questions about dosing

[greg0385]

I tested my params before and after a 30 gallon water change. My ph is a little low (7.8-8.0) my cal is a little low (400) with phosphate,nitrates,nitrites and ammon all reading 0. Now i do use a simpe api test and colors could be a little off, but with that being said i believe i could skip my twice a month water change if i start to dose kalk since it didnt really change anything and go to just a monthly water change. I try to test dkh but after 3 attempts i couldnt get a accurate reading.

I started yest doing some research on using mrs wages and possibly using my 5gallon ato to dose. It looks like that would help my cal and ph to bring them up and keep stable. That it seems its cheap and easy to use with not alot of worry of over dosing. Now i can read all i want on this but would love to hear how anybody else use mrs wages, or if there is a better product to use?

Thanks
Greg

 

[poolkeeper1]

I tested my params before and after a 30 gallon water change. My ph is a little low (7.8-8.0) my cal is a little low (400) with phosphate,nitrates,nitrites and ammon all reading 0. Now i do use a simpe api test and colors could be a little off, but with that being said i believe i could skip my twice a month water change if i start to dose kalk since it didnt really change anything and go to just a monthly water change. I try to test dkh but after 3 attempts i couldnt get a accurate reading.

I started yest doing some research on using mrs wages and possibly using my 5gallon ato to dose. It looks like that would help my cal and ph to bring them up and keep stable. That it seems its cheap and easy to use with not alot of worry of over dosing. Now i can read all i want on this but would love to hear how anybody else use mrs wages, or if there is a better product to use?

Thanks
Greg

Mrs Wages is a fine way to supply a low demand tank and can be done very easily, However i do not reccomend the ATO method of adding it. A better way IMO is to mix 5gal of Kalk and drip it slowley at night to your tank to raise your KH/Ca levels. You will need to find the amount of evaporation and replace this with your drip every night instead of your ATO doing it. The key is to not add too much as it will raise your PH if added too fast or too much at one time is introduced, After a couple of days of adding it test to see that you are meeting your tanks demand but not adding too much as to raise your levels too high.
A smaller jug with a valve you can adjust to drip may be safer so you can not overdose if it all ran in overnight.
The saturation level is 2 tsp per gallon of water to mix your drip with RODI water and Mrs Wages.
Bill

 

[gmoney243]

Your tank shouldnt have any real demand for cal/alk. Unless you've added a buncha nice sized corals. Be carefull with the kalk little bit goes a long way. I added 1 tsp/5g of water and it raised my alk from 7-7.6 dripped over few hours. I easily have 200g of water total.

Sent from my Vortex using Tapatalk 2

 

[greg0385]

I was plan on just adding a tsp or two too a 5 gallon ato, which is way under the reccomend dose and adjust from there. Howcome adding it to my ATO is a bad idea? Its a small fountain pump into a kent float. I evap about 4gallons a day. I havent added any other sps yet but am wanting too very soon as the 3sps i have now are looking great. With the sump and DT i have approx 175-185 total gallon system

 

[ritter6788]

I wouldn't worry much about ph. You need to get a good alkalinity test though. I recommend the Hanna checker if the color tests aren't working out for you. Your ph and calcium are fine so don't go to any drastic measures you bump your numbers a few points. What brand of salt are you using? If your tank demand is low then you could always switch to a salt with higher levels.

 

[Dowtish]

Save some money, and get a hanna checker for alk.

Chasing a number on ph is a waste of time IMO. I ran my tank at 7.8 for months, then when I added the remote sump, it seemed to bump it up on it's own. I wouldnt be too worried about ph. Your alkalinity is super important, and you need a reliable test for it.

Adding kalk this early in, with the lack of livestock/demand, all you will do is see your ph and calcium levels spike.