Random questions for the ETRC!!

[Mark75]

What salt brand- Reef Crystals
Alk currently-10
Cal currently-460
Nitrates currently-2ppm

I am looking for parameters as of now, not what you shoot for.

If your parameters are not what you what explain why and plan to correct.

[emoji16]

 

[CastAway]

Salt - Red Sea Coral Pro
dKH - 11.2 (10)
Ca - 425 (450ppm)
NO3 - 0.0 (0.5ppm)

My alk is high because I need to slow down my Ca reactor.

My Ca is low as I dose very inconsistently, to supplement what my reactor maintains. I'll dose Aquavitro Ions, which should lower my alk as a benefit.

My NO3 is low because I have a lot of export, and struggle to maintain any measurable value. I'll dose KNO3.

Thanks for the post and compelling me to test!

(Mg is an inseparable part of the equation, as is Sg. I adjust Mg before addressing either Ca or alk)

 

[Mark75]

I forgot to add my Alk and Cal are higher than I would like do to miss judging how much kalk to add to my top off water. I prefer 8/420. I have stopped adding kalk until my alk/cal. drop.

 

[CastAway]

As a follow-up on correcting my own values, after adjusting my Mg from from 1320 to 1350, re-testing then adjusting my Ca to 450, my dKH is now 10.5. Mag is like the dKH/Ca referee, has to be addressed first.

 

[Mark75]

I understand the relationship and importance of alk/cal/mag but I do not test mag unless alk or cal relation seems weird. Probably should test mag more often but from my understanding mag is consumed at a very slow rate and frequent water changes should be more than enough to maintain it?

 

[cee]

What salt brand- whatever is on sale
Alk currently-7.6
Cal currently-380
Nitrates currently-0.5-1.0 ppm

My Mg and Sr also require dosing to maintain.

Dave

 

[Esage]

What salt brand- Reef Crystals
Alk currently- don't test
Cal currently- don't test
Nitrates currently- don't test

 

[Jeeper]

I keep my Alk in the mid 8's and try for 450 calcium. I dose both but haven't been testing very often. Tested the other night and got 8.3 dkh and calcium was 390. I uped my calcium dose by 2ml a day (7ml a day total now). I recently switched to red sea coral pro just to try it.

 

[Chriscrna]

What salt brand- Reef Crystals
Alk currently- don't test
Cal currently- don't test
Nitrates currently- don't test

Lol. Now that's how you roll!

 

[Chriscrna]

Red Sea Coral Pro
8.4
420
0

And I dose 2 gallons of stump remover per day.

 

[KJ]

Salt RC
Alk 8.0
Ca 420
Mg 1500
No3 10 ppm Test by Red Sea and Salifert
PO4 0 +/- 4% Hanna .

 

[cale0721]

Reef crystals (plan on switching to Red Sea pro after this buckets gone)

Alk - 9.1

Ca- 450

Mag 1400

No3- 0

Po4- .01

I carbon dose so I have to supplement and use Red Sea reef energy and coral colors every day.

 

[cee]

I carbon dose so I have to supplement and use Red Sea reef energy and coral colors every day.

Explain this statement as I don't see the correlation between carbon dosing and trace element / amino acid / vitamin supplementation. Just trying to learn something here... I too am dosing CC and energy periodically but don't carbon dose.

 

[cale0721]

Explain this statement as I don't see the correlation between carbon dosing and trace element / amino acid / vitamin supplementation. Just trying to learn something here... I too am dosing CC and energy periodically but don't carbon dose.

Just by going by the reading I've done, because I carbon dose and my po4 and no3 is close to zero it's important to make sure to have the amino acid and vitamin supplement bc the corals don't get their nutrition from no3 and po4.

I could be wrong but I have noticed a big difference in the color of my SPS since starting. They all use to be very pale.

 

[BlueDevil]

Do the Reef Energy and/or Coral Colors add to the NO3 or PO4? Curious and I might want to give them a try too.

 

[cee]

Just by going by the reading I've done, because I carbon dose and my po4 and no3 is close to zero it's important to make sure to have the amino acid and vitamin supplement bc the corals don't get their nutrition from no3 and po4.

I could be wrong but I have noticed a big difference in the color of my SPS since starting. They all use to be very pale.

Makes sense, although I lost a colony recently for reasons I've yet to resolve. Only thing I changed was going to the Red Sea CC and energy dosing but I don't test for K/Fe/I but base my dosing rates off of Ca consumption. Color really hasn't improved much.

Dave

 

[cale0721]

Do the Reef Energy and/or Coral Colors add to the NO3 or PO4? Curious and I might want to give them a try too.

I would think it does but I'm not sure how much since I started with my levels of po4 and no3 being zero.

I dose 10ml of reef energy A and B each then 3 ml of each coral colors bottle (there are 4 bottles) each day.

I don't test for the coral colors either I go by Ca consumption as well. I use 75ml of ca through out the day.

 

[Mark75]

My understanding is Nitrate/Phosphates can not be exchanged for amino acid/vitamins?

 

[cee]

I would think it does but I'm not sure how much since I started with my levels of po4 and no3 being zero.

I dose 10ml of reef energy A and B each then 3 ml of each coral colors bottle (there are 4 bottles) each day.

I don't test for the coral colors either I go by Ca consumption as well. I use 75ml of ca through out the day.

Seems like a lot to me. I dose 1 mL CC each day and 2.5 mL energy per day in 90 gallons. Honestly I'm considering ditching the RedSea products all together.

When you say your Ca consumption is 75 mL per day what are you referring to? Saturated solution? I'm well below saturation and dose more per day.

Dave

 

[cale0721]

Seems like a lot to me. I dose 1 mL CC each day and 2.5 mL energy per day in 90 gallons. Honestly I'm considering ditching the RedSea products all together.

When you say your Ca consumption is 75 mL per day what are you referring to? Saturated solution? I'm well below saturation and dose more per day.

Dave

I'm not sure on saturation. I use brs calcium mix. Which is like 2 1/2 cups of mix for a gallon