Help with alk/cal issue

[tagraham]

Tank is 6 months old I have been in the hobby for about 10 years and this is my first nano
20 gallon cube and 5.5 gal sump. Twv of 20gal.
Sps and lps dominant.

Cal is dosed with brs dosing pump on a shared timer with alk brs dosing pump dosing both threw out *the day to keep parameters stable. *Well as demand grew I increased the amount *of time on the timer to compensate. * Alk never could get stable above 8.5-8.1 but calcium was right at435 all the time. Well soon and the amount of dosing got more and more to keep up I am getting a white calcium film on my tank and sump and brs reactors and my vortec I'm close to 100 + mil of each a day.*

So far everything in my tank looks great. Good color and growth just think I'm doing something way wrong with my dosing do to high dosing amount and this awful white film. I think maybe it's precipitating out of solution and that's why I can't bring my alk higher than 8.5 and I'm having to dose so dang much to keep it even at that in 20 gal of water

Btw dosing is done in 12 separate increments every 2 hours

 

[tagraham]

Any input would be much appreciated. Right now I took pumps of line to get a new 24 hour consumption baseline. And restart the dosing based on that. But his time keep cal and all on seperate timers and schedules. Is that a good idea??

 

[tagraham]

Bump

 

[potterjon]

yes, it is precipitating, but I cannot tell you why. Are you dosing both at the same time? If so, maybe that is the problem.
Maybe someone else will chime in.

 

[potterjon]

Maybe also just dose in the morning before lights come on when ph is low. High ph causes precipitation I think. Also sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) does not cause the same ph increase as soda ash (sodium carbonate).
maybe be these threads address your issue.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1979232

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1957151

 

[downbeach]

Good read here:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-07/rhf/index.php

 

[sirreal63]

What is the mag level?

 

[tagraham]

I don't test the mag often but when I do it's high like 1500. I do weekly 1 or 2 gallon w/c with reef crystals. And yes they were dosing at the same time. Ph checked by reef keeper and probe (calibrated) morning 7.9 afternoon high8.1

 

[sirreal63]

Dosing at the same time can cause precipitation. Something else to think about, I have had a couple mag test kits read high when in fact the mag was low. I also have an alk kit that reads about 3dkh high, these have been Salifert but I know others have reported occasions where other brands have done the same. Get some new test kits and compare them. It is cheap insurance.