New to dosing...need help

[Jamesrup0411]

Ok so I have a DOS to start dosing brs 2part. I did a water change last week and checked my parameters the following day (alk 6.9) (cal 400). I just checked today and alk is 6.6 and cal stayed the same, using Hanna for alk and salifert for cal. My goal is to maintain 8.3 and 400, I use reef crystals and mix to 1.026 and for the life of me I cannot get anywhere close to 8.3 unless dosing by hand but then bottoms back out to the levels When I don’t. Why does my alk deplete but my cal is staying the same? I feel like I’m pretty well stocked with torches to sticks.

 

[vetteguy53081]

What is tank temperature and how many M/L are you adding via doser daily?

 

[Jamesrup0411]

What is tank temperature and how many M/L are you adding via doser daily?

Temp is 77 and at this moment I’m not dosing at all. I want to start and get my alk to 8.3, brs calculator stated 9.1 grams to get from 6.6 to 8.3

 

[DSEKULA]

Check your mg, if it's low you could have issues with getting alk to come up.

 

[Jamesrup0411]

Just tested mag, 1480 per Red Sea

 

[DSEKULA]

This might sound stupid but are you sure the reagents for your test kits are all good and not expired?

 

[Jamesrup0411]

This might sound stupid but are you sure the reagents for your test kits are all good and not expired?

Lol not stupid question but they are all good

 

[Jamesrup0411]

I guess the real question here is it common for low alk while other two parameters stay in decent range?

 

[DSEKULA]

How long have you been monitoring this? Calcium use will be harder to see since your using a visual method vs the digital for alk. What happens if you don't dose for 2-3 days? Will alk and CA go down if you leave it long enough?

 

[redfishbluefish]

A couple things:


Lets check your alk test. The next water change, test the new water you make to make sure the alk is up there for Reef Crystals. Look it up....but guessing, I'd say Reef Crystals alk is 10-11 dKh, if not higher at 1.026. Assuming that is good......

I'd recommend making up solutions of Alk and Calc instead of adding dry ingredients. I'm guessing with the alk needed to go from 6.6 to 8.3 you have something the the way of 75 gallon tank. Liquid additions are more accurate since your adding larger volumes, instead of a couple grams of dry ingredients. It also allows rapid dispersal into the tank. On that note, don't immediately go from 6.6 to 8.3....split that into two days, half one day, half the next.

Once you get to where you want to be (assuming 8.3) test that day, and now a day later (at about the same time). Use that drop in alk to determine your daily dose to maintain 8.3 from the calculator..

 

[Jamesrup0411]

How long have you been monitoring this? Calcium use will be harder to see since your using a visual method vs the digital for alk. What happens if you don't dose for 2-3 days? Will alk and CA go down if you leave it long enough?

I don’t dose, I did momentarily “By hand”after watching my alk deplete. I just bought the DOS, this drop has been going on for couple months now

 

[DSEKULA]

I've seen other threads like this pop up but never had the issue of alk only getting used personally. So all I can say is that it seems like it does happen. If your 100% sure this is what's going on I'd just dose alk to keep the level where you want it and usually it will level out uptake wise after a while. That's just my recollection reading others posts but don't believe I've seen any information on why this happens.

 

[Jamesrup0411]

A couple things:


Lets check your alk test. The next water change, test the new water you make to make sure the alk is up there for Reef Crystals. Look it up....but guessing, I'd say Reef Crystals alk is 10-11 dKh, if not higher at 1.026. Assuming that is good......

I'd recommend making up solutions of Alk and Calc instead of adding dry ingredients. I'm guessing with the alk needed to go from 6.6 to 8.3 you have something the the way of 75 gallon tank. Liquid additions are more accurate since your adding larger volumes, instead of a couple grams of dry ingredients. It also allows rapid dispersal into the tank. On that note, don't immediately go from 6.6 to 8.3....split that into two days, half one day, half the next.

Once you get to where you want to be (assuming 8.3) test that day, and now a day later (at about the same time). Use that drop in alk to determine your daily dose to maintain 8.3 from the calculator..

So you’re saying to test the fresh mix of saltwater? And sorry about the grams in initial post. I never dosed dry substance and planned to convert grams to ml for brs soda ash. Ok sounds like a plan for two days to bring up to 8.3

 

[Jamesrup0411]

Thanks for the advice guys, I’ll bring it up manually and hopefully all pans out...lol if not I’ll be back

 

[redfishbluefish]

According to THIS LINK, a fresh batch of Reef Crystals at 1.026 should be approximately 490 ppm Calcium, 13 dKH Alkalinity, and 1440 ppm Magnesium.

 

[Jamesrup0411]

According to THIS LINK, a fresh batch of Reef Crystals at 1.026 should be approximately 490 ppm Calcium, 13 dKH Alkalinity, and 1440 ppm Magnesium.

My next water change I’ll test the fresh mix and report back

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I guess the real question here is it common for low alk while other two parameters stay in decent range?

Certainly. Even a mix that starts very high in alk can drop to what seems like low alk and normal calicum just because of the math of calcium carbonate formation (2.8 dKH for each 18-20 ppm calcium).

Start at the levels RedFish quoted:

490 ppm calcium and 13 dKH

take out calcium carbonate to attain 6.5 dKH.
What is the remaining calcium? About 445 ppm.

So it would seem like calcium is still fine and alk is dropping like crazy. Yep. All true and normal.

 

[LadyTang2]

Certainly. Even a mix that starts very high in alk can drop to what seems like low alk and normal calicum just because of the math of calcium carbonate formation (2.8 dKH for each 18-20 ppm calcium).

Start at the levels RedFish quoted:

490 ppm calcium and 13 dKH

take out calcium carbonate to attain 6.5 dKH.
What is the remaining calcium? About 445 ppm.

So it would seem like calcium is still fine and alk is dropping like crazy. Yep. All true and normal.

When it looks like ALK is dropping like crazy should we still dose calcium? Do you always dose ca and alk or sometimes just alk and why?

 

[Formidableone14]

Kents Marine buffer Pro

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

When it looks like ALK is dropping like crazy should we still dose calcium? Do you always dose ca and alk or sometimes just alk and why?

Unless it is too high already, I would.