At my wit's end

Calcium ~425-450 and alk 9-10 dKH. I've always kept them around those levels in the past, but I might be asking for too much with the current problems.
 
OK, so now I'd boost calcium to 430-440 ppm or so with calcium chloride.

Then pick up dosing small amounts of a two part, say, to bring up calcium and alk a bit more, to reach the alk goal.
 
Okay, will do. Thanks again, Randy. I'll keep you posted as to the results. I'm thinking a week to 5 days of allowing for the smaller doses should be enough to reveal whether it is working or not. So check back in that amount of time, I guess :D.
 
I forgot to ask to make sure this is correct the entire time. I'm not using 2 part, since its a pain with my 5 gal containers (since I'm currently sans LiterMeter) and I'm simply using the dry counterparts. Using Jose Dieck's calculator, I need to add a ratio of ~7 ppm Ca++ per 1 dKH HCO3- to make a balanced addition, correct?
 
You add them to the aquarium dry? That may be OK, as long as they dissolve before getting to anything delicate, and you do not see local preciptiation where you add them.

The ratio is correct.

Why is it hard to make the DIY by dissolving them first?
 
Oops, I was vague with what I meant. I'm dissolving each dry dose in a bit of purified water. I already have 5 gallons of each part, but they aren't in the most accessible place, since the LiterMeter normally doses them (and I only have to remove them rarely). So it just seemed easier, I guess, to do it that way in the meantime. I'm only looking at another week until my LiterMeter is repaired, so it won't be long term. It seemed at the time, at least, that it would be easier than mixing another batch of two part, especially being temporary. Sorry about the confusion.
 
Okay, so I did the initial large boost of magnesium and then calcium. Mg was sitting @ ~1500 ppm (Elos) and Ca ~440 prior to using smaller doses of both calcium and alkalinity. After 4 days of dosing smaller amounts, totaling ~.5 dKH daily and ~5 ppm of alkalinity and calcium daily, I ended up with 7dKH and approximately 380 ppm Ca, which wasn't too far from where I started. I then stepped up the dose ever so slightly to ~1 dKH and ~10 ppm Ca daily. That continued for the next 2 days and the parameters didn't budge. I tried slightly larger amounts after that with the same results. To add to that, oddly enough, I tested the magnesium again and it was sitting at 1200 ppm. I tested all of these back to back and repeatedly with Elos and Salifert, all yielding results within the usual error range for each test. What on earth is going on?
 
The magnesium must be a testing errror (before or later or both)

There is just no mechanism for it to drop 300 ppm, aside from a big water change with a low magnesium mix.
 
If you like to keep your calcium and magnesium levels well above the recommended levels (and natural sea water), perhaps Oceanic is a fine choice, otherwise it may complicate matters a bit much.
 
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As I recall it, there was no bioload and (you believed) something was driving abiotic precipitation. The recent event (rapid drop) seems to indicate this is occurring. To fix this, you need to remove whatever is driving the prcipitation, if that is indeed the porblem. So, why not move the three corals to a temp container, perform a 100 % water change and re-accliamte them in hopes of restoring balanced condtions without the problem?
 
Randy Holmes-Farley said:
The magnesium must be a testing errror (before or later or both)

There is just no mechanism for it to drop 300 ppm, aside from a big water change with a low magnesium mix.
Click to expand...

That is what I thought--I'd have to have gigantic drops in calcium and alkalinity, too. I'm actually going to try a new magnesium kit. I was just so frustrated with it last night, I posted the results and went to bed :lol:

I know my technique is good from working in the lab, but if there's that much room for error, then I don't want these kits. It may be time to try API again.
 
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chuckreef said:
As I recall it, there was no bioload and (you believed) something was driving abiotic precipitation. The recent event (rapid drop) seems to indicate this is occurring. To fix this, you need to remove whatever is driving the prcipitation, if that is indeed the porblem. So, why not move the three corals to a temp container, perform a 100 % water change and re-accliamte them in hopes of restoring balanced condtions without the problem?
Click to expand...

It's definitely precipitation, but I have no clue where it is going. My pumps should be crusted with calcium carbonate, but currently they are not. Is it possible for sand that is almost 2 years old to still cause precipitation reactions? I wouldn't think that would be possible, considering the biofilms that develop on it relatively quickly.

I've done exactly this probably dozens of times in an effort to try to remedy whatever is causing it. I've done it with several different salts, as we
 
Is it possible for sand after two years to ....?

Very unlikley. Moving the sand to the temporary holding container when you do the 100% change and leaving it there when you put the three corals back would be one way to find out.

You can just operate at 7 and 360 as normal for your reef, and only dose 2-part when kalk water makeup additions don't keep your alk at 7.
 
Randy Holmes-Farley said:
You must have a giant worm living in the rock that is depositing a huge calcium carbonate tube that you just do not see. :D
Click to expand...

I think it is one of those micro black holes coming from some odd combination of home theater equipment, my aquarium, my dog, and maybe the neighbor that's doing it. I'm almost ready to resign it to that :fun4:
 
chuckreef said:
Is it possible for sand after two years to ....?

Very unlikley. Moving the sand to the temporary holding container when you do the 100% change and leaving it there when you put the three corals back would be one way to find out.

You can just operate at 7 and 360 as normal for your reef, and only dose 2-part when kalk water makeup additions don't keep your alk at 7.
Click to expand...

Tried that, too. Coral growth crawls when I let that happen. I've had a few frags for almost the entire time this has been occurring and they have had almost negligible growth. Now, one observation, especially before levels dropped dramatically, which still shouldn't account for the decline, is that noticeable growth did occur in a short period of time. I mean very significant on a few corals--probably close to 1/4" in about 1.5 weeks.
 
Okay, I found severe sand accretions (again) after checking in the sand bed. I already went through and broke many of them up several weeks ago and they have since reformed. Many of them are significant in size. I'm beginning to think the sand may very well be the culprit. What puzzles me is that this sand is almost 2 years old now. I used nothing but CaribSea special grade sand and it has given me nothing but trouble. So, in light of this, I'm going to try replacing the sand with pre-inoculated (hopefully with a good biofilm) live sand from Tropic Eden. I'll further add a aquacultured live sand (as well as wild collected) layer on top of that to hopefully curb any potential accretion from precipitation. I'll probably keep small amounts of the special grade in hopes that it won't clump
 
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