How much do you dose?

[bobssecrtsn]

So My tank has been giving me a few problems, and I would like to know what if I am overdosing my tank.

So the question is, How much 2 part are you dosing for CA/dkH

1. total volume of your tank and is coralline infesting like HIV
2. what 2part are you using
3 how many ML daily are you dosing
4 what type of corals do you have? mixed? fully SPS? or lps only and how many? are they growing?
5 what type of salt are you using



1.65G total volume for me and coralline is popping up in the back wall
2. B bionic 2 part
3. 80ml ca/alk daily around the clock
4 Fully sps, 20 frags 2-3 inches growing and encrusting
5 RSCP black bucket

My problem is my GFO is clumping up and turning grey, (precipitation is happening and I dont know what to do!

I have my dosing tubes running in my overflow, approximately 300-400 GPH
If i move it to above my mp40, the magnet turns white and it freezes up.

If i stop dosing all together, my dkH will drop, and i will loose my corals.

If you have any input on this as well. please let me know.

 

[Spslvr]

I have a 200 gallon and dose 40gm of 99% calcium chloride per day and the same in sodium bicarb,

 

[rovster]

120 gal total. 90% acro frags plus a few minicolonies and small colonies. Rest is lps and even fewer zoas. I dose about 60-70ml each BRS 2-part. I stagger them an hour apart. 1 hr 5-6ml A, next hour B and so it goes. Make sure you are separating your doses by at least a few minutes preferably more. Are you carbon dosing?

Almost forgot, coralline does not grow rampant, it's there but takes several weeks before the spots start to show up on the back wall....

 

[nemodan]

Red Sea Max 250 (65 G ) + 20 G refugium full of macro.

- B- ionic : 55 ml / day this week. I adjust weekly.

- DOS Apex dosing pump: Dose the 55 ml between midnight and 3 pm. Drosing tubes are 2 inches far away each one. Pumps dose at the same time. Dosing is in the back return chamber. No precipitation. Dosing volume is small (0.8 ml) every 13 minutes and a last dose of 1.4 ml.

- Alk at 9 PM : 6,5 - 7 dkh. The fuge and a LOT of Seacherm Matrix that I have in a return chamber and in a HOB fuge hanged on the 20G fuge keep the Phosp at 0.02 ppm and Nitrate almost 0 ppm. So I keep a low Alk.

- Ca : 400 ppm

- Salt : Reef Crystal. Water changes: 20 G at least once a week. Sometimes 2 times in the week, but not too often (~ once a month in a week I do 2 WC)

What do I have in the tank : 95 % SPS. But I will add pictures. You can have a 100% SPS tank and Alk/Ca use can be totally different if it full of frags, medium size colonies or big colonies. So pictures are the best for you to understand what I have and is using the 55 ml of Bionic 2 parts per day, this week.

 

[Tweaked]

Alk is currently at 8.2, and Ca is around 410. Haven't checked MG in some time.

Alk - 2 minutes every hour x 1.1ml = 52.8 ml ESV Alk
Ca- 2 minutes every hour x 1.1ml = 52.8 ml ESV Ca
Mg- 10 seconds every hour x 1.1ml = 4.4 ml ESV Mg

 

[bobssecrtsn]

Question to all, Does anyone use RSCP black bucket? Im currently using that and i think my problem lies in the salt Im using that causes the precipitation, and now i do believe I have a problem with precipitation,

80 ml is to much for my tank i am dosing 30 minutes apart with each dose.

 

[Tweaked]

I use the red sea regular and got good results back on my triton test. It always reads alk between 7.9 and 8.3 with each bucket/bag. The pro salt is off the chart with alk. Look at the numbers at standard 35.0 ppt.

 

[Spslvr]

I use black bucket, I found the best way to ensure no precipitation is to mix it and use it within half an hour..

 

[BryanS4]

Do you know how much your tank consumes each day? If I had to guess you over over dosing for sure. Without knowing how much your tank loses each day though it's only a guess. Below is what my tank goes through.

1. 140 gal approx total and back wall covered in coralline
2. Brs 2 part
3. 40ml of each
4. Mixed reef, but sps heavy. Approx 25 sps acros, a lot of frags, but some larger pieces as well. 15 or so acans, 5 hammers/torches, 15-20 different type of zoas. Everything has great color and I get great growth.
5. Regular IO

I keep my alk around 8.5 and my calc at 410-420

 

[Tweaked]

Correct. What is your consumption. The idea is to match at least the big three at a water change. Salinity, Temp, and Alk IMO. If you have high no3 and po4 I recommend a lower Alk. No room for error with the coral pro honestly. That Alk level is ridiculous.

 

[Tweaked]

Correction. High nutrients and high Alk are more forgivable than low nutrients high Alk. Sorry about that. Brain fart

 

[bobssecrtsn]

Thanks everyone for your input and knowledge!

What i need now is a game plan, What I should do in steps, but keep in mind it will have to be slowly changing things around,

My parameters are as followed, my tank consumes about 2dkh a day, I'm not sure about CA.
dkH is 7.2
CA 430
and MG 1460

I Do think I should run a different salt, Or use muratic acid to lower the Alk acouple of degree's.

So please let me have a game plan and what should i do in steps,

 

[bobssecrtsn]

So i tested my water, Bought new test kits Saliferts this time, with expiration dates of 2018-2020

dkh 8.3
CA 450
Mg 1425

My reef foundation was so off with alk!

 

[4age]

im using the RSCP salt and using muriatic acid to drop the kh down to 7.7-8 before water change..no issues with doing that for last few months

 

[nemodan]

im using the RSCP salt and using muriatic acid to drop the kh down to 7.7-8 before water change..no issues with doing that for last few months

Why not using another salt ?

I use Reef Crystals. I keep my Alk between 6.5-7 dkh. When I prepare the RC salt for a water change I dissolve it 1-2 days in advance in my brute container. With my tanks I use ~ 30 G per week. It is only temp equilibrated. I never care of equilibrating any other parameter in the new water. After I change ~ 20 G in my total volume of 70 G (real, not tank volume), nothing change. My Alk is stil ~ 7 dkh. I do weekly WC.

Just my experience.

To the OP. Now you need to know where you rnutrients are in your tank to adjust your Alk levels. In my case !!! with my fuge and all the Seachem Matrix I have, my kits measure 0-0.02 ppm Phosphate and 0 ppm Nitrates. Because of that I keep my Alk at low levels. I do not add anything to my tank beside Alk/ca.

Cheers.

 

[Jay_R]

What's the logic behind keeping your Alk low - to allow the Calc to increase?

I have a 55g DT with a 15G sump. My tank uses circa 15 - 20ppm Calc a week.

I dose a weekly scoop of Red Sea Foundation ABC+ straight into my sump ( Should probably split to bi weekly ).

I try and maintain 450 Calc & 9 Alk.

 

[Tweaked]

For many, when keeping your nutrients low to keep better colors, higher alk will burn the tips, etc. keeping alk more towards natural sea water levels, makes for a stress free environment. I personally shoot for 8.2 which is what my water changes run. Again, a stress free environment when changing water. Btw, I saw params drift when dosing the ABC+. I reccomend testing once a week and manually adjusting.

 

[Jay_R]

For many, when keeping your nutrients low to keep better colors, higher alk will burn the tips, etc. keeping alk more towards natural sea water levels, makes for a stress free environment. I personally shoot for 8.2 which is what my water changes run. Again, a stress free environment when changing water. Btw, I saw params drift when dosing the ABC+. I reccomend testing once a week and manually adjusting.

Ah OK, I've read that somewhere else also. How can you tell the difference between burnt tips and growth tips on SPS.. Is there a clear difference?

I test weekly at present, prior to the water change (To see what's been used) and right after the WC and Dose is added.

 

[Tweaked]

Yep, deep saturated fleshy color is what I look for. Experience will play a part in knowing your corals. I shoot for slow growth and colors over fast growth personally, so I have colored tips, not white.

 

[nemodan]

BURNED TIP


SAME CORAL. OK AFTER I SOLVED MY NUTRIENTS PROBLEM. SEE DIFFERENCES IN TIPS.