Need to rise Alk!

[juanmanuelsanchez]

Hi all! So I noticed that my montipora are showing the polyps. After testing I found my Alk around 6.5 and my mag around 1200 ( I have being dosing magnesium since weeks now, but it keeps declining). My calcium is around 400

SO I need to raise both. Which is the best way? I tried dosing baking soda with rodi water. But I know that's a temporary solution .

Any ideas on how to get the right balance?

Thanks in advance!

 

[shaggydoo]

I would use 2-part like b ionic. This will raise both and keep things as stable as you can. Add in some Mg supplement (I have been using the Red Sea powder), and bring it up a little each day.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Water changes. Easiest.

Next would be two part dosing.
Or kalwasser if the demand is low.

 

[juanmanuelsanchez]

Well Im already using the mag suplement from aquaforest, so I would buy calcium and Alk.

Still want to know what I could do now... Would the baking soda work while I get the product?

Also I'm doing a water change now.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Hi all! So I noticed that my montipora are showing the polyps. After testing I found my Alk around 6.5 and my mag around 1200 ( I have being dosing magnesium since weeks now, but it keeps declining). My calcium is around 400

SO I need to raise both. Which is the best way? I tried dosing baking soda with rodi water. But I know that's a temporary solution .

Any ideas on how to get the right balance?

Thanks in advance!

That's a fine way to go, but a two part will bring up calcium too.

The magnesium (if real) will have to be boosted separately.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

There’s no now besides a wc really.
You don’t want to raise alk too fast.
If you wc now, tomorrow test alk and cal. Then test again the next day and begin to figure out your usage.
Your daily usage is what you’ll want to put back with dosing.

Check out some of randy Farley’s articles here , and this is another pretty good one.

The start is a primer , then a pretty good walk through in real time.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Well Im already using the mag suplement from aquaforest, so I would buy calcium and Alk.

Still want to know what I could do now... Would the baking soda work while I get the product?

Also I'm doing a water change now.

Yes, baking soda is a perfectly fine alk additive.

 

[juanmanuelsanchez]

What would be the order of raising the values? First Alk then mag then cal?

 

[Potatohead]

Well Im already using the mag suplement from aquaforest, so I would buy calcium and Alk.

Still want to know what I could do now... Would the baking soda work while I get the product?

Also I'm doing a water change now.

Aquaforest KH buffer is baking soda. Literally.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

The order really doesn’t matter. Magnesium first if you have all the additives now.

 

[juanmanuelsanchez]

I still don't know ow why it dosent go up even by dosing 200 ml day.
The system is 220 gallons

 

[Duane Clark]

Curious...how big is the tank? I have a small tank and use Kalk+ which also includes calcium. I titrated the needed amount over the course of a couple weeks and just add the same amount to to my ATO reservoir each week. pH is stable at 8.2, alk 9.4 and calcium at 1280. I don't know if it would be that easy with a larger tank though.

 

[juanmanuelsanchez]

The tank is 220 gallons. I always had trouble to keep magnesium at the right level. Something it's absorbing it and fast.... But don't know what it is.

 

[WWIII]

The tank is 220 gallons. I always had trouble to keep magnesium at the right level. Something it's absorbing it and fast.... But don't know what it is.

What magnesium test kit are you using?

 

[juanmanuelsanchez]

Red Sea and I'm using the aquaforest magnesium suplement. The one that is flakes not liquid.

 

[WWIII]

Red Sea and I'm using the aquaforest magnesium suplement. The one that is flakes not liquid.

I'm not familiar with the aquaforest solution. Usually it takes a lot of magnesium chloride/sulfate to make a gallon of solution. Then a lot of ml to correct, but once corrected it shouldn't deplete very quickly. You actually see the value going lower or just can't raise it?

 

[juanmanuelsanchez]

Going down

 

[WWIII]

For example you would need to dose almost 1800 ml of brs magnesium mix (chloride/sulfate mix) to raise a 220 gallon system from 1200 to 1300.

 

[WWIII]

Going down

I'm at a loss, hopefully someone else knows what would make magnesium decrease like that. You dosing 200ml per day for weeks should be doing something

 

[juanmanuelsanchez]

At what concentration or how many grams do I have to make the solution?