alk and calcium

[clarkyclown]

I have a 120 reef with sps and lps in it.Im running korrilin reactor and alk is at 10.6 and calcium is at 500.I am using oceanic salt should i switch to io cause of the reactor, to lower my alk and calcium. I dont have good polyp extention in my tank,Would this be because oceanic salt is so high.

 

[tonyscoots84]

your alk is at an ideal level.. i like to keep mine between 10-11 dkh... calcium is a lil high.. not only do u have a cal. reactor ur also doing water changes with a salt very well known with high calcium... u could switch brands i believe IO is at 300's in calcium... either that or dial in ur reactor to how much water changes you actually do...

have you checked out your magnesium level.. cause alk, cal, mag, and even ph all have an affect on each other...

for polyp extension there could be many things affecting it.

flow (direct or indirect)
other leves such as magnesium, salinity, ph, temp.
lighting

why dont you tell us what all ur levels, and what your flow is then we can go from there

 

[spankey]

For what its worth. I used Oceanic and IO mixed 50/50 and its near perfect. I just bought a new bucket of IO and it tested at DKH 11 and calcium 400??? I was in a jam and had to buy the bucket of IO because I couldn't find the oceanic at a lfs. I am waiting to see if I see any diference just using the IO vs the mix.

Good luck though!
Spank.

 

[Serioussnaps]

your alk is not at an ideal level IMO...i would get it between 8-9...

oceanic is garbage...no way you can keep a tank with oceanic without A) mixing it with IO to get appropriate levels or B)throwing it in the trash

you want:

ALK--->>>8-9
CA---->>>about 400 anywhere between 390-430 is fine
MG--->>>>1300-1350

FWIW ...Instant ocean is :>>>(this is two batches)

ALK>>> 10.6-11.0
CA->>>360
MG>>>1200

You can see where mixing them half and half gives u the right levels

I would get this salt however-->>>(this is what i am switching to)

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produ... marine salt&ref=4177&subref=AA&N=2004+113009

 

[tonyscoots84]

how is 10 not a good level... id like to no when you became an expert in growing corals.. 10-11dkh u get optimal growth if all levels are in check.... i am no expert either but from what i no 10-11 dkh in alkalinity is the sweet spot ...... so before you go shooting your load over what people say i would re read what others have said.. if i said natural seawater is 10-11 dkh that would be wrong.... but for optimal growth in our systems should be 10-11 dkh that is right.. thanks for your input though...

 

[CeeGee]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8349053#post8349053 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tonyscoots84
how is 10 not a good level... id like to no when you became an expert in growing corals.. 10-11dkh u get optimal growth if all levels are in check.... i am no expert either but from what i no 10-11 dkh in alkalinity is the sweet spot ...... so before you go shooting your load over what people say i would re read what others have said.. if i said natural seawater is 10-11 dkh that would be wrong.... but for optimal growth in our systems should be 10-11 dkh that is right.. thanks for your input though...

man. That was rude.

Most of the people I have seen around here with fabulous SPS tanks are running betweed 8-9 dkh and 400-450 on calcium. I have read from many people that higher than that in a SPS tank may be a leading cause of RTN.

Not sure and not trying to start an argument just rephrasing what I have read. I say if it is good enough for the ocean it is good enough for my tank.

 

[dukes707]

i agree. alk at 10 is bordering the high side of normal but it is still okay. your calcium is a lil high as itterated earlier, but you can just let that drift down slowly on its own, or you can help it along with a few water changes with an ionically balanced salt mix. IO is a good brand and what i personally use. i switched from Oceanic because it is ionically imbalanced. had my calcium at outrageously high levels >500, and alk at around 6.7 if i remember correctly. or you could use a mix of the two and have good results. but oceanic by itself is a bad idea for your reef IMO. again check your mag. levels as that plays part in calcium carbonate absorbtion for your corals. it would be easier to advise if you posted all your levels. just my humble opinion.
polyp extension can be effected by a few things, improper parameters, temp. is it just during the day you dont get extention or no PE at all. what fish do you have in there? an angel perhaps? i know my potters angel keeps my corals polyps retracted during the day, cause the lil guy nips every once in a while. (anyone looking for a potters BTW let me know cause he will be coming out soon.) but at night they come out like its no ones business. hope this helps. good luck :bum:

 

[Frankysreef]

10 is extremely high, and I have been keeping sps for over 6 yrs...

I have experienced ALK BURN at levels higher than 10...

Where the tips of the acro bleach, and or colors fade, and the coral is unhappy.

Your calcium is higher than it needs to be... 400+ is fine...

turn your reactor down a bit.. so the calc gets to 400, and the alk will drop with it.