Need help on what to dose for calcium

[Idech]

My tank is a 10 months old mixed tank. I used to dose All for reef daily but the alkalinity was too high (9.5 or so) and magnesium was not stable, instead it was decreasing. I was using Brigthwell magnesium powder to raise mag but ran out. I took a lot of it to maintain magnesium and it was a pain.

So now I’ve been dosing EVB- Ionic liquid magnesium for the past few days and it has raised magnesium with a small daily amount. It needs to be fine tuned and I’m working on it. I like it so far; I bought a 1 gallon bottle.

But now without AFR calcium is decreasing. I thought about using AFR but I’m afraid it’s going to raise alkalinity like it did before.

Here are my parameters (after a 3 day blackout but not so different than what they were) :

Alk : 9.0 (was 8.7 before blackout)
CA : 400 (was 425 before blackout and is steadily decreasing)
Mag : 1340 (was 1280 before starting using ESV-Ionic a few days ago)
Nitrates : 13.7
Phos : impossible to know, I’m dosing sodium silicate so Hanna not working and Salifert impossible to read
Salinity : 1.026

I would like to dose 1 more thing only, for calcium.

So my question :

can I just buy ESV-B calcium buffer (component no 2) ? I wouldn’t get the no 1 since alkalinity is already a little too high for my taste.

Or should I just give AFR another try since I have lots of it left ?

Thanks !

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

You can use just the calcium part of the ESV two part, or just calcium chloride. Many brands are fine.

 

[Tamberav]

I don't use AFR but I thought the point of it was so you could just dose one thing?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I don't use AFR but I thought the point of it was so you could just dose one thing?

That is the point, but if you have other additions or sinks for alk, an all in one won’t get calcium right.

 

[Tamberav]

That is the point, but if you have other additions or sinks for alk, an all in one won’t get calcium right.

Bummer! It is expensive stuff.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Bummer! It is expensive stuff.

Calcium chloride? It can be inexpensive.

 

[Reefer Matt Verified Media Partner]

I use this ln my sps tank. The cal and mag are in one bottle, alk in the other.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I use this ln my sps tank. The cal and mag are in one bottle, alk in the other.

That's likely a fine choice, but don't believe Seachem's assertion that 1:1 dosing is proper since they misdesigned it for that purpose.

 

[Reefer Matt Verified Media Partner]

That's likely a fine choice, but don't believe Seachem's assertion that 1:1 dosing is proper since they misdesigned it for that purpose.

Correct. Mine was not a 1:1 ratio for a while. Alk was always more (10ml or so) for a year or so, but is now 1ml difference. 47ml cal/mg, and 48ml alk, daily.

 

[Idech]

I don't use AFR but I thought the point of it was so you could just dose one thing?

That’s why I bought it but I don’t know why, it raises alk too much and magnesium doesn’t hold.

It’s not too expensive if you buy the powder and mix it yourself.

 

[Idech]

You can use just the calcium part of the ESV two part, or just calcium chloride. Many brands are fine.

Thank you. If I go this way, do I have to buy amino acids or anything else separately if I’m not doing regular water changes ?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thank you. If I go this way, do I have to buy amino acids or anything else separately if I’m not doing regular water changes ?

Mist people do not dose amino acids. Why are you asking about it?

 

[Idech]

Mist people do not dose amino acids. Why are you asking about it?

I’m a new reefer and probably not using the right terms.

I want to know what other component I need to add to the water to replace whatever evaporates and/or is being used up and that we can’t test for, since I’m not doing regular water changes.

I thought those were amino acids but I must be wrong.