Amphiprion
Premium Member
Okay, for the past several months, I've been absolutely struggling to keep get my calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium raised. I've never had this much trouble doing it, ever. No matter how small of an increment I use to add any particular supplement over a period of time, it is measurably gone and then some only hours later, suggesting precipitation. The tank is a 40 BR with approximately 55-60 gallons of total volume. It has very high water movement in the main display, which is where I add it to boost a particular parameter. I use several test kits that all test roughly the same, within error for the appropriate kits.
For example, I use Elos, Salifert, and Tropic Marin kits--Ca +/- 20 ppm, alkalinity +/- 0.5 dKH, etc.--just because I can't believe what I'm seeing. So, last week, for example, I got fed up and did a large water change with Instant Ocean. It was one of the older batches, btw, that I've had a good long while still sealed in bags. @ 78 F, I mixed it to 35 ppt and the following parameters, after boosting, remained stable for a few days--Ca: 440 dKH: 10 Mg: 1350, roughly the same with all kits. I then use half this water and do a 50% water change out of frustration. I do it again the next day to total 100%. I checked parameters in the tank and they were the same.
I also use 2 part and dose that regularly via a spectrapure liter meter. To see if that may have been the culprit, I lowered the dose to ~5 total mL per part for that entire volume. Very small. I have since tried turning it off completely while doing any sort of changes--at least for several days. I'll wait for the levels to drop, which they invariably do, and then attempt to supplement one of them. For example, today, I added enough baking soda to raise the alkalinity by approximately .5 dKH over the course of the day in a slow trickle into a Tunze effluent. I check the calcium by the end of the day when I'm done and it has dropped from about 420 to about 380 ppm, again tests are consistent. WTH? So, I get frustrated more and attempt to raise the calcium very carefully. I use 5 ppm increments and test every day. It gets to 390 and stays there despite how much I add (this obviously wasn't today, but the same thing in any case). I check the alkalinity and it sits at ~7 dKH. More frustration and blind rage. I then check magnesium. It has also dropped to about 1200, I attempt to raise it slowly as well, by about 20 ppm every day. I can get the level up, but by then, both other parameters have dropped substantially again, thus starting the vicious cycle all over again.
I've played with smaller increments, but that starts to become impractical, as you might imagine, as it drops by the time you can add more, defeating the purpose.
Now for tank specifics:
40BR, set up now for almost 2 years
Lots of flow, approx. 10,000 gph in 40g, so that shouldn't be a problem
Temp sits @ 80, pH @ 8.2 +/- 1 error (meter and test kit); PO4 @ .04 ppm; NO3 undetectable (Salifert).
There are literally 3 corals in the tank--one P. sinuosa, T. geoffroyi, and thumbnail sized Pocillopora. That and there is hardly any coralline growth, so very little demand.
2 part currently set to 5 mL daily (via dilution of the source container) for that water volume, but I've also tried shutting it off altogether. I have also tried playing with the dosage directly (as opposed to adding things individually) to increase the levels with the exact same result.
My lab technique is relatively good and produces consistent results if I make one test immediately after the other. All test tubes, etc. are thoroughly rinsed with RO/DI after use and allowed to fully dry.
To confirm precipitation, I get plenty of scaling on pumps and very, very severe sand clumping. I can go without adding anything and it clumps together, dropping all levels substantially. They stop precipitating and then corals start doing poorly.
No other supplements or any other dosing used other than baking soda, CaCl2, and Kent's Tech M.
Using RO/DI water @ 0 ppm TDS and using semiconductor grade resins.
I just don't know what to do anymore, other than let all the levels fall as low as possible without precipitation and maintain them there. I'm thinking kicking a hole in it may be more effective at this point.
For example, I use Elos, Salifert, and Tropic Marin kits--Ca +/- 20 ppm, alkalinity +/- 0.5 dKH, etc.--just because I can't believe what I'm seeing. So, last week, for example, I got fed up and did a large water change with Instant Ocean. It was one of the older batches, btw, that I've had a good long while still sealed in bags. @ 78 F, I mixed it to 35 ppt and the following parameters, after boosting, remained stable for a few days--Ca: 440 dKH: 10 Mg: 1350, roughly the same with all kits. I then use half this water and do a 50% water change out of frustration. I do it again the next day to total 100%. I checked parameters in the tank and they were the same.
I also use 2 part and dose that regularly via a spectrapure liter meter. To see if that may have been the culprit, I lowered the dose to ~5 total mL per part for that entire volume. Very small. I have since tried turning it off completely while doing any sort of changes--at least for several days. I'll wait for the levels to drop, which they invariably do, and then attempt to supplement one of them. For example, today, I added enough baking soda to raise the alkalinity by approximately .5 dKH over the course of the day in a slow trickle into a Tunze effluent. I check the calcium by the end of the day when I'm done and it has dropped from about 420 to about 380 ppm, again tests are consistent. WTH? So, I get frustrated more and attempt to raise the calcium very carefully. I use 5 ppm increments and test every day. It gets to 390 and stays there despite how much I add (this obviously wasn't today, but the same thing in any case). I check the alkalinity and it sits at ~7 dKH. More frustration and blind rage. I then check magnesium. It has also dropped to about 1200, I attempt to raise it slowly as well, by about 20 ppm every day. I can get the level up, but by then, both other parameters have dropped substantially again, thus starting the vicious cycle all over again.
I've played with smaller increments, but that starts to become impractical, as you might imagine, as it drops by the time you can add more, defeating the purpose.
Now for tank specifics:
40BR, set up now for almost 2 years
Lots of flow, approx. 10,000 gph in 40g, so that shouldn't be a problem
Temp sits @ 80, pH @ 8.2 +/- 1 error (meter and test kit); PO4 @ .04 ppm; NO3 undetectable (Salifert).
There are literally 3 corals in the tank--one P. sinuosa, T. geoffroyi, and thumbnail sized Pocillopora. That and there is hardly any coralline growth, so very little demand.
2 part currently set to 5 mL daily (via dilution of the source container) for that water volume, but I've also tried shutting it off altogether. I have also tried playing with the dosage directly (as opposed to adding things individually) to increase the levels with the exact same result.
My lab technique is relatively good and produces consistent results if I make one test immediately after the other. All test tubes, etc. are thoroughly rinsed with RO/DI after use and allowed to fully dry.
To confirm precipitation, I get plenty of scaling on pumps and very, very severe sand clumping. I can go without adding anything and it clumps together, dropping all levels substantially. They stop precipitating and then corals start doing poorly.
No other supplements or any other dosing used other than baking soda, CaCl2, and Kent's Tech M.
Using RO/DI water @ 0 ppm TDS and using semiconductor grade resins.
I just don't know what to do anymore, other than let all the levels fall as low as possible without precipitation and maintain them there. I'm thinking kicking a hole in it may be more effective at this point.
