Please help me to understand what I am seeing.

[Dom]

So I want to raise my calcium 70ppm to get to 440 from my current 370.

I understand that according to the calculator, I need to add 192ml of Foundation A to reach 440.

But what does the Balanced Alkalinity telling me?

Other information germane to the conversation:

	9/8/23	9/16	9/21
pH	8.4	8.18	8.16
ALK	12.9	12	11.2
Ca	450	415	370
Mg	1520	1600	1600
Salinity	35	35	35

Also, my calcium has dropped 80ppm in 13 days. 80 divided by 13 days gives me daily consumption of 6. That seems like a lot. Can this be correct?

Waiting on feedback.

Thank you,
Dom

 

[Pod_01]

Hopefully people who understand the relationship chime in.

My only observation is that your Alk is high. I tend to run in the 7.5 range so to me 12 is up there. Also your Mg in the 1600 seems elevated, I tend to run in the 1350 range.

Out of curiosity are you dosing Alk? There is relation for general Alk to calc consumption. It is unusual to consume Calc but no Alk…

 

[Uncle99]

Depends on the Stoney coral load.
How are you stocked?

 

[Dom]

Hopefully people who understand the relationship chime in.

My only observation is that your Alk is high. I tend to run in the 7.5 range so to me 12 is up there. Also your Mg in the 1600 seems elevated, I tend to run in the 1350 range.

Out of curiosity are you dosing Alk? There is relation for general Alk to calc consumption. It is unusual to consume Calc but no Alk…

Thank you, yes. The ALK is high, but trending down. I'm waiting it out. Agreed, the Mag seems elevated.

But what I want to understand (and I am sorry for not being clearer), what is "Balanced Alkalinity"?

 

[Dom]

Depends on the Stoney coral load.
How are you stocked?

This tank is stocked with Zoa, Hammers and Palys. I also have these, but I'm not sure what it is:



While the calculator tells you how to get from point A to point B, how does it help me to calculate daily supplement dose?

 

[Pod_01]

But what I want to understand (and I am sorry for not being clearer), what is "Balanced Alkalinity"?

I am not sure.
You are referring to this part of the calculation.

Hopefully @Randy Holmes-Farley can provide the answer or someone else who knows.

That is above my pay grade.

 

[Uncle99]

Seems like a lot of consumption for that stocking.
I’d check your testing.

 

[KStatefan]

It is just saying that when you increase to 440 ppm calcium the alk should be 3.95 meq/l or 11.06 dKH to be balanced. I think the balanced ratio is 20 ppm calcium to 2.8 dKH. I am sure Randy has a chart in one of his articles.

 

[Dom]

I am not sure.
You are referring to this part of the calculation.

Hopefully @Randy Holmes-Farley can provide the answer or someone else who knows.

That is above my pay grade.

Yes, that is correct. I believe it may have something to do with the amount to dose to maintain the target level.

Thank you for the feedback!

Dom

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Ignore the balanced alk statement. It is definitely not a target. It is a more technical concept being the values one can get by starting with normal seawater and adding or subtracting calcium and alk in the same ratio present in calcium carbonate.