BestMomEver
2500 Club Member
Perhaps I dislike it because I’ve never understood it. I have a degree in biology, so I had to take a lot of chemistry. The only class that wasn’t a serious struggle was biochemistry. Organic chemistry was a nightmare.
So.... I recently (last week) tested my magnesium and it was off the Salifert chart. I estimate it was about 1560 or 1580. I lowered the amount of magnesium I was dosing to almost nothing. Today it measured exactly 1500.
At the same time the magnesium peaked, my dkh measured 12.1. I also reduced my buffer dosing. Today my dkh is 10.6. Perfect. It took 5 days for it to come down that much. But I don’t want it to go lower.
Five days ago, my calcium measured 333. I increased my dosing amount and tested two days later. It was 360. I used the BRS calculator (I’m using BRS chemicals) and added 500ml of calcium suppliment to raise the level to 440. I did that yesterday and unfortunately did not test later in the evening to find out the level. Instead, I tested today and the level was 389. The calculator says to add 300mls.
Also.... my pH is my nemesis. It’s been a struggle. It’s even dropped to 7.4 recently (skimmer off line). I run a CO2 scrubber and it helps a little. I recalibrated my probe (Hanna) yesterday and the pH now reads 7.9.
So.... does high magnesium, cause high dkh? Do they go hand in hand or are the elevated levels coincidental?
Are magnesium and/or alkalinity inversely related to calcium? If either mag or dkh are high,will calcium be low? Or are they unrelated?
Are pH and calcium related? If calcium is low, will pH be low?
I don’t want to start blindly dosing. My frags are growing quickly and I’m pretty sure my calcium depletion is a result. I’m just afraid to increase my calcium because I don’t understand what that will do/not do to the other levels.
Please help me. I’m sure these questions have been asked before but I need to know how all these things fit together. And please.... use language for dummies. I know very little about covalent bonds, etc.
Thank you for helping me.
So.... I recently (last week) tested my magnesium and it was off the Salifert chart. I estimate it was about 1560 or 1580. I lowered the amount of magnesium I was dosing to almost nothing. Today it measured exactly 1500.
At the same time the magnesium peaked, my dkh measured 12.1. I also reduced my buffer dosing. Today my dkh is 10.6. Perfect. It took 5 days for it to come down that much. But I don’t want it to go lower.
Five days ago, my calcium measured 333. I increased my dosing amount and tested two days later. It was 360. I used the BRS calculator (I’m using BRS chemicals) and added 500ml of calcium suppliment to raise the level to 440. I did that yesterday and unfortunately did not test later in the evening to find out the level. Instead, I tested today and the level was 389. The calculator says to add 300mls.
Also.... my pH is my nemesis. It’s been a struggle. It’s even dropped to 7.4 recently (skimmer off line). I run a CO2 scrubber and it helps a little. I recalibrated my probe (Hanna) yesterday and the pH now reads 7.9.
So.... does high magnesium, cause high dkh? Do they go hand in hand or are the elevated levels coincidental?
Are magnesium and/or alkalinity inversely related to calcium? If either mag or dkh are high,will calcium be low? Or are they unrelated?
Are pH and calcium related? If calcium is low, will pH be low?
I don’t want to start blindly dosing. My frags are growing quickly and I’m pretty sure my calcium depletion is a result. I’m just afraid to increase my calcium because I don’t understand what that will do/not do to the other levels.
Please help me. I’m sure these questions have been asked before but I need to know how all these things fit together. And please.... use language for dummies. I know very little about covalent bonds, etc.
Thank you for helping me.
