How are my levels?

[FishN00b83]

So I recently (a few weeks ago) put a few SPS frags in my 125, and I decided it was time to test for a few things. I don't really know what "normal" levels would be, so here is what I have as of yesterday:

Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 2
pH - 8.13
Calcium - 380
kH - 7.85
alk - 2.8
Mag - 1050
PO4 - 0 (it says zero but I have some algae growing idk if its bryopsis or something else, but it wont go away even with my GFO reactor...I'm starting to change out the GFO more frequently)

I have a 20g ATO with a BRS Top Off doser now (I have a 5g ATO but I was getting sick of filling it all the time)

Are my levels ok? Im not saying I need to, but how do I know when it's time to start putting kalk in my ATO?

I have noticed that my coralline algae started to go, but has now stopped completely. It turned white in a lot of spots and is now gone. IDK what happened...

 

[bboudreaux]

you are at the low end of acceptable for calcium. 420-460
kh should be a little higher 8.5 - 9.5 unless you are running an ULNS with carbon dosing or bio pellets.
need to get the mag up to around 1350-1450, but 1500 isn't bad either.
Most important thing for SPS is stability.
I think you coralline algae problem is the low caclium.
you need to get your levels up to my suggestions and then you can maintain them with Kalk. Kalk is a buffer so not good raising you levels with but excellent for keeping them there. If you want to use kalk i would start with 1/2tsp per gallon and see how that works. Just add solution to RO water shake and let sit overnight.

 

[hub81]

Your calcium and mag are to low, I would suggest keeping your KH above 8. What is your salinity and when was your last water change? If it has been awhile since your last water change I suggest doing a 20%. Then check your levels, keep tabs on the time and check the levels again the following day at the same time. If your levels have dropped this will tell you how much in a 24 hr period. Will help you figure out how much dosing to do.

 

[bertoni]

The canonical ocean average for magnesium is 1275 ppm or so. There's no need to go higher, and 1050 ppm should be fine for the short term, at least. I'd raise it over a few days to 1275 ppm, personally, but I am a bit obsessive.

The recommended ranges for calcium and alkalinity are 350-450 ppm and 2.5-4 meq/L, respectively:

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.htm

If you're reporting alkalinity in meq/L, the tank should be okay as is.

 

[FishN00b83]

you are at the low end of acceptable for calcium. 420-460

kh should be a little higher 8.5 - 9.5 unless you are running an ULNS with carbon dosing or bio pellets.

need to get the mag up to around 1350-1450, but 1500 isn't bad either.

Most important thing for SPS is stability.

I think you coralline algae problem is the low caclium.

you need to get your levels up to my suggestions and then you can maintain them with Kalk. Kalk is a buffer so not good raising you levels with but excellent for keeping them there. If you want to use kalk i would start with 1/2tsp per gallon and see how that works. Just add solution to RO water shake and let sit overnight.

what can I use to raise some of these levels? I thought reef crystals were supposed to help keep these things in check.

Your calcium and mag are to low, I would suggest keeping your KH above 8. What is your salinity and when was your last water change? If it has been awhile since your last water change I suggest doing a 20%. Then check your levels, keep tabs on the time and check the levels again the following day at the same time. If your levels have dropped this will tell you how much in a 24 hr period. Will help you figure out how much dosing to do.

I do about a 20% water change a week and my salinity is a solid 1.025. I calibrate my refractometer once a month with 35 solution. I plan on testing after my next water change (Sunday) then Wednesday and Friday to see how it drops over the course of a week.

The canonical ocean average for magnesium is 1275 ppm or so. There's no need to go higher, and 1050 ppm should be fine for the short term, at least. I'd raise it over a few days to 1275 ppm, personally, but I am a bit obsessive.

The recommended ranges for calcium and alkalinity are 350-450 ppm and 2.5-4 meq/L, respectively:

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.htm

If you're reporting alkalinity in meq/L, the tank should be okay as is.

thanks for the info!

 

[bertoni]

Many tanks need daily calcium and alkalinity supplementation. It's fairly common for a tank to consume 2-3 dKH per day, with the corresponding calcium drop up to 20 ppm or so. A 2-part is an easy way to get started.

This article might help:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/rhf/index.php

 

[FishN00b83]

I would like to start with kalk in my ATO, but how do I initially get my calc, alk and ph to where they should be?

 

[bertoni]

Baking soda and calcium chloride are fine for alkalinity and calcium. The pH of your system is strongly influenced by the carbon dioxide content of the air, so I wouldn't worry about that just yet. pH at 8.13 is excellent for a tank in a house.

 

[FishN00b83]

How are my levels?

so can I use kalk to initially raise calc and alk, or do I have to use something else to get everything up then use kalk to keep them where they should be?

I thought baking soda raised your ph...

 

[bertoni]

Kalk is a very dilute and very high pH supplement, so it generally can't be used to raise the calcium and alkalinity levels in any short time frame. Baking soda will lower the pH a tiny bit when added, and then the pH will rise as carbon dioxide is gassed off. The change will be very small.

 

[kevan]

Kh

Kh

you are at the low end of acceptable for calcium. 420-460
kh should be a little higher 8.5 - 9.5 unless you are running an ULNS with carbon dosing or bio pellets.
need to get the mag up to around 1350-1450, but 1500 isn't bad either.
Most important thing for SPS is stability.
I think you coralline algae problem is the low caclium.
you need to get your levels up to my suggestions and then you can maintain them with Kalk. Kalk is a buffer so not good raising you levels with but excellent for keeping them there. If you want to use kalk i would start with 1/2tsp per gallon and see how that works. Just add solution to RO water shake and let sit overnight.

can you explain why KH should be lower in a ULNS system?
I am running Bio beads but keeping my KH at 8.5 - 9 is this wrong?

 

[bboudreaux]

People sometimes experience burnt tips on their sps corals when running an ultra low nutrient system. Seachem makes some good chemicals for raising calcium and alkalinity. I would get you levels where u want them with any supplement you choose for calcium or alk and then start the Kalk to maintain.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

can you explain why KH should be lower in a ULNS system?

I've never heard a convincing explanation of the mechanism, just that people observe it to be true.

 

[FishN00b83]

should I be careful how fast I raise the calc and alk?

 

[bertoni]

I think people often suggest 1 dKH per day for alkalinity. 100 ppm per day should be safe enough for calcium. I might target 50 ppm for the first day because getting the correct water volume can be tricky.

 

[FishN00b83]

I bought b-ionic and kent magnesium. I'm going to do a water change in the morning, test everything and dose. I plan in changing the gfo and carbon twice a week for 2 weeks to see if it makes any difference with the small algae problem too.