Rocks turning white

[saullman]

I have a small setup (45 JBJ) that has been setup for several years now. I have noticed recently that I am getting a white growth on my rock work. The upper half of the tank. Is this a bad thing? Should I be worried?

 

[Tuan’s Reef]

Interesting. Can you describe the texture? Hard , soft etc

 

[saullman]

Interesting. Can you describe the texture? Hard , soft etc

It's a hard white substance. It looks like it's growing over the Coraline algae on the rocks.

 

[TriggerFinger]

Is it growing ON the coraline or is it the coraline bleaching?

 

[New&no clue]

Your coraline might be dying. My tank did this too, all the coraline started to turn white. I tested and found I needed to start dosing. Once I got everything back inline the coraline started to grow again

 

[saullman]

Your coraline might be dying. My tank did this too, all the coraline started to turn white. I tested and found I needed to start dosing. Once I got everything back inline the coraline started to grow again

I believe you are right. That makes perfect sense. Sadly I have never dosed anything before. What do you think I should test for?

 

[saullman]

Is it growing ON the coraline or is it the coraline bleaching?

Based on the last comment, I believe the Coraline is bleaching.

 

[Little_Red_Ryan_Hood]

Calcium and alkalinity

 

[saullman]

Calcium and alkalinity

I will test tomorrow and report back with the results.

 

[saullman]

This may sound like a stupid question, but will doing more frequent water changes replace dosing? Right now I am doing water changes once a month.

 

[Tuan’s Reef]

Yes , weekly WC will be better but may still be not enough . The only way to tell is to test your water and know what your bioload consumes on a daily basis. Then dose what they consume proportionally

 

[saullman]

Yes , weekly WC will be better but may still be not enough . The only way to tell is to test your water and know what your bioload consumes on a daily basis. Then dose what they consume proportionally

So your saying that I need to test for calcium and alkalinity everyday until I figure this thing out?

 

[35ppt]

Redacted

 

[saullman]

The big three for coral you're going to want to be testing Alkalinity, Calcium and Magnesium. But also Nitrate and Phosphate. Alkalinity being the most important to keep stable and will also be the one that moves the easiest. If it were me I would get some two part and adjust my parameters using the BRS Calculator to make my adjustments. I would get the Sodium Carbonate for Alk and use baking soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) to make the initial Alk adjustments to avoid spiking pH. Then once at my target level I would test two days in a row to measure the drop over 24 hours and use that to calculate my daily dose. Then continue testing and adjusting until you're stable.

Being within the "normal" range and stable is more important than the actual number and with the inaccuracy of hobbyist test kits many people think it best to aim for the middle of the range.

Reef Parameters:
Salinity: 35ppm or 1.0264 SG
Temp: 76-80º F I aim for 79º F
Alk: 7-12 dKH I aim for 9.2 dKH
Ca: 350-450 ppm I aim for 420 ppm
Mg: 1200-1400 ppm I aim for 1300 ppm
No3: 5-20 ppm I aim for 15 ppm
Po4: 0.03-0.1ppm I aim for 0.08 ppm

I test Alk, Ca and salinity weekly at a minimum then No3 and Po4 something like bi-monthly and Mg monthly.

I apologise before hand for sounding stupid, but what is 2 part? Am I buying one bottle of something or is it literally like buying 2 different bottles to replenish these missing elements.

Then my follow-up question would be are there different choices for buying 2 part and if so, which one is recommended?
Sorry for all these questions. I am still a newbie at this.

 

[35ppt]

Redacted

 

[35ppt]

Redacted

 

[saullman]

It's no problem. Two part is called that because it's mainly two parts, either Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) or Soda Ash (Sodium Carbonate) for an alkalinity additive. It's best to use Sodium Bicarbonate for larger adjustments because it wont spike the pH as much and some people use it for daily alk supplementation as well. And Calcium Chloride for a Calcium additive.

Large Alk Adjustments:

Pharma Sodium Bicarbonate 1-Gallon Mix

Ideal for large changes in alkalinity levels or daily dosing in aquariums with high pH. Ultra-pure Sodium Bicarbonate for 2-part dosing in your reef tank! Bulk Reef Supply 2-part additives are the perfect solution to replenish the intake of calcium and alkalinity coral consumes when it grows...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

or Arm & Hammer Baking Soda

Frequent Alk Maintenance:

BRS Soda Ash

Bulk Reef Supply - Saltwater Aquarium Supplies for Reef Tanks

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Frequent Ca Maintenance:

BRS Calcium Chloride

Bulk Reef Supply - Saltwater Aquarium Supplies for Reef Tanks

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Frequent Mg Maintenance:

Pharma Magnesium Mix for 2-Part Maintenance

Ultra Pure Magnesium Additive for 2-Part Maintenance in your Reef Tank! Maintaining proper magnesium levels helps achieve the essential balance of calcium and alkalinity in your tank by preventing excess calcium carbonate precipitation. Not all magnesium additives are created equal and the...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Large Mg Adjustments:

Pharma Magnesium Mix for General Adjustments

Ultra Pure Magnesium Additive for General Adjustments in your Reef Tank! Maintaining proper magnesium levels helps achieve the essential balance of calcium and alkalinity in your tank by preventing excess calcium carbonate precipitation. Not all magnesium additives are created equal and the...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

The calculator: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/reef-calculator

And I'll include the BRS video on Two Part dosing, you should start from the beginning and watch them all. Great info.

Ok. So a few more question.
1- I'm assuming that I would want to start out with the large adjustment mix to get everything under control. Then move to the frequent mix later on.
2- You also mentioned that 1 part is sodium bicarbonate aka baking soda. Do people ever just go to the grocery store and buy baking soda to add to their tank? Is there a difference?
3- I noticed when mixing 2 part one package gets mixed with a gallon of RO/DI or distilled water. Once that batch is made do you have a certain time period to use it before it goes bad. In other words, am I going to constantly be buying 2 part or does 1 package last a while.

 

[Thespammailaccount]

If you are looking for something simple and not complex I would recommend starting here. A simple Red Sea alkalinity test kit and all for reef which has what you need all together already premixed and you are just adjusting one solution instead of several.

For a 45 gallon tank the recommended starting dose for all for reef is 9mL per day to keep your alkalinity between 7-9 dkh. Test your alkalinity first. If it is around 7 dose the full 9mL if it is at 9 half the dose. Wait 24 hours and test your alk again. When you figure out the dose that keeps your alk at 7-9 then you can dose daily and test weekly

 

[Tuan’s Reef]

1. Correct , just as it sounds . Get your Alk to where you want ...then maintain

2. you can use baking soda . Get as pure as you can

3 . If you use pharm grade chemicals and use RODI water it will be good for long time....years

 

[Little_Red_Ryan_Hood]

Ok. So a few more question.
1- I'm assuming that I would want to start out with the large adjustment mix to get everything under control. Then move to the frequent mix later on.
2- You also mentioned that 1 part is sodium bicarbonate aka baking soda. Do people ever just go to the grocery store and buy baking soda to add to their tank? Is there a difference?
3- I noticed when mixing 2 part one package gets mixed with a gallon of RO/DI or distilled water. Once that batch is made do you have a certain time period to use it before it goes bad. In other words, am I going to constantly be buying 2 part or does 1 package last a while.

1. If price is a concern, just get the soda ash and calcium from BRS. Do a few large water changes to bring your parameters in line. Then start dosing the 2 part. Don't make major changes with soda ash.

2. Yes, I use arm and Hammer baking soda. You can get it at any grocery store.

3. In the beginning, 2 part will last a long time. Over time, as your corals get bigger, they will require a larger daily dose of Calcium and alkalinity. How long it lasts depends on how large your aquarium is, how many corals you have, the type of coral, and how big the corals are. It does not expire.