When to start noticing a calcium and alk uptake?

[slythy]

I have had 2 lps and 3 sps frags in my aquarium for a couple months and havent seen any sort of calcium or alk uptake. I have a trident so testing 4x per day.

I do 10% weekly water changes, change socks sunday/wednesday. Red sea blue bucket with mag upped to 1400.

i have lots more sps frags showing up. Im all ready setup to start dosing just havent needed too.

the LPS have definitely grown and the sps have their polyps out all happy. Just thought i would notice it.

tank has been up and running since May.

 

[keatonmjenkins]

How big of a tank? Larger the tank the more water volume so 3 frags wouldn’t do much. With your water changes you are probably replacing what is used. I wouldn’t dose anything until your water changes can’t keep up with the uptake IMO.

 

[Uncle99]

Water changes may just be enough, that not a load.

 

[DE FISH]

agree with the above ^^^ however keep testing your alk every 3 - 4 days

 

[Rmckoy]

Continue with water changes as you’re doing. .
When you notice Alk and cal being used you will also notice a rapid growth in corals , everything covered in coralline algae or
A combination of both

don’t rush it

 

[gbroadbridge]

I have had 2 lps and 3 sps frags in my aquarium for a couple months and havent seen any sort of calcium or alk uptake. I have a trident so testing 4x per day.

I do 10% weekly water changes, change socks sunday/wednesday. Red sea blue bucket with mag upped to 1400.

i have lots more sps frags showing up. Im all ready setup to start dosing just havent needed too.

the LPS have definitely grown and the sps have their polyps out all happy. Just thought i would notice it.

tank has been up and running since May.

It's a new tank so hasn't stabilized yet.

I think it was over a year before I had a sudden jump in Alk consumption. It was steady at 30ml a day dosing, then all of a sudden after about 12 months it went nuts and is currently about 200ml a day.

Driving me nuts as the dosing containers are only 1500ml so I feel like I'm endlessly mixing up chemistry.

Go slow with adding SPS frags, your tank is not stable yet and it may cost you a bundle if you go too fast.

Check your Alk a couple of times a week. For SPS you need it to be very stable so you dont want to see a 2dkh drop in a week.

Within 0.5 is where you need it.

 

[slythy]

It's a new tank so hasn't stabilized yet.

I think it was over a year before I had a sudden jump in Alk consumption. It was steady at 30ml a day dosing, then all of a sudden after about 12 months it went nuts and is currently about 200ml a day.

Driving me nuts as the dosing containers are only 1500ml so I feel like I'm endlessly mixing up chemistry.

Go slow with adding SPS frags, your tank is not stable yet and it may cost you a bundle if you go too fast.

Check your Alk a couple of times a week. For SPS you need it to be very stable so you dont want to see a 2dkh drop in a week.

Within 0.5 is where you need it.

Its a 75gal
I have a trident so i test alk 4x a day and calcium 2x a day.

I have a bunch of acros, a second torch, a favia and a goni showing up because i had a large gift card to a place that is stopping selling corals online so had to use it

 

[gbroadbridge]

Its a 75gal
I have a trident so i test alk 4x a day and calcium 2x a day.

I have a bunch of acros, a second torch, a favia and a goni showing up because i had a large gift card to a place that is stopping selling corals online so had to use it

I think you're rushing adding that all at once to a newish tank.

But it is what it is.

Keep the Salinity and Alkalinity stable is my advice.
Check Nitrate and Phosphate weekly.
Aim for 5-20 nitrate and 0.05 to 0.1 Phosphate.

Dont stress about Ca and Mg as if your using a balanced 2 part and 10% weekly water changes they should be just fine.

 

[slythy]

I think you're rushing adding that all at once to a newish tank.

But it is what it is.

Keep the Salinity and Alkalinity stable is my advice.
Check Nitrate and Phosphate weekly.
Aim for 5-20 nitrate and 0.05 to 0.1 Phosphate.

Dont stress about Ca and Mg as if your using a balanced 2 part and 10% weekly water changes they should be just fine.

I absolutly know I know rushing. The way the coral went down is stressful, they just want to ship me all the coral at once and be done with it so its that or nothing :/

this isnt my first reef tank but its been 15 years a lot has changed.

I keep salinity at 1.026 and alk hasnt moved off 8.10.

Phosphates/nitrates bottomed out once i added my cheato to my refugium. I doubled my feeding, dosed nitrates back up to 5ppm and phosphates up to 0.07ppm. Also change my socks every sunday/wednesday. Skimmer dumped as needed. If the skimmer ever goes crazy i just let it dump until it calms down


All sps and lps are currently fully extended and happy.

 

[gbroadbridge]

Phosphates/nitrates bottomed out once i added my cheato to my refugium. I doubled my feeding, dosed nitrates back up to 5ppm and phosphates up to 0.07ppm. Also change my socks every sunday/wednesday. Skimmer dumped as needed. If the skimmer ever goes crazy i just let it dump until it calms down

Chaeto did the same to me, Zero nitrate phosphate followed by Dinos.

Sounds like you have it under control and are doing everything right.

Maybe run the skimmer drier if you can. Dino's are no fun.

 

[slythy]

Chaeto did the same to me, Zero nitrate phosphate followed by Dinos.

Sounds like you have it under control and are doing everything right.

Maybe run the skimmer drier if you can. Dino's are no fun.

I’m trying but also know its a process and dont know it all lol.

using a reef octopus classic 150 so it doesnt have much more adjustment but i dump it once every couple weeks and its normally not full. It seems decent but not the best.

Im gonna start playing with refugium light time to see it i can balance out the export to keep it happy. If not i can keep dosing phos/nitrates.

Thanks for the help!

 

[gbroadbridge]

I’m trying but also know its a process and dont know it all lol.

using a reef octopus classic 150 so it doesnt have much more adjustment but i dump it once every couple weeks and its normally not full. It seems decent but not the best.

Im gonna start playing with refugium light time to see it i can balance out the export to keep it happy. If not i can keep dosing phos/nitrates.

Thanks for the help!

If you only have to empty the skimmer every couple of weeks that is running really dry already.

Don't touch it.

Wet skimming is emptying every day.