2 part help

[ryeguyy84]

I just wanted to bounce this off someone to make sure I'm not missing something.

I have a 60g cube with a 10g sump and 5 gallon fuge. Some zoas, acans, 4 sps frags (red planet, purple stylo, green birds nest and one more) a decent sized myagi tort, 2 monti caps over 5 inches long and a maxima clam about 2 inches.

I've been dosing 50ml of alk daily and lately I can't keep the levels up.

I'd like to aim for
Cal:420
Alk: 9dkh
Mag:1350

2/8 8pm
Cal: 325 (raised to 375)
Mag: 1300 (raised to 1350)
Alk: 7.8 (raised to 9dkh)

2/9 4pm
Cal: 350
Mag: 1350
Alk: 8.4

2/10 7pm
Cal: 330
Mag: 1350
Alk: 7.1

I don't see any white on my heater or anything but it seems like a lot. Should I increase the dose to 60ml cal/alk and see what happens? Is there somewhere else I should look for precipitation?

 

[downbeach]

How are you dosing, i.e. manually, dosing pumps, times, location, etc. What supplement are you using, i.e. Randy's recipe #1 or #2, b-ionic, C balance, etc. Typically you'll see precip on heaters, pumps, etc. due to the heat they produce. It's possible that between the stoney's, clam, coraline algae, etc., its just your normal uptake. I would get your Ca and alk up to the level you want using each of the two part supplements using this calculator, and test each day for a few days to see how much your system uses. Once you know the amount divide it by the number of days you tested, and determine how much to dose daily. Start dosing equal parts, continue to monitor, and do any fine tuning, up/down, to keep up with your demand. You should see a ratio that is 5 pts alk to ~ 2 pts Ca(50ppm/2.4dKH alk to 20ppm Ca).

 

[ryeguyy84]

How are you dosing, i.e. manually, dosing pumps, times, location, etc. What supplement are you using, i.e. Randy's recipe #1 or #2, b-ionic, C balance, etc. Typically you'll see precip on heaters, pumps, etc. due to the heat they produce. It's possible that between the stoney's, clam, coraline algae, etc., its just your normal uptake. I would get your Ca and alk up to the level you want using each of the two part supplements using this calculator, and test each day for a few days to see how much your system uses. Once you know the amount divide it by the number of days you tested, and determine how much to dose daily. Start dosing equal parts, continue to monitor, and do any fine tuning, up/down, to keep up with your demand. You should see a ratio that is 5 pts alk to ~ 2 pts Ca(50ppm/2.4dKH alk to 20ppm Ca).

I'm using dosing pumps with brs 2 part. Should I get the levels up and turn off the dosing pumps to get what I should dose? Or just figure the difference plus 50ml?

I guess I should add that I upgraded to this tank from a 29g bio cube so this tank is fairly new (3 months). I always dosed 35ml each in that tank but I guess there's more water volume here.

 

[Lostinthedark]

Dosing has a lot less to do with water volume then it does with daily consumption. As your
tank matures and your corals and other inhabitants grow your dosing needs will increase. I would manually dose until you hit your desired levels(slowly) then see how much it drops each day using the calculator Jim linked to. Use that amount as a starting point and adjust it up or down from there.

 

[Salinity01]

Had some of the same problems. Search Apex Dosing Help. I created the thread just don't know how to post link from the phone. There is some good info there.

 

[thegrun]

As a frame of reference I dose about 150 ml of calcium and alkalinity a day in my 50 gallon tank (mixed reef, sps dominated). I suspect you just need to dose more.

 

[downbeach]

If you're using the BRS recipe that calls for 2 cups soda ash and 2 1/2 cup of calcium chloride, that's the same as Randy's recipe #1 in the drop down menu's of the calculator. I would manually dose each of the two part supplement to get your numbers where you want them, and then check for a couple days to see how much you need. If you run your dosers during this time, just add the amount needed using the calculator, to keep up.
Not all dosing pumps are created equal, so if you haven't checked the output of your dosers, it might be a good idea to run them into separate measuring cups for a time to see if you are getting the expected/advertised amount from them, i.e. a doser rated @ 1.1 mL/min run for 60 minutes should be 66mL. Make sure you prime them before you start dosing. If they are different, you will have to make the adjustment(s).

 

[ryeguyy84]

2 part help

Thanks for all the help, I'll update in a few day. Something seemed off as it's the same coral in this tank as my old tank (except the clam) but I guess I'm re-growing all the coralline on the back wall.

Also thanks Jim, it's been at least 2 years since I checked the pumps accuracy. Any idea how long these pumps go before you need to replace the internal tubing?