How can I lower the big three?

[Currdawg12]

how can I maintain my alk, calcium, and magnesium? They all run super high. And I can’t really dose. I do bi-weekly water changes. But I also have really high phosphates. So I can’t not do water changes. 90 gallon tank, 2 years old.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

how can I maintain my alk, calcium, and magnesium? They all run super high. And I can’t really dose. I do bi-weekly water changes. But I also have really high phosphates. So I can’t not do water changes. 90 gallon tank, 2 years old.

What salt are you using? If it is a salt that mixes high in all 3 and then your water changes replace what the tank used, then you can switch to a salt that mixes at lower parameters.

Although, what are you considering as high? If it is the same as the salt mix you use and the tank is not hurting, there may be no need to change those params.

 

[Currdawg12]

What salt are you using? If it is a salt that mixes high in all 3 and then your water changes replace what the tank used, then you can switch to a salt that mixes at lower parameters.

Although, what are you considering as high? If it is the same as the salt mix you use and the tank is not hurting, there may be no need to change those params.

i use reef crystals and plan on changing to redsea pro in the next few water changes. alk is 11.5 calcium was 550 and magnesium is around 1500. i use the red sea test kits. ill have to look at my bucket and see what parameters it is set at. i just want them to be lower so i can maintain them without using so much testing solutions.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

i use reef crystals and plan on changing to redsea pro in the next few water changes. alk is 11.5 calcium was 550 and magnesium is around 1500. i use the red sea test kits. ill have to look at my bucket and see what parameters it is set at. i just want them to be lower so i can maintain them without using so much testing solutions.

That is about where IORC mixes to at 1.026 give or take some here and there.

If you want lower over all, then switching salts is what I would do.

RSCP mixes to about the same as IORC at 1.026, so you may want to look into plain ole blue bucket RS salt or some other brand.

Coral Pro Salt | Premium grade, high Alkalinity - Red Sea

Coral Pro reef salt enhances coral growth up to 4 times their natural rate. Its alkalinity of 12 dKH makes it ideal for mixed reefs.

www.redseafish.com

 

[\m/reefsnmetal\m/]

If you're trying to lower those values I wouldn't recommend Red Sea blue bucket. It's the only salt I use and I have consistently high ALK and CAL. I currently only have to dose MAG

 

[Eagle_Steve]

If you're trying to lower those values I wouldn't recommend Red Sea blue bucket. It's the only salt I use and I have consistently high ALK and CAL. I currently only have to dose MAG

Thought RSBB was lower alk, like 8 or so, what are you getting when you mix it? If higher than the below, I would be curious if RedSea changed something.

This is from their specs online. And I am not doubting you at all, so do not think that. I just swapped from TMP for other issues, so trust me when I know salt can be not as advertised.

 

[\m/reefsnmetal\m/]

Thought RSBB was lower alk, like 8 or so, what are you getting when you mix it? If higher than the below, I would be curious if RedSea changed something.

This is from their specs online. And I am not doubting you at all, so do not think that. I just swapped from TMP for other issues, so trust me when I know salt can be not as advertised.

That's a great question and I've always told myself that I would test my fresh mixed salt one day lol. Honestly, by the time I grew a bit out of the noob stage and realized people test their fresh batches it was too late. I had been doing the same exact thing with RSBB for so long and my numbers were great so I never felt it necessary. My average DKH runs around 10.6 and CAL 480 without currently dosing anything but magnesium. My tank is about 100g total water volume and mostly softies.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

That's a great question and I've always told myself that I would test my fresh mixed salt one day lol. Honestly, by the time I grew a bit out of the noob stage and realized people test their fresh batches it was too late. I had been doing the same exact thing with RSBB for so long and my numbers were great so I never felt it necessary. My average DKH runs around 10.6 and CAL 480 without currently dosing anything but magnesium. My tank is about 100g total water volume and mostly softies.

If tank looks good, some nutrients are available for the corals I see no need to change a thing. Some will tell you that you have to be at XXX,XXX and XXX for numbers. And they will all be different numbers. Over my close to 40 years of doing this, I have learned stability is key, no 2 tanks are the same, and once a tank finds balance things do well.