Help on parameters!

[Kizzy911]

Hey everyone, i noticed that my LPS were dying, dead, if not then they're shrunken.

I've asked my local reefer page and told me that my problem was ALK
i've gotten my water tested, my parameters are as follows:
ALK: 6.2 DKH
CALCIUM: 380
MGL 1280

LFS told me to aim for:
7.5 ALK
420 CA
1340 MG

I've also bought Red Sea ALK, CA, and MG test kits as well as the Supplements.

I've added the ALK supplement before doing a water change (bad idea i think)
My tank is a 40 gallon with a 25 gal sump, i did a 20gal water change.
An hour later I tested and my CURRENT, parameters read:
ALK:10.1
MG: 1440
CA: 360

My concern is that, the LFS told me to raise my ALK SLOWLY... as you can see my ALK raised from 6.2 to 10.1 dramatically within a span of 6 hours or so.
My question is: is 10.1 ALK fine?
-if yes, how is will it affect my corals?
-If no how bad and how will it affect my corals?
-Also, is my MG fine?
-Is my CA fine? (thinking about boosting it with the RED SEA CA supplement)

Please in need of some help, thanks.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Time will tell, but I doubt that you will see any dramatic consequences to the alk increase. 10dKH isn't so high that it is an issue and drop is worse than increase. Drop below 5dKH and corals will start to die (bleach).

Mg between 1200 and 1500 is fine. Some people run it way high (like 1800) to try and kill algae. Again, the floor of 1200 is more important. Your stony corals need Mg to process Ca & alk to make skeleton. If it's below 1200 they make weak structures or can't make any at all.

Ca is kind of like Mg. Lower than 350 really slows down skeleton growth. I don't know an upper limit that is harmful, but above 450 to 500 it's also of no use to the corals. Any Ca supplement will raise your Ca.

What kind of salt are you using? Why such a big percentage water change? And do the water change first, let it mix well with the rest of the tank, measure your parameters and then dose Ca, alk and Mg as needed. Dosing first is just wasting chemicals as you pulled half of them back out with the water change.

 

[Kizzy911]

A big water change just be because my alk is low. Itnwas at 6.2.. So i figured id change water. I use red sea coral pro salt that ive been told has 12
Dkh

 

[Flippers4pups]

Are you dosing calcium? Kalkwasser in a ATO is simple way to keep calcium up and can balance alk. Good reef salt will keep things in check, with regular water changes.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Lets back up here. You have a new tank and a few corals. What brand of salt are you using?

 

[CStrickland]

I agree.
Red Sea is a good salt, if your levels got that low I wonder if you aren't changing enough water and the tank is dirty, or your sg is not stable.
In any case these changes should be happening over a few weeks, it always takes longer to fix it than to mess it up in the first place. If you go crazy with the supplements you are going to have a serious problem.

Temp, light, and flow would also make lps shrivel.
What's your:
Nitrate
Phos
Temp
Sg (also what do you measure it with?)
Lights brand and model

And can you post a pic that shows the whole tank, and some close ups of the coral?
It will help us make sure there's nothing wrong with the placement of the lps, etc

 

[CHSUB]

ALK: 6.2 DKH
CALCIUM: 380
MGL 1280

these number, while not "perfect", are not going to cause LPS's to die!

it is good to test your parameters, but i'm sure your LFS didn't "mind" selling you a mg supplement. if you explain more about your system and corals, more help can be given.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Here is my FTS and I'm sure that I've got many more stony corals than you do and I don't dose anything. I do 20% water changes every two weeks and I use Instant Ocean Reef Crystals. I've been following all of your threads, so I have a good idea of what you have in your tanks. We're trying to help you with your problems but you keep listening to the LFS you are dealing with, then come here for us to fix your problems.

 

[Kizzy911]

Ill post pics when i can. I do ask my lfs and ask here for suggestions. The more i know the better and the more i compare from other peooles' experience then the more it will benefit me, myself in the long run. All i want is info from different perspectives