Acan Problems

+1 on low mag. They said their mag was 1300, the first post, then later it's 1200. Wow that seems like a big drop. Wonder what causes that. Could the big water change do it? I know I change about 40gal on a 180gal system and my mag stays the same?
 
Those are great recommendations, Dave VG but again my SG is not 1.026 and the Acan looks great. Whatever you do just do it slow and over a long period of time. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that SAR's water parameters are in a range for the Acan to open but what works for one might not work for someone else. Sar do you have an auto top off system. You could run into some trouble running your SG high and your water level drops, evaporates. This would make your SG go through the roof. I"ve been told by a long time reefer that owns the largest aquarium fish store in Alabama (for the past 10 years) a SG of 1.024 with an auto top off is best.
 
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Thank you for all of those suggestions. I'm going to raise the salinity to 1.026 but I have a question on what to use to raise my alkalinity that reading 4.8, but I just test it again and it came out 5 dkH. I added some magnesium last night, i think than maybe the reason of the level change.
 
Be careful making big changes. I"d raise my salinity but over a period of several weeks. Do you have an auto top off system? And yes Mg will change your dkh although I"m not exactly sure why.
 
alanbates12 said:
Your water parameters are OK, within range. I would not adjust them at all. Not to argue but your water is not the problem IMO and i think if you start trying to adjust things it's only going to creat other problems.
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Would you please explain how an alk reading of 4.8 is NOT a problem? 4.8 is no where even close to acceptable. 7dkh is the lowest you should ever see a tank and that is pushing the limits.
 
Sar said:
Thank you for all of those suggestions. I'm going to raise the salinity to 1.026 but I have a question on what to use to raise my alkalinity that reading 4.8, but I just test it again and it came out 5 dkH. I added some magnesium last night, i think than maybe the reason of the level change.
Click to expand...

The change in readings is because of the test. All tests have variables and even a slight difference can skew the reading. For example, the first time you tested you added 2 drops but on the second go around maybe only 1.8 drops was put in. Does that make sense?

Not saying you tested wrong but there is certainly error in the tests.
 
Getting back to the top questions. Yes the mag drop from that huge water change and im trying to get the mag up using a mag supplement. I dont have a topping system but I put fresh water and pH supplement in every 3days. Im also using reef crystal to raise salinity level and will continue to monitor water quality a lot more than usual.
 
Im using Tropic Marin for calcium and Magnesium to supplement. Does anyone recommend any different?
 
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Sar said:
Im using Tropic Marin for calcium and Magnesium to supplement. Does anyone recommend any different?
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I would say to use up what you have. If it works, don't fix it.

I like using Bulk Reef Supply supplements myself because they are cheaper and great quality.

Magnesium is a hard element to raise. It takes A LOT of supplement to get it to raise. So go slow and be patient.
 
Hey rtparty, yep that would be low. I was under the impression SAR was reading dkh and not alk. I know one post is alk and another shows a dkh of 5. Thanks for pointing that out.
 
Sar said:
Im using Tropic Marin for calcium and Magnesium to supplement. Does anyone recommend any different?
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If you're also using Tropic Marin salt, then that's probably your issue. The recent buckets have very off parameters, including under 5 dKh alk.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1971241

alanbates12 said:
I"ve been told by a long time reefer that owns the largest aquarium fish store in Alabama (for the past 10 years) a SG of 1.024 with an auto top off is best.
Click to expand...

Not saying your LFS is guilty, but most take this line or even lower. Ever .001 the can drop their salt but keep things alive equals much less cost for any LFS ;)
 
RokleM, yea never thought about it like that. On the same note if they wanted all their customers to have a SG a little higher that would = a lot of salt sales for them. LOL. I read through the .com link someone posted in this thread and I think it's great. I also tried to elevate my SG but things looked a Little stressed. I did it over a week, went to 1.025. What are some things you've noticed with your SG a bit higher. Do your coral look better? I"m not opposed to making changes, I'm still new to all this but I"ve learned a lot. You can get lots of advice on this forum and It's been lots of help to me.
 
ok guys, i just check my Alkalinity and I got a reading of 6 dkH, much better than 5 a few days ago. Im using Brightwell Aquatics Alkaline 8.3 KH Buffer and its working really well in my tank. Im going to give it a few more days for the ALK to raise up to 7 + before I'm happy again.

Also, I going to check my magnesium level tomorrow after using Tropic Marin Bio-Magnesium for the past few days. I'll keep everyone posted!
 
Sounds like your true issue isn't parameters specifically, but instability.

Test your new water, ensure it's at the right parameters, and try to get the tank stable. All corals will be happier in a stable environment.
 
Check my R/O was the first thing I did when I first started. It came out to be nitrate, Phos and Ammonia free. Also check my Mag this morning and it read 1220. Its still really low, but it shows that it is coming up to the recommended level.

Alk new reading is 8.4dkH, Ca 420, Mg 1220
 
Sorry, I mean new fresh salt mix water. It should be very similar to the parameters in your tank, or it needs to be adjusted accordingly if not.
 
i keep mostly australian corals in my tank. the only thing i test for is salinity and thats when i do a WC. i preffer Aquavitro Salinity and keep it at .0245. ive never dosed a single thing and all my corals are thriving. honestly i think you are overcomplacating it. i also think its possible your salt is jacking things up. ive found salt mix buckets with major paramater differences from the top to the bottom. this occures during shipment. the heavier minerals settle to the bottom of the bucket. i roll mine around before i first open it and never had a problem since. there's a Ton of things that can go wrong when dosing multiple things. esp. magnesium. it will jack your salinity up for a while then go back down. why? no clue. ok im rambling... curiosity though, what salt are you using? and how much water volume you have?
 
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