Question on my ALK and Calc

steallife904 · Apr 14, 2017

I had an overdose issue with my ALK months ago. I have turned my doser off to try to get levels back. This was October when I over dosed (user error not doser) so I have been going slow. And yes I lost a ton of coral. I have noticed now my calc always reads maxed out past 500, my alk has been 7.4-7.6, I use to keep calc at 440 and alk around 8. My mag is 1480 right now as well, little higher than what it was before.... no matter what I do I cant seem to get the calc to drop. I wondered if I turned doser back on to start dosing ALK only in low amounts a day would the calc drop back some? then I can start working out what to dose again.

SuperDragon · Apr 14, 2017

I would readjust and add more daily 2 part believe it or not. This article was helpful to me. Your doing the right thing going slowly over a week. I would only change no more than 5ml of each part equally and observe slowly. Your pH will also determine consumption/capacity as well.
https://joejaworski.wordpress.com/2014/05/19/the-right-way-to-use-2-part-additives/

Randy Holmes-Farley · Apr 17, 2017

SuperDragon said:
I would readjust and add more daily 2 part believe it or not. This article was helpful to me. Your doing the right thing going slowly over a week. I would only change no more than 5ml of each part equally and observe slowly. Your pH will also determine consumption/capacity as well.
https://joejaworski.wordpress.com/2014/05/19/the-right-way-to-use-2-part-additives/

FWIW, some of the things written there are incorrect.

For example:

"So what is ionic balance? In simple terms, it means that a given container of saltwater contains just the right amount of calcium at a given alkalinity level. It is the optimum level where calcium consuming livestock can absorb and use calcium for growth."

That is just not what ionic balance means in the context of a two part. It isn't even close to the concept.

Ionic balance in a two part means that once corals consume the calcium and alkalinity in the product, that what remains (the other ions) are present in the same ratio as in natural seawater, so use of the product does not disturb the "ionic balance" over time.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Apr 17, 2017

steallife904 said:
I had an overdose issue with my ALK months ago. I have turned my doser off to try to get levels back. This was October when I over dosed (user error not doser) so I have been going slow. And yes I lost a ton of coral. I have noticed now my calc always reads maxed out past 500, my alk has been 7.4-7.6, I use to keep calc at 440 and alk around 8. My mag is 1480 right now as well, little higher than what it was before.... no matter what I do I cant seem to get the calc to drop. I wondered if I turned doser back on to start dosing ALK only in low amounts a day would the calc drop back some? then I can start working out what to dose again.

Use a second syringe of titrant in the calcium kit to get an actual value. If it is in the 500's there's no concern and you can continue equal parts dosing or let the calcium part decline as you prefer. If somehow it is over 600 ppm, I'd look to let it drop.