Ideas needed for keeping plating Monti

[yetti]

Unfortunately it's just "high"....I need to get a kit for the value, but's weird is my frag tank, 10g always has the Alk at "normal". So that rules out the type of tests.

BTW....I'm not dosing with anything..

 

[finneganswake]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6567400#post6567400 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by yetti
BTW....I'm not dosing with anything..

This could easily be the problem. I know people who've managed to keep softies without dosing anything (although they had to do large water changes very often to do so), but I've never known anyone who was able to keep stonies for a long period of time without some form of dosing calcium and alkalinity, whether it's a calcium reactor or liquid/powder additives. These corals just take too much out of the water for you to be able to go without dosing.

 

[yetti]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6567546#post6567546 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by finneganswake
This could easily be the problem. I know people who've managed to keep softies without dosing anything (although they had to do large water changes very often to do so), but I've never known anyone who was able to keep stonies for a long period of time without some form of dosing calcium and alkalinity, whether it's a calcium reactor or liquid/powder additives. These corals just take too much out of the water for you to be able to go without dosing.

But if my Alk is always high and my calcium is on the upper range, why would I dose? I was told that I didn't need to unless these numbers were changing.

 

[finneganswake]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6568276#post6568276 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by yetti
But if my Alk is always high and my calcium is on the upper range, why would I dose? I was told that I didn't need to unless these numbers were changing.

Because, frankly, I don't trust a test kit that only says "high" or "normal." The odds that these values are actually staying as stable as you need them to be--my alkalinity doesn't vary by more than .2 from week to week, and I can usually keep it spot on--is pretty unlikely without some kind of supplementation, as this would imply that your stonies are taking nothing out of the system.

 

[twon8]

i agree, if you have sps and clams in the tank, they will deplete your calcium and alkalinity fast. I think randy holmes farley says you would need to change 30-50% of the water daily to keep up with the alk and ca demand in a reef tank.

 

[Tammy3770]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6583134#post6583134 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by finneganswake
Because, frankly, I don't trust a test kit that only says "high" or "normal." The odds that these values are actually staying as stable as you need them to be--my alkalinity doesn't vary by more than .2 from week to week, and I can usually keep it spot on--is pretty unlikely without some kind of supplementation, as this would imply that your stonies are taking nothing out of the system.

when talking about calcium and coral growth you must take in consideration alkalinity and magnesium too,
the 3 work together if one is off then your corals cannot use the other two.

 

[finneganswake]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6583265#post6583265 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tammy3770
when talking about calcium and coral growth you must take in consideration alkalinity and magnesium too,
the 3 work together if one is off then your corals cannot use the other two.

It's not really that they can't use the others, just that it's not as efficient. That being said, I'm always pimping magnesium testing and supplementation as it's the one variable that is almost always low when people break down and test it. I'm still amazed that a magnesium test kit isn't considered just as necessary as calcium and alkalinity.

 

[Tammy3770]

plus if your mg is low you will get the teeter-totter effect with your CA and ALK try to raise one the other will fall.
I'm shocked too about the negligence of MG.
Why waist your time fighting your ca and alk levels if you have no idea about MG?