tips on increasing Alk balling part B

[bshake]

Hello everyone I have a pretty heavily stocked LPS tank Mostly hammers, frog paws, torches, Goni and elegance corals they’re currently not looking super happy. I’m struggling to raise my Alk. I’ve been dosing tropic Marin original balling part B 30-40ML (mixed 16 scoops into a gallon of distilled water) by hand for the past few days trying to raise my ALK but honestly doesn’t seem to have done much. The tank is a 125 gallons around 100 gallons I’m guessing of water volumes. Running a CO2 scrubber and the Tunze MAR.

My question is am I dosing too little? Ideally I’d like my alk around 9-10 dkh. Is there a ration of ML per gallon of tank water to raise it?

Nitrates - 12.6
Phosphates - 1.3 (working on slowly bringing it down with water changes and Rowaphos)
Alk- 6.0 dkh
Calcium- 449
Magnesium-1480

 

[KStatefan]

The instructions should tell you how much to add to raise the alk a certain amount

 

[bshake]

The instructions should tell you how much to add to raise the alk a certain amount

I read the instructions and I didn’t understand what it means so that’s why I posted on here.

 

[Pod_01]

Hello everyone I have a pretty heavily stocked LPS tank Mostly hammers, frog paws, torches, Goni and elegance corals they’re currently not looking super happy. I’m struggling to raise my Alk. I’ve been dosing tropic Marin original balling part B 30-40ML (mixed 16 scoops into a gallon of distilled water) by hand for the past few days trying to raise my ALK but honestly doesn’t seem to have done much. The tank is a 125 gallons around 100 gallons I’m guessing of water volumes. Running a CO2 scrubber and the Tunze MAR.

My question is am I dosing too little? Ideally I’d like my alk around 9-10 dkh. Is there a ration of ML per gallon of tank water to raise it?

Nitrates - 12.6
Phosphates - 1.3 (working on slowly bringing it down with water changes and Rowaphos)
Alk- 6.0 dkh
Calcium- 449
Magnesium-1480

I am not expert on the exact calculation but my system is around 65gal and to raise 1dKh I need to add about 86ml of TM Original Balling part B.

My maintenance dose to keep Alk stable is approximately 80ml a day.

For your system you would need about 400/500ml of part B to get it up 3dkh. My suggestion is to add 120ml a day (app 1dKh), measure and confirm the increase. Repeat for 3 days total and do partial dose on the 4th day if required.
This is in addition to your regular dosage of Alk.

Good luck,

 

[bshake]

I am not expert on the exact calculation but my system is around 65gal and to raise 1dKh I need to add about 86ml of TM Original Balling part B.

My maintenance dose to keep Alk stable is approximately 80ml a day.

For your system you would need about 400/500ml of part B to get it up 3dkh. My suggestion is to add 120ml a day (app 1dKh), measure and confirm the increase. Repeat for 3 days total and do partial dose on the 4th day if required.
This is in addition to your regular dosage of Alk.

Good luck,

Thank you so much for that. I was guessing I’m under dosing because nothing was happening. Question after adding the solution to tank, how long after can you text to get a measurable result? Is it instant? Few hour or a day?

 

[Reefering1]

What's your calcium? Salinity? How confident are you in your numbers?

 

[bshake]

What's your calcium? Salinity? How confident are you in your numbers?

As confident as someone can be these days. Considering there’s a percentage of error with these Hanna checkers.
salinity 35ppm
Calcium- 449

 

[Pod_01]

Thank you so much for that. I was guessing I’m under dosing because nothing was happening. Question after adding the solution to tank, how long after can you text to get a measurable result? Is it instant? Few hour or a day?

Should be instant, give it some time to mix in your system. I would measure after 1 hour.

 

[bshake]

Should be instant, give it some time to mix in your system. I would measure after 1 hour.

Thank you once again

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Hello everyone I have a pretty heavily stocked LPS tank Mostly hammers, frog paws, torches, Goni and elegance corals they’re currently not looking super happy. I’m struggling to raise my Alk. I’ve been dosing tropic Marin original balling part B 30-40ML (mixed 16 scoops into a gallon of distilled water) by hand for the past few days trying to raise my ALK but honestly doesn’t seem to have done much. The tank is a 125 gallons around 100 gallons I’m guessing of water volumes. Running a CO2 scrubber and the Tunze MAR.

My question is am I dosing too little? Ideally I’d like my alk around 9-10 dkh. Is there a ration of ML per gallon of tank water to raise it?

Nitrates - 12.6
Phosphates - 1.3 (working on slowly bringing it down with water changes and Rowaphos)
Alk- 6.0 dkh
Calcium- 449
Magnesium-1480

If you want alk higher, then dose more.
how did you decide on the dose you are using?

 

[bshake]

If you want alk higher, then dose more.
how did you decide on the dose you are using?

The guys at my LFS recommended using 3ML per gallon of tank water but that wasn’t doing anything for me. I lost about 6 torches and they went from big flesh bands to very skinny ones

 

[bshake]

If you want alk higher, then dose more.
how did you decide on the dose you are using?

Also I’m scared to dose too much at work and start having things die in the tank

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

40 mL of Balling Part B in 100 gallons is a low dose. Only about 0.3 dKH per day.

I’d keep upping the dose.

 

[bshake]

40 mL of Balling Part B in 100 gallons is a low dose. Only about 0.3 dKH per day.

I’d keep upping the dose.

What’s your recommendation? 120ml per day is okay spaced out? You calculator says 21.4 grams. Is that dry powder to go from 6 to 9 dkh.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

6 dKH is not an emergency and you want to raise it slowly. I’d slowly boost the alk added to see the progression. Maybe 60 mL for a few days and then reassess.

 

[bshake]

6 dKH is not an emergency and you want to raise it slowly. I’d slowly boost the alk added to see the progression. Maybe 60 mL for a few days and then reassess.

Okay I’ll give that a try. Thank you for your help Randy!

 

[wjm6449]

I read the instructions and I didn’t understand what it means so that’s why I posted on here.

if you need an explanation could try chat gpt to also calculate

 

[Pod_01]

if you need an explanation could try chat gpt to also calculate

Hmmm…. Maybe not…

Maybe ChatGPT just doesn’t like my questions… or doesn’t understand units.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

if you need an explanation could try chat gpt to also calculate

ChatGPT frequently makes mistakes when it tries to answer chemistry issues.

 

[wjm6449]

Hmmm…. Maybe not…

Maybe ChatGPT just doesn’t like my questions… or doesn’t understand units.

always other AI's to try out there.... good thing it isnt all the way there yet.