2 part dosing issues

[fishnugget]

I have had a major problem maintaining alk and ph in my tank for over a year now. I use BRS 2 part. I use DOS dosing and dose 85ml of cal & alk per day. Cal stays at 440-450, mag 1350-1400. Kalk swings from 9.5-8.0 week to week
Get very little coraline algae.
I have 3 radion 3 pros over my 175 gallon tank. Have 10 smaller fish (wrasses & 1 tang)

Tank coral growth fair. Colors poor. Have 0 Nitrates, 0 Phosphates. Refugium is growing incredibly

My vectra pump seizes every 3 months and I have to clean out. I find alot of precipitation. I am dosing in sump after skimmer & before refuge. I use to dose after fuge and it was worse. I use kalk in my auto top off to keep ph & alk higher.

Some of my sps are brown but tips colorful.

A. Is there a better more stable 2 part?
B. Where should I dose to. Sump or tank?

Recently started adding Reef Energy from Red Sea.
Also trying colors program.

Use Friz Salt- Reef

Got formula from BRS with their calcium.

Any help or ideas would be great.

 

[rovster]

Do you dose at same time? 85 is a lot unless you have large colonies.

 

[fishnugget]

No. I dose calcium in day, alk at night. No i have small colonies. That is what makes no sense. I think the BRS mix is inconsistent.

 

[scuzy]

Are dosing kalk or alk?

 

[fishnugget]

Alk at night. Added kalk to my top off to keep ph in a fair range and to keep alk more consistent. it was worse before i did that

 

[rovster]

If anything I'd dose alk during day. I know the whole ph issue but corals only consume alk during lighting period. I'm probably dosing in the 50-60ml range per day but I have several colonies and lots of minicolonies in a 100 gal. Been using BRS since getgo.

 

[keychild486]

do you dose the same amount of alk as you do calcium?

 

[rovster]

Yes they are supposed to be dosed equally.

 

[reefsahoy]

No. I dose calcium in day, alk at night. No i have small colonies. That is what makes no sense. I think the BRS mix is inconsistent.

I use brs and find them consistent

 

[Potatohead]

85ml sounds like a heck of a lot unless you have some decent sized colonies and coralline growing. You are likely getting some precipitate.

 

[nismo_32]

Might have a bad alk test kit ???!! You might be overdosing

 

[mrx66699]

First off I would ditch dosing kalk in your top off. It's too inconsistent. Your dosage is dependent upon evaporation and it's never the same nor at the same times. Put it on a doser so that it's steady. Right now you're mixing and then dosing it just whenever and you really don't have any idea exactly how much your dosing each day. Start with a smaller determined amount and split it up throughout the day and the night every 15 min. You will need to test each day at first and adjust acordingly. Then set your two part dose in between those 15-minute periods this will help your pH also but don't chase ph as its useless to try and dictate for most outside a lab setting.... Don't forget to drop your 2part down when you start also so you dont spike up....shoot for the majority of your alk cal maintenance to come from the kalk and tweek levels with the 2part. I have hundreds of sticks in a very lg system and only dose 36mil of 2 part....and was at 31 for about 5 mo ... when you see a need as alk drops as things grow tweek the two part....feel free to come by anytime....

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[Daimyo68]

+1 on dosing throughout the full 24hr day.