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

secretreefer · Aug 18, 2011

thanks for the advice! my buddy has a old 2 little fishies reactor i'm gonna try diy into a kalk reactor. lol i think he also has a spare old ph monitor also! works but just old! but np for me.

AcroholicReefer said:
I bought my first kalk reactor in 2007 and I have ran one on my sps systems ever since. If you get a decent kalk reactor like a GEO or Precision Marine, along with a pH monitor, it will make a world of a difference.

GR808 · Aug 19, 2011

bro, we should mix our own batch of Randy's recipe and we can just share the batch.. I wanted to do that for some time but never got the balls to dig up all the materials... U know the materials don't come that easy here.
BTW, I still got the Deswali frag i can give back to you... and anything else I have..

secretreefer · Aug 19, 2011

thanks bro. no worries. i think i got it back on track. cut the dosing on the 2 part.
ok so params
1.026 sg
8.2 ph
78 degrees
8dkh on the alk
480 calcium
1440 mag
0 phosphate
0 ammonia
0 nitrite
0 nitrate

secretreefer · Aug 19, 2011

Thump, wondering if my mag or ca is too high?

Redstag · Aug 19, 2011

Calcium a little bit hight. You might not dosing calcium on two parts to let it drop down to 430 then you can continue doing the calcium. Make sure you monitor to see how many ml does your calcium drop a day, so you can adjust your dose.

Rickyrooz · Aug 19, 2011

A local reefer (Jay4robin on RC) was having an alk issue after installing a new calcium reactor and losing colors in his SPS but he eventually figured out the main cause was AEFW munching on his corals.

secretreefer · Aug 19, 2011

yeah i did have aefw in the past but defeated them. been dipping things here and there periodically since i first found out i had them and haven't seen one for awhile. none on any millie's so i'm pretty sure. yellow coris, candy hog and target mandarin i think is making sure none survived. i always see them eyeing up my sps up and down...

AcroholicReefer · Aug 19, 2011

Ca looks fine to me. I have ran it over 500 before and had great growth

. It will precipitate out, along with Mg, if it gets too high and form coraline algae.

secretreefer · Aug 19, 2011

yeah got tons of coraline all over the tank.

Redstag · Aug 19, 2011

You need to balance Calcium and Alk. There is a balance table in reefkeeping below for your information.
When Do Calcium and Alkalinity Demand Not Exactly Balance? by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com
Calcium and Alkalinity by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

kungfujoe · Aug 19, 2011

i had similar problems about a year ago so i ended up buying a bubble magus doser. I figured out the reason for the lack of stability was i wasnt dosing ca alk and mag everyday. for the first few days of aquiring a doser tested my water every few days so i could dial the pumps in for the exact dosage needed everyday. anyhow ever since hooking the dosing pumps i havent had alk mag or cal problems.

DeathWish302 · Aug 19, 2011

AcroholicReefer said:
secretreefer, why are you dosing so much if you are getting negative results?

I haven't dosed anything in years except for magnesium and all I run is a kalk reactor. There are very few systems out there than require Ca and alk supplements in addition to a nice kalk reactor with a great mixing pump. Not saying that sps systems cannot be ran off of part A and part B alone, but you will spend the rest of the hobby chasing numbers. Then add the extra cost from the supplements, extra test kits, and the lovely extra labor that is involved in dosing supplements compared to kalk alone.

I have seen really nice systems that are ran off of dosing alone but it just isn't for me. The "set it and forget it" method and the "freedom of going out of town for 5 days at a time method" has always worked for me. HTH

I don't think you'll be chasing numbers if you dose by pumps. This is as consistent as a kalk reactor, so long as you keep filling up the solution containers. The only concern I have had with a kalk reactor is nuking the tank with a pH spike from a faulty monitor. The same goes for the calcium reactor if the monitor implodes and causes a significatn drop in pH. I've just heard to many horro stories with faulty pH monitors to make the jump away from DIY 2-Part. Maybe I worry too much....?

secretreefer · Aug 19, 2011

i'm thinking about the same thing. seachem reefbuilder isn't supposed to alter PH in any way so maybe i'll put that (figure out how much i need to put in) in my ATO.

DeathWish302 · Aug 19, 2011

secretreefer said:
i'm thinking about the same thing. seachem reefbuilder isn't supposed to alter PH in any way so maybe i'll put that (figure out how much i need to put in) in my ATO.

IMO, drop the Seachem supplements. In the long run, a quality DIY 2-Part from places like BRS are far cheaper. I don't like the Seachem products b/c of the possibility in the past of elevating your borate too high which may not affect pH but is not really what your trying to achieve. I drip my 30mL of DIY baked baking sode solution over 24 hrs and can't budge the pH above 8.0 with even a rapid dump. That's apple to oranges with a nano setup though. I just prefer the 'industrial' additives that can be had for cheap i guess.

secretreefer · Aug 19, 2011

true. i'm using what i got on hand right now and am in talks with 2 other buddies on doing a BRS order. did you post a thread on doing the DIY dosing chemicals? i know there's one somewhere around. AND THANKS EVERYONE for the continued help. i was ready to quit when i lost some prized pieces....

Murfman · Aug 19, 2011

An Improved Do-it-Yourself Two-Part Calcium and Alkalinity Supplement System by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

secretreefer · Aug 19, 2011

thanks murfman!

GR808 · Aug 20, 2011

we'll beat this bro!!!!!! :xd:

AcroholicReefer · Aug 20, 2011

DeathWish302 said:
I don't think you'll be chasing numbers if you dose by pumps. This is as consistent as a kalk reactor, so long as you keep filling up the solution containers. The only concern I have had with a kalk reactor is nuking the tank with a pH spike from a faulty monitor. The same goes for the calcium reactor if the monitor implodes and causes a significatn drop in pH. I've just heard to many horro stories with faulty pH monitors to make the jump away from DIY 2-Part. Maybe I worry too much....?

Yep, dosing pumps can work great but 2 part dosing is still just not for everybody. If you want to have a safe method of supplementing Ca, alk, and H20, than set up a kalk reactor + pH monitor + dosing pump (tom aquatics) attached to a float valve. I don't think you need to worry about any problems with the kalk reactor unless you try to dump kalk straight into the tank. In 4 years of running a kalk reactor, I have never had any problems. 2 part dose until you get alk and Ca at the levels that you want them and then use the kalk reactor to keep things stable.

DeathWish302 · Aug 20, 2011

AcroholicReefer said:
Yep, dosing pumps can work great but 2 part dosing is still just not for everybody. If you want to have a safe method of supplementing Ca, alk, and H20, than set up a kalk reactor + pH monitor + dosing pump (tom aquatics) attached to a float valve. I don't think you need to worry about any problems with the kalk reactor unless you try to dump kalk straight into the tank. In 4 years of running a kalk reactor, I have never had any problems. 2 part dose until you get alk and Ca at the levels that you want them and then use the kalk reactor to keep things stable.

I will admit that when I had a larger tank 5+ years ago, the kalk dripper was far easier to set and forget after it settled for 12 hrs. I also used alot less product when using kalk compared to the 3-Part system i'm using now.

I've heard alot of bad press about powerheads constantly clogging when using for a 12 hr stir. Are you using a PH for agitation once/twice daily in your top-off bin?