I need help stabilizing my parameters

[jordimex]

Hello i have been trying to keep my parameters in check but i haven't been able to and i would like some advice please
my tank is a red sea reefer 250
display tank 54 gal
sump 11 gal
around 60 lbs live rock
attached is a photo of my parameters

How often should i be testing to be able to dose Red Sea reef foundation A, B, and C to keep near perfect parameters for a mixed reef
disregard calcium testing on july 16th i think i did it wrong
any advice will be very helpful thank you!!

 

[jordimex]

Here are a couple photos before light went on

 

[jsker]

How old is the system? If the system is newer(under six months) the parameter will move around until the system is established. Another factor will be the demand of the system (how many corals added).

Chasing perfect numbers will only frustrate you, what you are looking for is to be with in a range and how your system looks.

I test one to two times a week, just before I change water and randomly one other day. I usually wait a day or two after a water change to test.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Dosing alkalinity more often and in smaller amounts will lead to more stable alk levels (assuming you are dosing, if not, it is test error). Nothing else important changes especially rapidly. A lot of the movement in calcium and magnesium is probably testing error. They do not rise without dosing unless the salinity is rising a lot.

 

[jordimex]

yes the system has been up for 1 month after the cycle, the cycle took 2 weeks and have been dosing part a and part b after adding corals
recently bought the red sea foundation dosing kit A, B, and C although I'm not sure how much to dose of it

 

[jordimex]

i know chasing perfect numbers at the moment will be more of a pain than anything but i would like them to at least be in range

 

[jordimex]

@Battlecorals Adam this is the thread i started

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

How much of the two part are you adding now, and how often?

 

[jordimex]

I'm adding ¼ fl oz of each and have been doing it around every 2 days

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Dosing what brand two part?

If this is my DIY (like BRS sells), then you are only adding about 0.3 dKH and 2 ppm of calcium.

Any bigger "fluctuations" are just testing error (or due to changes in salinity).

Don't worry about these changes, Just look to long term trends in alkalinity and dose accordingly.

 

[Ashish Patel]

I just got my parameters stable.. 4 month old tank.. I did not get parameters stable until i started dosing 6 times/day 2 part.. I found equally important it was dialing in your nutrient in and nutrient export. Definitely trial and error but if your dosing daily or every other day as I was its always going to be unstable.. Good starting point is testing alk and Ca being testing every other day while you get your consumption right..

 

[jordimex]

I am using two little fishes brand dosed in the morning and will be checking the parameters again in about 3 hours when i get back home

 

[jordimex]

is it possible that my mag came up after dosing ¼ oz of two little fishes A&B? and calcium went way down

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

The drop in calcium is test error, not instability. Same for the rise in magnesium, unless you added a massive amount of magnesium supplement.

 

[jordimex]

any help or advice on a test to use? I've been using API when i started but noticed that the readings where not accurate since they only give you an in the ball park guess, so i switched to red sea in order to stop this guessing and have something more accurate but I'm either doing it wrong or I'm not sure whats going on, been looking at videos on how to do them and try to follow the instructions on point

 

[Ashish Patel]

RedSea MG tend to give inaccurate higher readings - Right Randy!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Right. lol

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

any help or advice on a test to use? I've been using API when i started but noticed that the readings where not accurate since they only give you an in the ball park guess, so i switched to red sea in order to stop this guessing and have something more accurate but I'm either doing it wrong or I'm not sure whats going on, been looking at videos on how to do them and try to follow the instructions on point

I'd stop measuring anything except alkalinity, and pick a dose of both parts of a two part and stick with it, monitoring alk and making MINOR adjustments to the dose every so often as needed.

 

[jordimex]

i want to stick with the red sea products but its not a two part since there is part a, b, and c should i dose them all?

• Foundation A – CALCIUM+
• Foundation B – KH/ALKALINITY
• Foundation C – MAGNESIUM

which ones should i dose and around how many ml?

 

[Ashish Patel]

Your tanks only been setup for 1 month? I use Red sea pro but cross check with Hanna checker. They never match but I get the tank consumption down and go on BRS website and find out daily consumption of CA/Alk. I am 4 months into my setup and have not dosed MG. It seems to be stable around 1400. Check MG every 2-4 weeks and check CA/ALK every other day... Do yourself a favor and get a dosing pump - does not have to be expensive just reliable. Focus on stabilizing your CA/ALK..