How much to dose please helppp

[kingdomrush]

My alk during the day is 8.6dkh at nite it's about 10 via Salifert test kit. So do i drip baking soda in the day to get it to 10 and stop dripping at night? I read a bunch of articles about alk and cal but it make it even more confusing. Please help someone

 

[ek9vboi]

8.6 is acceptable but you got me confused when you said at night it's at 10. Once alk is consumed then it can't go up unless your dosing it.

 

[kingdomrush]

idk i get two set of different alk numbers one in the AM and a different value at night. Alk swing perhaps?

 

[kingdomrush]

I was drippping baking soda a few days ago but stopped since. I still dont know whhy my number changes

 

[cichlid9]

If you test in the am and its 8.6, then drip during the day and test 10 at night your tank is just consuming the alk overnight when your not dripping. Do you test or dose calcium also? I believe your suppose to raise your alk to your desired level then retest 24hours later. Then you know how much your tank consumes in 24hours. Then figure out how much baking soda to drip to replenish the alk your tank uses in a day. Im not familiar with using baking soda, I have been using brs 2part and I dose by hand twice a day.

 

[kingdomrush]

If you test in the am and its 8.6, then drip during the day and test 10 at night your tank is just consuming the alk overnight when your not dripping. Do you test or dose calcium also? I believe your suppose to raise your alk to your desired level then retest 24hours later. Then you know how much your tank consumes in 24hours. Then figure out how much baking soda to drip to replenish the alk your tank uses in a day. Im not familiar with using baking soda, I have been using brs 2part and I dose by hand twice a day.

If i hear you correctly, I should just drip in the morning and stop at night?

 

[cichlid9]

If i hear you correctly, I should just drip in the morning and stop at night?

I don't believe the time you drip really matters, just as long as you know how much your tank needs to maintain whatever kh you desire. Ideally you probably want to slow the drip down so that you could add your dose evenly throughout the whole period of a day. I'm still new to dosing so maybe wait for some of the ol'timers to chime in.

 

[kingdomrush]

Thanks...Ole timers where are you guys :wavehand:

 

[myaerica]

Dosing pumps are the easiest.You find out what your tank demand's are and dose 24/7 in equal parts. My tank takes 7 ML an hour to keep up with demands.Its trial and error to get things dialed in. If alk is rising to much dial it back a lill and vice versa.

 

[lolgranny]

Is your test kit out of date?
Are you sure you are using it correctly?

If your not dosing there is no way your alk is higher at night then in the daytime. As your corals grow they will consume Alk / Ca thats why we need to replenish it in the system.
8.6dkh is a good level if you were to ask me. I keep mine right there if not closer to 9dkh.

Im adding 30ml of Alk and 13ml of Ca a day 24/7 ontop of using kalkwasser. You need to figure out what your tank is consuming and figure it from there, everyones tank is different.
I would test at the same time every day for a week or 2 to see what your tank is consuming.

Here is a calculator to help you figure out what you need to add to boost it up.
http://reef.diesyst.com/flashcalc/flashcalc.html

When your dosing alk if you can break it up over the course of a day you wont have to worry about a large swing which can be harmful to your sps. Just to keep that in mind.

 

[dixiedog]

My alk during the day is 8.6dkh at nite it's about 10 via Salifert test kit. So do i drip baking soda in the day to get it to 10 and stop dripping at night? I read a bunch of articles about alk and cal but it make it even more confusing. Please help someone

You don't need to dose at all IMO; those numbers are fine.

Normally (or perhaps I should say 'often') Alk reads lower at night, so that's a little odd - but nevertheless, neither of those numbers is too low (or too high).

I'd leave it alone.

 

[kingdomrush]

If your not dosing there is no way your alk is higher at night then in the daytime.
.

This is why i'm stumped. Is this what people mean when they say alk swing?


Yes I'm using it correctly. Sometiimes I even test my water 3-4 times just to make sure. I picked up the Salifert kit 6 days ago and it has an expiration of 2014.

 

[Dog boy Dave]

if it reads the same thing at the same time every day then its steady. Keep dosing the same amount. If it increases when measured a the same time every day decrease your dose. The amount you need to add over 24 hours to maintain stability should be added as slow as you can stand. Twice a day is almost always ok. Once a day is usually ok. Doser is ideal.

 

[kingdomrush]

if it reads the same thing at the same time every day then its steady.

I hope you're right. I usually test my water at 11 am and 8pm religiously. The level stay pretty much the same at the said time. For example it tested at or around 8.6 everyday in the AM but jump to about 10 at night. I'm just curious why does it register two different values everyday?