I need some help adjusting parameters

Arricefe · Apr 7, 2019

Howdy Y'all!
BLUF: my parameters are NOT spot on

Alkalinity = 6.44
Calcium = 500+ (Both tank AND new Saltwater measure above 500)
Maganisium = 1400
I used the RedSea foundation Pro test kit.

Do I neeed to do something to lower Calcium? I'm going to follow the Red Sea recipe to raise Alkalinity but I'll take some pointers there too.

Background: I just did a tank swap from 125 to 120 with my new setup I want to join the SPS game. I'm not a big fan of testing but I understand it's a necessary evil for SPS. I want to keep it simple so I'm going to follow the Red Sea reef care recipes. I was using Kent Marine salt but I'm going to use the Red Sea Coral plus salt now. TIA.

Chiefmaster30 · Apr 7, 2019

I’m not a professional here but I’ve been in this hobby for 4 years and setup and dosed 2 tanks. Since your calcium is high, I would start by dosing Alk only to get your alkalinity to the level you are shooting for. While doing that keep eye on calcium. Dosing just all supplement should slowly start to decline your calcium levels. When you get all 3 levels where you want them, test wait 4 days test again. See how much of a drop you’ve had and divide that by 4 and that will be your daily cosumption.

Dkeller_nc · Apr 7, 2019

Chiefmaster has it correct. You'll want to simply dose a supplement (either DIY or commercial) to get your tank's alkalinity in line, and let the calcium fall over time. Depending on your tank and how much livestock it has in it, that could take several days to 10-15 days.

A tip on the "SPS game" - testing is part and parcel of the equation. You should expect to test alkalinity daily (ideally, you might get away with every 2 days) while you're stocking the tank with stony corals, and for the first several weeks as the growth stabilizes and the alkalinity consumption stabilizes. You can test calcium far less frequently, perhaps every 4 or 5 days.

And, if you're not experienced with SPS, keep the lighting low when you first get them. While it's true that low light might eventually starve an SPS colony, much higher light than they're used to will nuke them in a day. So it's better to err on the low side, and gradually bring the intensity up, either by adjusting the light fixture itself, or raising the colony's location in the water column.

Act1n1c_L1fe · Apr 7, 2019

FelixA said:
Howdy Y'all!
BLUF: my parameters are NOT spot on

Alkalinity = 6.44
Calcium = 500+ (Both tank AND new Saltwater measure above 500)
Maganisium = 1400
I used the RedSea foundation Pro test kit.

Do I neeed to do something to lower Calcium? I'm going to follow the Red Sea recipe to raise Alkalinity but I'll take some pointers there too.

Background: I just did a tank swap from 125 to 120 with my new setup I want to join the SPS game. I'm not a big fan of testing but I understand it's a necessary evil for SPS. I want to keep it simple so I'm going to follow the Red Sea reef care recipes. I was using Kent Marine salt but I'm going to use the Red Sea Coral plus salt now. TIA.

First off, get a new test kit.the Red Sea test kit screwed my alkalinity causing me to lose hundreds in corals. Get a Hanna checker for alk, api for calcium, and Salifert for Mag. Test, and start dosing alk first.

Act1n1c_L1fe · Apr 7, 2019

Chiefmaster30 said:
I’m not a professional here but I’ve been in this hobby for 4 years and setup and dosed 2 tanks. Since your calcium is high, I would start by dosing Alk only to get your alkalinity to the level you are shooting for. While doing that keep eye on calcium. Dosing just all supplement should slowly start to decline your calcium levels. When you get all 3 levels where you want them, test wait 4 days test again. See how much of a drop you’ve had and divide that by 4 and that will be your daily cosumption.

+1

Arricefe · Apr 7, 2019

Act1n1c_L1fe said:
First off, get a new test kit.the Red Sea test kit screwed my alkalinity causing me to lose hundreds in corals. Get a Hanna checker for alk, api for calcium, and Salifert for Mag. Test, and start dosing alk first.

Oh man I just bought that test kit, I liked the ease of it but if it's not realable I guess it's useless. Thanks for the tip.