I need Help with Ca,KH,Mg

[@rmyvet]

Hello all,
Ok I'm used to dealing with ph, ammonia and so on. But I'm lost when it comes to Ca,KH,Mg. Today I measure just like it says on the Red Sea test kit. Now it took me a bit to figure out how much I used as per card since I saw what was left I was going with that reading. I figure it out and now I go with how much I used and i look across the card to see what my current levels are. Then I go to bulkreefsupply to use their calculator ok. So this is my question. I will display the results I got.

1) when I look on the card I see what I used and my results and its over the required range and I haven't even added anything because it's over and the calculator won't let me. So what do i do when it's over like this and you can't add anything. Do I just leave it alone because it will deplete over time?

I have a few fish and some coral. The coral I went with are the ones that were considered easy to work with and the fish I made sure they were reef safe. They seem fine but I don't want to relay on that and overnite they crash.

Results:

Magnesium - 0.80 used Result - 1600 ppm
Alkalinity - 0.78 used Result - 10.9 dkh
Calcium - 1.07 used Result - 535 ppm

Ammonia - 0ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
Nitrate - 0ppm
PH - 8.0
Salinity - 1.026
Temperature - 80.0 degrees

My tank 90 gallons sump 38gallons with the minus of rocks, sand, skimmer and equipment I estimated 90 gallons of water total that was for the calculator.

So I did a water change this evening 15gallons and i still get the same reading. So you see i have the Additives mixed in jugs but i cant use them because the range is high.

So I need anyone that has the experience on this, does this happen is this commen?

I haven't added anything of mag,alka,and cal in this tank. Only because I have coral now I wanted to make sure they have the correct amount for them.

Thank you for your help in advance and I really need to see what I can do to fix this problem if it is a problem.

Thanks @rmyvet

 

[Phixman]

What salt brand are you using? Your levels seem a little elevated,

I run mine as follows:
1450 Mag-currently 1500ish
9.3 alk
430 Calcium

I use salifer test kits and recommend them because I don't like dealing with color comparison.

Prior to dosing anything I tested everyday for a few days to see what my consumption was, in my case it was .3 dkh Alk consumption a day. Generally .3 dkh Alk = 2ppm Calcium consumption. It's hard to see Calcium consumption that low due to error margin etc. So in general , this is why people dose both Calcium and Alk in the same amounts meaning I dose 3.2ml of both a day. To figure out how much to dose, I used the BRS calculator and excluded rock, sand, etc from the total water volume. For Magnesium, I dose manually because it doesn't deplete fast enough, the only time I dose it is after a water change since the Magnesium on my water change water is lower than what I run.





This is prior to dosing until the 27th when I started dosing and my levels stopped dropping.

This is the time lapse since I started to dose, and test, stability is key.

This is my dosing schedule, I dose both Alk and Calc at different times of day to prevent precipitation

Also, don't chase ph, it 's constantly changing, ignore my salinity, my probe is crazy.

 

[homer1475]

Im only guessing here, but I would say your using reef crystals?

Those look like numbers from a fresh batch of RC. If your tests say you don't need to dose, then don't it's that simple.

Your levels are slightly elevated but nothing to cause concern. Just let them drop naturally. Might want to check your fresh mixed up SW also to see what your putting into the tank.

 

[mcgyvr]

I'm just copying my response to your duplicated post here and requesting that the mods delete the duplicate..

Used over what time period? 1 day? 1 week? 1 month?
What salt mix are you using?

Figuring out consumption should be VERY easy.. Measure today.. Measure in 1 week.. Subtract last from first and divide by 7..

Of course you should also..
Measure today right after a water change.. Then measure in 1 week.. and do the math.. Then do another water change and wait an hour or so and measure again..
And do the math again. If water changes are replenishing whats been consumed you don't need to dose..

 

[@rmyvet]

Im only guessing here, but I would say your using reef crystals?

Those look like numbers from a fresh batch of RC. If your tests say you don't need to dose, then don't it's that simple.

Your levels are slightly elevated but nothing to cause concern. Just let them drop naturally. Might want to check your fresh mixed up SW also to see what your putting into the tank.

Hey homer1475,
Yes you hit it on the dot. I am using Reef Crystals its just that i read and read that it had stuff in it thats good for when you keep coral. So should I keep with It or change to just the regular salt?

Now I do WC on a weekly basics like 15 gallons I don't say percent because I suck on figuring out percent 10 or 20 percent can be different for me so I just put in what I take out in 5 gallon buckets. So am I refreshing the SW to much to soon or is a weekly thing ok.

Thanks for your reply. @rmyvet

 

[@rmyvet]

I'm just copying my response to your duplicated post here and requesting that the mods delete the duplicate..

Used over what time period? 1 day? 1 week? 1 month?
What salt mix are you using?

Figuring out consumption should be VERY easy.. Measure today.. Measure in 1 week.. Subtract last from first and divide by 7..

Of course you should also..
Measure today right after a water change.. Then measure in 1 week.. and do the math.. Then do another water change and wait an hour or so and measure again..
And do the math again. If water changes are replenishing whats been consumed you don't need to dose..

Hey mcgyvr,
Good to hear from you again. I'm using the Reef Crystal salt. I just started checking for mag,cal,and alka since i now have coral i wanted to make sure they had there required nutrients so I started to test. I just got the test kit Monday May the 1st so this is my 1st check I even check it twice to be sure I did it right. Im using the Red Sea test kit. I was wondering about how is it that everybody doses and I didn't know you check 1 week and test again next week.

Am I doing too many WC's weekly? I want to keep everything happy I don't know if I'm just over doing things. So I'll do the weekly test and then see if I need to add or not nutrients. I just always thought the coral needs all that stuff and the salt wasn't enough to keep up with there needs. Thanks again for your advice. @rmyvet

 

[@rmyvet]

What salt brand are you using? Your levels seem a little elevated,

I run mine as follows:
1450 Mag-currently 1500ish
9.3 alk
430 Calcium

I use salifer test kits and recommend them because I don't like dealing with color comparison.

Prior to dosing anything I tested everyday for a few days to see what my consumption was, in my case it was .3 dkh Alk consumption a day. Generally .3 dkh Alk = 2ppm Calcium consumption. It's hard to see Calcium consumption that low due to error margin etc. So in general , this is why people dose both Calcium and Alk in the same amounts meaning I dose 3.2ml of both a day. To figure out how much to dose, I used the BRS calculator and excluded rock, sand, etc from the total water volume. For Magnesium, I dose manually because it doesn't deplete fast enough, the only time I dose it is after a water change since the Magnesium on my water change water is lower than what I run.





This is prior to dosing until the 27th when I started dosing and my levels stopped dropping.

This is the time lapse since I started to dose, and test, stability is key.

This is my dosing schedule, I dose both Alk and Calc at different times of day to prevent precipitation

Also, don't chase ph, it 's constantly changing, ignore my salinity, my probe is crazy.

Phixman,
Thanks for your comment. I'm using Reef Crystal and my test kit is Red Sea. I just stated testing yesterday and since I saw the levels a little high I freaked and I didn't know what to do. I know like when you dose you could go over or a little high but that's when you been dosing for awhile and adjust. But since I just stated yesterday it read hi and I didn't even start to dose anything. So that's why I reached out I just didn't know what to do now. I like the way the chart shows you everything and how the levels are. So if I keep up with WC's and test and levels are always like that or maybe a little lower would that mean I could possibly don't need to dose. Is this even possible? Thanks for your comment. @rmyvet

 

[sde1500]

The readings are high because that salt mix mixes up high, and if you are new to corals nothing has been growing that would deplete them. Do nothing, just add corals as you do, and do the water changes you've been doing, and testing weekly or so. It could be years before you need to dose.

 

[mcgyvr]

Hey mcgyvr,
Good to hear from you again. I'm using the Reef Crystal salt. I just started checking for mag,cal,and alka since i now have coral i wanted to make sure they had there required nutrients so I started to test. I just got the test kit Monday May the 1st so this is my 1st check I even check it twice to be sure I did it right. Im using the Red Sea test kit. I was wondering about how is it that everybody doses and I didn't know you check 1 week and test again next week.

Am I doing too many WC's weekly? I want to keep everything happy I don't know if I'm just over doing things. So I'll do the weekly test and then see if I need to add or not nutrients. I just always thought the coral needs all that stuff and the salt wasn't enough to keep up with there needs. Thanks again for your advice. @rmyvet

The whole point of dosing is to keeping parameters stable when water changes are no longer doing that.. Not because you stopped doing water changes or anything but because the corals are consuming more than your water changes are replenishing given your current water change amount/frequency..
When that happens you have 2 choices..
You can either increase the amount or frequency of your water changes or start dosing..

To start dosing you need to find your daily consumption rate first..

Thats typically done by measuring a week apart or so and doing the math..
Then you can use the calculators to determine how much do dose based on the product you are using..

In general its best to start out doing water changes of what equates to about 20% of the water volume every 2 weeks (10% ever week or whatever) and see how that goes for you over the course of say 6 months or as and adjust as needed..

As stated RC salt is quite high and I'd bet its a long time before you need to worry about dosing..

 

[@rmyvet]

The whole point of dosing is to keeping parameters stable when water changes are no longer doing that.. Not because you stopped doing water changes or anything but because the corals are consuming more than your water changes are replenishing given your current water change amount/frequency..
When that happens you have 2 choices..
You can either increase the amount or frequency of your water changes or start dosing..

To start dosing you need to find your daily consumption rate first..

Thats typically done by measuring a week apart or so and doing the math..
Then you can use the calculators to determine how much do dose based on the product you are using..

In general its best to start out doing water changes of what equates to about 20% of the water volume every 2 weeks (10% ever week or whatever) and see how that goes for you over the course of say 6 months or as and adjust as needed..


As stated RC salt is quite high and I'd bet its a long time before you need to worry about dosing..

Thanks again mcgyvr. I will do that. I just always thought it was a must right away. But now I can breathe and just take it easy. I invest so much money on fish and coral I hated to see them decline because I wasn't doing things correctly. But now i see i was getting ahead of myself. Thanks again @rmyvet.

 

[homer1475]

The idea for dosing is to maintain parameters when WC's no longer can keep up with what your corals are consuming.

You are definitely getting ahead of yourself.

 

[@rmyvet]

The readings are high because that salt mix mixes up high, and if you are new to corals nothing has been growing that would deplete them. Do nothing, just add corals as you do, and do the water changes you've been doing, and testing weekly or so. It could be years before you need to dose.

Sde1500,
Thanks for your advice. I'm a little more clam now makes since if no one is using the nutrients they won't get deplete. I just thought I get corals you have to get nutrients and dosing machine. I do so much reading and I see videos I just never came across when your starting off and when you get these perimeters with coral that it wasn't really necessary to dose just yet or may never need too. Back to my reading. Thanks for your comment I feel better now and just let time tell. Thanks @rmyvet.

 

[@rmyvet]

The idea for dosing is to maintain parameters when WC's no longer can keep up with what your corals are consuming.

You are definitely getting ahead of yourself.

Hey homer1475,
Yes I think I get it now. Yes I was getting ahead of myself. I have keep discus for 30 years and never had problems at all. Now it's just that between the Salt,Ro,testing check this check that man I was getting stressed. But with all the comments that everyone has given believe me I use them and they help. I have no one here next to me that I can ask and when you ask the LPS man they just want to sell you more and more and then they really confuse me. So that's why I like asking the fellow reefers because you all have the experience and been through it. So I will check parameters WC'S AND when I see that WC'S are not keeping up with the corals needs then I will and I should start to see change in my testing. Thank you again for your comment. @rmyvet

 

[sde1500]

I'm two years into keeping corals in my current tank and just now hitting a point I may have to dose. Even then, its likely because my lazy self doesn't keep up on water changes. Setting up a system this weekend to auto change about 1 gallon of water daily, likely will not need to dose for some time again after that. I use RC salt as well so it helps.

 

[homer1475]

Hey homer1475,
Yes I think I get it now. Yes I was getting ahead of myself. I have keep discus for 30 years and never had problems at all. Now it's just that between the Salt,Ro,testing check this check that man I was getting stressed. But with all the comments that everyone has given believe me I use them and they help. I have no one here next to me that I can ask and when you ask the LPS man they just want to sell you more and more and then they really confuse me. So that's why I like asking the fellow reefers because you all have the experience and been through it. So I will check parameters WC'S AND when I see that WC'S are not keeping up with the corals needs then I will and I should start to see change in my testing. Thank you again for your comment. @rmyvet

You can always come to RC for knowledgeable info. Your LFS while there are a few good ones are in business to sell you things. Not saying they intentionally give bad info(some do), but they are trying to sell you something.

We at RC have no vested interest in your tank, therefore 99% of the info gained from here is true(assuming you follow people that have some knowledge) and is not intended to see things die just so we can sell you more things.

 

[Phixman]

You could always message me if you need any help. To be honest, I'm surprised you tested so high with reef crystals. I have some myself and kept getting readings from a fresh batch @ 1.025:

430 ppm- Calc
10.9 dkh- Alk
1095 ppm- Mag

This is what I got from Red Sea Pro

MAG- 1275
CALC -445
alk-11.35

If your levels are actually that elevated, I would just let them drop by themselves, as others suggested. I recommend you test a fresh batch, make sure you shake the bag if salt or the barrel and check the salinity at which you test, are you using a refractometer? Can you post your results here once you do?

 

[mcgyvr]

[MENTION=333331]homer1475[/MENTION] ^^^ see what I'm talking about with inconsistent RC measurements.. There is no way RC should be mixing up to what Phixman is stating..

RC should be in the 490ppm cal, 13 dkh, 1440ppm mag range..

 

[homer1475]

@McGyver I wonder if it's from people not mixing up the bucket/bags and stuff is settling?

Also what is stated on the bucket(just happen tobe looking at one) is @ 1.026. 455 cal and 1345 mag, no alk stated but I know it's usually in the 13DKH range. The bucket parameters only state 1.021, 1.023, and 1.026. They list nothing for 1.025, but I would think phixman's readings should be pretty close. Although MAG is quite low even for 1.021 according to the bucket. Even a little low for regular IO @ 1.026

 

[mcgyvr]

@McGyver I wonder if it's from people not mixing up the bucket/bags and stuff is settling?

Also what is stated on the bucket(just happen tobe looking at one) is @ 1.026. 455 cal and 1345 mag, no alk stated but I know it's usually in the 13DKH range. The bucket parameters only state 1.021, 1.023, and 1.026. They list nothing for 1.025, but I would think phixman's readings should be pretty close. Although MAG is quite low even for 1.021 according to the bucket. Even a little low for regular IO @ 1.026

Not sure if its from settling or not.. Not sure thats a real issue... I suppose thats possible..
I pulled those numbers from another website so thanks for pulling the bucket numbers..
You can see though that even given hobby kit accuracy those numbers don't jive.. Plenty more posts like that some even showing alk below 9,.etc....

 

[homer1475]

Different lots perhaps?

Not sure on the settling thing either. I have seen in mentioned a few times by our local chemist.

I bought a pallet of 200G boxes of IO, so every box has been very consistent for me(obviously all the same lot numbers).

I'm almost out, so I'll have to buy a few boxes from different places and test them myself.