Help! Having problems with my big three

MoneyMike1987 · Aug 17, 2016

So...... I have a custom 30x30x18 rimless starfire tank plumbed into a 30 gal sump. It's stocked with four small fish, and about a dozen zoas/LPS corals. They are growing and seem happy. All but a few.

I dose with the bubblemagus pro dosing system. I use the ME to dose. I have not done a water change in two months because I wanted to dial in my usage.

My mag has been stuck at 1500 for three months. Just tested again today. I currently shut off the dosing pump for magnesium.

I dose calcium and alk daily..

Calcium measured at 380

Alk at 8.4

I've read that on two part systems, you should dose equally, but I can't do that because I can't keep the levels up, or my alk spikes and calcium stays the same if not drops.

Should I continue to dose in different amounts of the two part system to try and keep my levels up?

If I boost my calcium more, I'll be at almost 20 a day.

Thoughts?

Randy Holmes-Farley · Aug 18, 2016

What kit are you using for magnesium? Some folks seem to get excessively high readings with Red Sea.

Can you tell me what exactly you are dosing? It may not even be designed for equal parts dosing.

But if a two part is designed that way, and is properly made, calcium will not rise much if you increase both parts to boost the alk. If it is an ME coral product, I had a hard time understanding its potency in the past, but it may not be a balanced two part:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/w...ium-and-magnesium-are-you-using.231628/page-3

With a balanced two part, adding 1.4 dKH of alk will only boost calcium by about 10 ppm. So it is not going to go up fast by boosting both equally.

MoneyMike1987 · Aug 18, 2016

Thanks for the reply! I've been in the SW hobby for over 6 years and this is the first time I've ran into this issue.

I am using Redsea kits. I've always been a salifert guy, but the lfs told me to try these out as he's had success with them. Shame.

Also, I am using ME to dose. This as well is a first as I have always used BRS to dose.