I can't get alk to stabilize. losing sps weekly.

[VegasRick]

I have never used a doser not not sure what increments it can be set at someone else will have to help. But the more times you can split it up the better.
With a 2 dkh drop per day, dosing twice a day and you will only have a 1 dkh swing, 4 times a day and you will only have a 0.5, 8 times a day for a .25 swing and thats a lot better that 2. If you can set it up for once an hour even better.

 

[secretreefer]

good point. tonight i'm going to figure out the aquamedic doser.

 

[secretreefer]

btw alk is back up to 9dkh tested 445pm. and i did dose 20ml code A and code B each this morning.

 

[GR808]

awesome bro, hook up that doser!!

 

[secretreefer]

gonna try to.lol my 4 yr old nephew and 5 yr old niece decided to sleep over with my kids. already mayhem.

 

[GR808]

good luck

 

[mjaustin22]

What numbers are you going for, I had the same issue as you. I was always trying to hit 9 dkh for growth and killing sps in the Process, I stopped chasing a higher number and realized my tank just runs better around 7.8 to 8. I let things stabilize and my corals and myself have been much happier. I'd suggest to stop chasing numbers imo.

 

[GR808]

What numbers are you going for, I had the same issue as you. I was always trying to hit 9 dkh for growth and killing sps in the Process, I stopped chasing a higher number and realized my tank just runs better around 7.8 to 8. I let things stabilize and my corals and myself have been much happier. I'd suggest to stop chasing numbers imo.

Have u been gotting good growth color as well as PE? My alk also like to stay about 8 as well. CA at 420 and mag at 1350.

 

[secretreefer]

i figured ideal sps params as far as alk goes is 8-11. so i figured i'd try to hit somewhere in between like 10. also when i initially tested (when my sps was stn'ing) my alk was running around 7-8dkh. that's not working for my tank.

 

[mjaustin22]

Have u been gotting good growth color as well as PE? My alk also like to stay about 8 as well. CA at 420 and mag at 1350.

Color and growth have improved since I stopped chasing numbers and let things stabilize. Pe has improved as well.

 

[secretreefer]

What numbers are you going for, I had the same issue as you. I was always trying to hit 9 dkh for growth and killing sps in the Process, I stopped chasing a higher number and realized my tank just runs better around 7.8 to 8. I let things stabilize and my corals and myself have been much happier. I'd suggest to stop chasing numbers imo.

what are you dosing? what sized tank and how much are you dosing if so?

 

[mjaustin22]

what are you dosing? what sized tank and how much are you dosing if so?

Im dosing bionic right now, I have a 58g sps dominant tank. At the moment I'm dosing 60ml of each and my numbers are good, I dosed by hand until I got my numbers to where I wanted them and then stopped for 24hrs and tested again at the exact same time the next night and saw how much my tank dropped and entered that into the reef calc, which told me 45ml of each bionic part. I entered this into my bubble magus dosing pumps and tested again 3 days later, everything held. I kept testing every 3 days for about a month to make sure things were still on track. As my corals improved and began to grow I found I needed to up my dosing and slowly settled at 60ml, I also got 13 new frags during this time so my need went up. My params are Alk 8, Calc 420 and Mag 1450. Now I test twice a week and will probably go to once a week here soon.

 

[secretreefer]

Im dosing bionic right now, I have a 58g sps dominant tank. At the moment I'm dosing 60ml of each and my numbers are good, I dosed by hand until I got my numbers to where I wanted them and then stopped for 24hrs and tested again at the exact same time the next night and saw how much my tank dropped and entered that into the reef calc, which told me 45ml of each bionic part. I entered this into my bubble magus dosing pumps and tested again 3 days later, everything held. I kept testing every 3 days for about a month to make sure things were still on track. As my corals improved and began to grow I found I needed to up my dosing and slowly settled at 60ml, I also got 13 new frags during this time so my need went up. My params are Alk 8, Calc 420 and Mag 1450. Now I test twice a week and will probably go to once a week here soon.

thanks. you're dosing now 60ml per day? i'm running a 180g right now with alot of live rock and am dosing 25ml per day right now. i have a dosing pump that i'm trying to hook up today.

 

[mjaustin22]

thanks. you're dosing now 60ml per day? i'm running a 180g right now with alot of live rock and am dosing 25ml per day right now. i have a dosing pump that i'm trying to hook up today.

Ya, 60ml per day. I think its kind of a lot too, but my tank was started with dry rock and has been set up for about a year and is just starting to get coraline algae, so I think this is sucking up a ton. All I know is that my corals have responded very well, pieces that weren't doing great are starting to recover and my new acquisitions are growing and looking great!! I'm not getting any precipitation that I can tell, I have been dosing this much for the past month.

 

[redhanded]

here's my thoughts. im not an expert by any means, but i dose 2 part for the past couple of years and I have never had any problems.

I think you should stop trying hit that "magic" alk number. Also, if you are going to dose 2 part, I would recommend using something like the brs 2 part rather than those other products. Ive tried those other products and I wasnt happy with consistency. Here's what I would do. Wake up one morning and test your alk, calcium and mag levels. Dont dose anything that day. Wake up the next morning and then test again.....now compare the differences and see what your needs are and how much you would need to dose to bring it to your desired levels. For me, I try to keep calcium about 400-450 and alk around 8.