Calcium and Alkalinity question

[Rlyman1]

Tank has been up for roughly 6 or 7 weeks, I have added in a handful of corals (lost a torch for some unexplained reason) small CUC, 2 clowns (lost to ich) and a cleaner shrimp.

My tank parameters are as follows:
20 gallon weekly 15 % water change - weekly 2 part AB dosing
Ammonia - 0 -API test kit
Nirite - 0 - API test kit
Nitrate - 5 ppm - API test kit
Phosphate 0.034 - Hanna Checker phosphorous ulr
Alkalinity - 7.8 dkh -Hanna checker
MG - waiting on a test kit for this
Calcium - 455 - hanna checker
PH 8.2 - API

question I have is how do i go about raising my Alkalinity I was under the impression the 2 part dosing would take care of that?

do i even need to raise my Alk? most of my corals seem very happy, although I have a gonapora that doesn't want to extend (feeding one of the following daily - reef roids, coral frenzy, mysis, brine, and marine snow), and 1 head of a Aussie torch that is some how bleaching out.

any thoughts on my water parameters?

 

[James77]

Your Alk and calcium are at ok levels.

Two part dosing is more for maintaining levels.

6-7 weeks is still quite young for a reef tank. While that may not be the cause of your losses, it is not helping. I understand the want to add corals and fish fast, it is fun....but the more patience you have the more success you will have. Goniopora are well known to be a finicky coral, but they are beautiful. It was my first coral, and I ended up losing it. There are some tank raised ones that may be easier to keep, but I would def not consider them a beginner coral.

 

[cheucklate]

While it looks like ultimately you may need to dose your tank in the future with your size, I say for now keep it simple.

You can raise salinity to 1.026 (refractometer)
Or use a higher grade salt (red sea pro, reef crystals etc)

You can always dose.. but you're gradually introducing more corals so your levels will fluctuate a whole lot. I wouldn't recommend till later.

 

[Mark9]

Water changes should handle it.
If not, just buy a bottle of calcium and alkalinity for adjustments.
Something like Kent tech-cb, continuum, etc.

 

[Rlyman1]

thanks every one, being that my parameters aren't that far off i think i will keep it simple for now and monitor the parameters. if the alk drops to significnatly I will have a bottle on hand to correct it.

 

[sixpackgarage]

alk seems low to me. My corals seem happier at around 9dkh alk

 

[Spar]

alk anywhere in the 7 to 11 range is perfectly fine. stability of alk levels is what is important. two-part will help you maintain whatever level you choose.

 

[hkgar]

What corals do you have? Calcium and Alkalinity are needed for LPS and SPS corals. With softies you might monitor for Coraline Algae growth as that like ALK

 

[Rlyman1]

currently I have the following:

Equipment:
IM fusion 20 -20lbs of rock and 15 lbs of sand
Maxspect Razor 16k light 20 inch
MP10
upgraded return pump to mj1200
Neotherm heater
IM ghost skimmer
IM reactor with carbon
Upgraded media baskets running chemi pur elite and floss
TUNZE ATO
BRS RODI

Corals:
Gold Hammer (3 heads)
Green Aussie Torch (2 heads)
Duncan (6 heads, sprouting a new one over the last week)
Green star polyps (maybe 3 square inches)
Gonapora (plum size)
Pulsing xenia (small stalk)
Candy cane coral (bought at 2 heads on its way to 6 in two weeks)
Zoas (20 -30 polyps)
Yellow Tube coral (maybe 3 inches wide)
1 small blue mushroom
1 small red mushroom

As for live stock
1 cleaner shrimp
12 blue leg hermits
1 turbo snail
15 dwarf ceriths
3 Flordia Ceriths
10 nassarius snails
4 nerite snalis
I plan to add 2 small clowns in 6 to 8 weeks or so, set up my quarantine so i just need to find time to buy them. May add one additional fish chromis or goby haven't decided

 

[JammyBirch]

Your ALK is fine, I keep mine at 7-8dKh. My SPS start to STN and RTN with high ALK. I'm a little confused when you said you thought the 2 part would take care of the calcium and Alk levels...it will you just increase the dose to increase the levels.

Water parameters look good to me, bleaching and/or no extension could have to with light, flow or warfare.