Parameters off again

[Bernardhny]

I purchased a BRS two part Doser today and figured I should measure my water chemistry and see how my tank looked since my last water change a week ago (55g tank with 10g change every week)

I was a bit shocked at the test results today. Usually in a week I see the following numbers:

CA: 350
Alk: 8.2
Mag: 1150

Today I was at:

CA: 600+
Alk : 9.2
mag: 1400

I cant seem to think how the levels could be so high. I need to figure out this week how much I should be dosing. The plan is to do my 10g water change tomorrow morning and then test the parameters again tomorrow night. Let the system run for the week with nothing being dosed and measure again. Calculate using the BRS calculator the doses necessary to raise everything to the proper level and divide that by seven days to calculate daily dosing strategy. Then use an automatic timer to run the pumps for x number of minutes per day to deliver the ml necessary to maintain alk and cal. Magnesium I will measure weekly and dose manually.

Am I approaching this correctly?

Thanks in advance

Bernard

 

[mike007]

When I dialed in my doser I quit dosing for three days and then I divided my loss by three and then I went to the calculator and determined what to dose each day. It took about three weeks to get it right. Make sure you are dosing alk. and ca. in equal doses. Let your ca. come down on its own and then then you can determine what amount you need to dose each day. It is hard to believe your ca. level is that high unless you dosed too much.

 

[redfishbluefish]

Bernard, what have you done between purchasing the BRS pumps and your last test (where the number were "reasonable?")


Also, if you have been manually dosing, how much have you been putting into the tank? And what kinds of corals do you have in there? And do you have a clam?


And yet another also, what test kit are you using to measure Calc.


A number of 600+ I would think would cause precipitation in the tank.

 

[Bernardhny]

I have not hooked up the doser yet. What was odd about my readings was that my normal routine has remained the same. I do not dose anything unless the parameters are off. I expected the numbers to be low since it had been a week since my least water change. I was going to use this drop as the baseline for my dosing calculations.

I have a mixed reef. Hammer coral, bubble coral, rose bulb, a open and closed brain coral, some pumping xenia and some zoa's. No clams.

I use the Hanna line of testers for Alk and calcium.

 

[TheSaint216]

did you do this right after a water change? what brand of salt are you using?

 

[Bernardhny]

Right before I was going to do a water change. I use Red Sea Coral Pro.

 

[IamI]

Calcium is usually a 3rd of Mag...Might be wrong but your Mag is polly higher then that! To get that #

 

[cginter]

I would double check the Params. If your not dosing and only doing 10g water changes I don't see how cal, alk and mag can be that high. And cal to mag ratio is 1-3. So if you say your cal is 600 then mag should be around 1800.