getting cal, alk, and mag in line

[kenc87]

What's the best order and pace as I am going to start my 2 part dosing in the next few days

 

[Dr. Reef]

mag first and holding range is 1280-1400 then cal 380-440 and alk at 7-11dkh.
mag can be increased 100ppm per day, cal 50ppm per day and alk 1.5dkh per day.

 

[kenc87]

ok, thanks. Im going to test my water, get starting points and start to raise stuff over the next few days so i can get my 2 part dialed in

 

[bertoni]

Unless the levels are badly out of line, the order doesn't matter much, but magnesium first is the safest approach.

 

[downbeach]

You should first establish a benchmark, so I would start with my WC routine, since that's when you'll be replenishing much of your Ca, Alk, and Mg. Use a good calibrated refractometer or probe to get your salinity to 1.026. Once you have your salinity right, then test your Ca, Mg and Alk, using a decent test kit, i.e. Salifert, Elos, Red Sea Pro, etc. I would do a couple/few WC's to get these param's established and then write down your readings over a period of time to determine your systems needs. Then divide that by the number of days to determine your daily dose.

 

[kenc87]

Well I did a water change on Sunday, tested my water today to see where I'm at and I'm shocked by my alk. My cal is 430, alk is 6 and mag is 1420. So clearly I have to raise my alk over the next few days.

 

[Frankfish]

The best piece of advice I can give is to develop a reliable routine. Test and dose regularly, and record the results of your tests. In time you will learn the demands of your tank, and see how to keep things in line.

 

[kenc87]

Ya I set up a chart in excel to track my parameters and have finally gotten a good test kit for everything. I started raising my alk today slowly of course and will continue to do so over the next few days till its up around 10 dkh or so. After that I'm going to start trying to get the daily 2 part dosing regiment down