
 

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