A challenge: can you?

[Sk8r]

The supplements (alk, cal, mg) come with instructions on the containers. Follow those instructions; and when they say teaspoon, they do not mean the teaspoon you eat with: get a dedicate set of kitchen measuring spoons (cheap plastic) and when you measure a teaspoon, level the powder off to the rim of the spoon: a knife blade can do this. Likewise 'cup' means measuring cup. Same rule.
Fix the mg first, then the alk, then the cal.

Always keep the lid on powders of any sort: and keep it tight. If salt or a buffer has turned to a brick, it may have ruined the buffer capacity (its usefulness in chemistry). If you do open a fresh container and find it hardened, take it back to the store and demand one that isn't. As with things in your fridge, chemicals can expire in usefulness---due to moisture.

 

[Diana A]

salinity 1.027
temperature: 76
ammonia: 0
nitrate: 2
alkalinity: 9.3
calcium: 440
magnesium: 1440

 

[mcgyvr]

I sure hope this doesn't end in someone trying to correct their tank parameters to match the numbers that Sk8r suggests and doing more harm than good...

There are plenty of reefers having very successful tanks with higher alkalinity levels,etc....

If someone does attempt to adjust their parameters please do so in a manner that will not cause your tanks inhabitants to undergo a faster change than they can accept/be happy with.. There are numerous posts on acceptable daily change rates of these to attempt to avoid stress..
Maybe Sk8r wants to collect that info here for those that think they need to change something but aren't aware of how fast/slow these can be changed safely..

Or maybe it should be clearly pointed out that "stability" is more important than a specific number so long as you stay within acceptable ranges as define here,etc.. http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/

 

[crabbydan]

I'm not worried yet about overdosing.I can't even understand the directions to mix a batch of MAG - P to even start. I am pretty confident at this point I am not smarter than a 5th grader.

 

[Diana A]

......Or maybe it should be clearly pointed out that "stability" is more important than a specific number so long as you stay within acceptable ranges as define here,etc.. http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/

thank you! interesting read

 

[crabbydan]

I am not doing anything until I get a new test kit as I am using reef crystals and change 10 to 12 gallons every week on a 105 tank which after rock, substrate etc is likely 90 gallons. Can I really have a mag so low (890)?

 

[texdoc77]

I used the brs stuff too and one of them was rock solid so I just use a drill, put it on the hammer mode with a large drill bit and it chops it right up

LOL good idea..

 

[mcgyvr]

I'm not worried yet about overdosing.I can't even understand the directions to mix a batch of MAG - P to even start. I am pretty confident at this point I am not smarter than a 5th grader.

:lmao:

awww come on its not that hard...

 

[elescher]

My anxiety with testing using Salifert is I am never sure if I have added the correct amount of 'powder' with the little red spoon. A picture would be helpful.

 

[crabbydan]

I am just getting too old for this new math. I don't understand why they have you measure things out in teaspoons and ounces then they tell you to dose in grams and milliliters. Seriously did the government write these instructions? I actually stopped and decided to work on my taxes which is much easier.

 

[Elricsfate]

So now I have a question Sk8r.

I moved all my frags to a 20. This will allow me to have a better handle on the corals in a smaller, more easily (ie., less money) controlled environment. Rather than trying to make adjustments to a 180.

The readings I posted the other day are from my 180, which is now fish only. So, having made the temp adjustment I should be good, as the other readings (alk, cal, mag) aren't important for fish.

BUT...when I setup the 20 with freshly mixed water and tested all the parameters to get a baseline, I got the following:

Alk 10.5 Cal 350 Mag 1280

Earlier you said my Alk was a little high (on my previous readings). But now it appears that my alk is just naturally a little high, without adding anything to the water. So what (if anything) can I or should I do about that?

 

[crabbydan]

I am hoping someone can check my math. I have dry mix of brightwell magnesioum p. I have mag levels in an estimate of 90 gallons of water to raise 100ppm per day or every other day. Instructions say make a stock batch 4 teaspoons which equals 20 grams into 8oz of fresh water. I can do this easy. Now the instructions say 1ml of this stock batch will increase 1 gallon of water by 6ppm. So if I have 90 gallons of water I need 90 ml of this stock to raise my mag level 6ppm. I was advised to never raise the mag more than100ppm per day is this correct? Also my stock solution is 8oz which I believe is 236ml if I addd this entire solution in essence I should be raising my tank mag levels only 15.73. 236 ml of solutions divided by 90 gallons = 2.62 ml per gallon 2.62ml x 6ppm expected increase is a total of 15.73. So to raise my level 100ppm I would need to do this 6.3 times. Does this sound correct? Also I plan to test my next batch of water change water and see what my iO reef mix is really giving me.

 

[Sk8r]

Oh, my, you're asking the world's worst mathematician. I can say, practically speaking, that if you're low in an element, you don't try to dose it all at once. You bring it up bit at a time. Now, a milliliter is not a very large measurement. I'd suggest you use a syringe or milliliter-marked measure to determine the daily allowable dose in a more convenient measure---a plastic cup marked on the side with magic marker, which will always be your magnesium-cup-dose. That way you can just pour a solution to that mark and know you are safe adding that much.

I do this also for my saltwater mixing: I know that one precise gallon of salt mixes to a strength of 1.024 salinity in 32 gallons of ro/di, so I have measures marked for that---it saves you forgetting where you are in counting itty-bitty measures. Filling a can to 32 gallon mark, then dumping one gallon of dry salt in is a LOT better than using cups of salt.

That said, with your DOSING CHEMICALS, like cal and mg and so on---add what consitutes a day's proper dose, then wait 8 hours to test again to see what that did to your level. The reason you wait 8 hours is that some things dissolve and proliferate slowly through your water supply. If you test too soon you wont' get an accurate measure of conditions.

That help?

 

[crabbydan]

You are the second worst mathematician because I am the worst. I think I got the math dumbed down for me but still seems like an awful lot of chemicals that need to be added and scares the begeezez out of me to start thinking about it.

 

[Sk8r]

Just test your tank between doses and you'll be fine. Most things have quite a bit of leeway when diluted in the whole water of a tank system. Just breathe deeply, use a calculator to doublecheck your math, decimals matter, and if you go slow you'll not do anything too extreme.

 

[texdoc77]

decimals matter

I was told there would be no math

Also this thread is becoming hilarious... I have been testing daily by the way, just not posting. Also I have begun logging my numbers on my apex app and I much prefer it to the aquarimate, FYI.

 

[anthonys51]

My feeling about each test:

Alk: hanna, 30s and done, I feel like a scientist with the syringe
Calc and Mag: red sea kit, is it blue, is it really blue, crap did i go past?
Nitrate: can't tell between 2 and 5 (low range, sideway) for the life of me
Phosphorus ULR: hanna, clock start, 2mins to get the damn powder in and mixed before checker turn off! tap tap, ah crap some powder spill out, the label says poisonous...
Salinity: apex probe, 0s, wee, occasional check with Milwaukee

Too funny. First 4 times I used Hanna phosphorus ulr it went off too. Now I finally figured out how to cut the bag and only spill a little.
Salifert nitrates and phosphates I always laugh when people can tell between 2 & 5 or .03 and .1. Like yes this shade of light light light blue is it


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[crabbydan]

FYI New mag test kit arrived today well Amazon was out of stock so paid 2 dollars more at LFS.I should try to keep my money local anyway. MAG tested today at 1050 so new test better results. Will test again tomorrow before I do any mad scientist stuff... MU HA HA!

 

[fishkeeprian]

Using the salifet Alk test kit how pink does the solution need to be before you determine your number. Mine goes to a light purple then flashes pink. I hold a piece of plain white paper behind until I think I have hit the desired pink colour but then when I look at it without the white paper it seems purpleish to me.

 

[Sk8r]

I go for pink.