Help me understand carbocalcium.

[Wildreefs]

Ive been using Carbo-Calcium the last 2 months or so, relatively new tank. (8 months)

Have about 65-70 frags in there. The more I read on carbocalcium, the more disdain and confusion I have for it. Reading old posts on here about it, I’m not really sure what to make of it.

With 65 frags, and a sulphur denitrator running (nitrates around 5 now), I am doing about 68 ml of carbo calcium (the powered you mix into liquid) via dosing pump 10 times a day , total about 68 ml.

From that online dosing calculator, that’s about the equivalent of 120 ml or so of a alkalinity 2 part (brightwell reef code). Even with that much, my alk will fall from 7.8 to 7.5 or so in two days, so it seems I am not using enough.

I don’t really think that many frags would utilize that much alk to begin with. I use bright well reef code buffer to bring it up to 7.8 every couple days by hand.

Is the carbo even adding alkalinity? From reading some of the threads in here, it doesn’t add or raise alk, but maintains it? So what’s happening to all the carbo alk being pumped in there? Is it lying in wait building up?

I know tropic Marin mentioned in a thread on here it waits in the polyps, and maintains alk but doesn’t increase? How does it n is I’m at 7.8 and trying to maintain there (obviously still not doing that even tho I’m putting a lot in there every day) and not say 8.5 or 9?

Has anime gotten a handle or understanding of it? Got this because I bought 1 doser from ecotech, thinking of just getting a second one and using normal two part.

Any thoughts

 

[Wildreefs]

In other words, if I’m dosing a lot of it, and it is measuring only 7.8 in salifert kit, being the alk in carbo calcium isn’t measurable in water column, could my alk potentially be much higher than 7.8, just not all showing up on test kit? Could it be quietly building up to 10-11, but my kit is only showing 7.8?

 

[jccaclimber]

We need your water volume to understand what the 68 mL you are dosing should do.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I expect you are just using as much alk as you are adding. It is not a very potent product, and the max dosed suggested by Tropic Marin is not high enough for many tanks, even some soft corals tanks with good coralline growth. It is driven by their concerns for O2 consumption, not because you are adding too much alkalinity. by

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I know tropic Marin mentioned in a thread on here it waits in the polyps, and maintains alk but doesn’t increase? How does it n is I’m at 7.8 and trying to maintain there (obviously still not doing that even tho I’m putting a lot in there every day) and not say 8.5 or 9?


Any thoughts

FWIW, i don't accept many of the assertions Tropic Martin made about the exact mechanism of the formate breakdown and consumption, and think it is mostly their speculation rather than demonstrated fact.

 

[Wildreefs]

We need your water volume to understand what the 68 mL you are dosing should do.

270 gallons total.

I do have a sulphur denitrator running

 

[Wildreefs]

FWIW, i don't accept many of the assertions Tropic Martin made about the exact mechanism of the formate breakdown and consumption, and think it is mostly their speculation rather than demonstrated fact.

I understand. How would you use this product then? Just like any other two part , with exception of maybe it takes a few hours for bacteria to break it down to usable elements ?

 

[Rybren]

If your alk is dropping from 7.8 to 7.5 over a few days, then you're almost at the right carbocalcium dose. I'd just dose a bit more.

FWIW, in my 12+ year old 120G mixed reef, 26ml per day keeps me at 8 dKH.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I understand. How would you use this product then? Just like any other two part , with exception of maybe it takes a few hours for bacteria to break it down to usable elements ?

Yes.

 

[Wildreefs]

Ok thanks.

Was worried the alk in my tank was only measuring 7.8, on paper, but because of the claim it lies in wake for when corals need it, it was building up to 20, just not showing up on the test .

Safe to say if I dosed last yesterday for example, and 24 hrs after last dose reading is 8, that’s is total true alk, there’s not another 20 dkh building and waiting to be unleashed and wreck havoc .

 

[Rybren]

Ok thanks.

Was worried the alk in my tank was only measuring 7.8, on paper, but because of the claim it lies in wake for when corals need it, it was building up to 20, just not showing up on the test .

Safe to say if I dosed last yesterday for example, and 24 hrs after last dose reading is 8, that’s is total true alk, there’s not another 20 dkh building and waiting to be unleashed and wreck havoc .

That hasn't been my experience with the product.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Ok thanks.

Was worried the alk in my tank was only measuring 7.8, on paper, but because of the claim it lies in wake for when corals need it, it was building up to 20, just not showing up on the test .

Safe to say if I dosed last yesterday for example, and 24 hrs after last dose reading is 8, that’s is total true alk, there’s not another 20 dkh building and waiting to be unleashed and wreck havoc .

If you are dosing a steady amount each day for an extended period (weeks or more), there will be no ticking time bomb waiting to boost alk.

if you suddenly start a big dose or increase your dose, it might for a short period of time need to catch up.

 

[Wildreefs]

Ok good to know.

So hypothetically, if I’m at 8 alk. And I add in enough to get it to 9. Within a few hours or a day, it should rise to 9, and that’s your alk, 9 all said and done , no secrecy?

The posts tropic marine made in here in the past made it sound like it won’t raise alkalinity, but will await for the corals to use it, and then become usable.

Randy, for what I’m trying to do, (use just the 1 dosing pump I already have, not buy a second) do you agree with me using the carbocalcium for both alk and cal needs?

Looks like I’m using 1 dkh a day, given the 68 ml I’m using every day, and most likely going to have to increase a bit more. Given my tank is 180, and I have a big reservoir or buffering body (100 gallon stock tank attached housing just 1 fish, no coral) , 1 dkh seems like a lot for just 60 or so frags in a. 180. (I can see the same amount of frags in a 75 or 90 gallon, less water to pull alk from)

Could you guess as to how much alk my sulphur denitrator is pulling daily? My nitrates are around 5 right now, and have been there for a few weeks. Down from 50, so I would have thought from 50 to 5, a lot of alk being used with that high of ppm if nitrate. But staying consistently at 5 (even if it is really 5,4,3 etc) is there a way to determine how much alk is going to corals, bio life VS denitrator?