Math Check - Switching 2 Part

[Brandon0921]

Hey all - Just looking for someone to confirm my math prior to switching two part from Aquavitro (Eight.Four/Calcification) to ESV (B-IONIC Calcium Buffer System).

Neither manufacturer responded to my questions and I am getting discrepancies between reef calculators, so why not ask the community???

Tank is 36g, lets call is 30g for the sake of simplicity and to accommodate for sand and rock. SPS dominant, no sump, lots and lots of stony coral. WC 5g per week with Salinity salt mix.

Alkalinity:
Each 5 mL of eight.fourâ„¢ added to 80 L (20 US gallons) (standard dose) will raise alkalinity by 0.25meq/L (or 0.7 dKH)

I am currently dosing 9ml of Eight.Four a day to 30g which I calculate to be .84 dKH.
Using the Alk calculator on MarineDepot's web page, if I set dKH to 10 and desired to 10.84 (not my actual desired, just using for easy measurement), I get 11.25 ml or 0.38 fl oz or 2.25 tsp as my new dose, but if I use reef.diystst with the same variables I get 12.1 ml; 0.4 fl oz; 2.4 tsp - confused.

Calcium:
Each 5 mL/70 L (18 US gallons) of Calcification will raise calcium by about 10 mg/L

I am currently dosing 5ml of Calcification a day to 30g which I rounded out to be 5 mg/L or ppm a day (less concerned about being exact with calc as I am with alk).
Using the Calc calculator on MarineDepot, if I set Ca to 400 and desired to 405, I get 9.3 ml; 0.3 fl oz; 1.8 tsp as my new dose, same with the reef.diesyst calculator - not balanced

Questions:
Do these numbers look correct? Any reason why I am not dosing an equal part of each supplement? Do I need to accommodate for the pH buffer in Eight.Four when switching to ESV?

Thank you everyone in advance. Trying my best to switch products with out losing any livestock.

 

[reefteaser]

Try this:

http://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chemcalc.html

 

[Brandon0921]

Try this:

http://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chemcalc.html

I did. See above...Numbers are a little more complicated to get given what is provided by Aquavitro.

 

[Uncle99]

Forget PH
Dose, then test, dose then test, and you will likely see a pattern.
Keep track of especially Alk by testing daily, even moderate swings make corals unhappy.

I believe the uptake from corals of ALK and CA should be similar, but dosing can be different, depending on the concentration you made, or, was supplied pre made.

Make sure MG is on point. It's much safer to dose and test than to assume the manufacture got it right in every bottle..

I sure you have your targets, likely approx 160 ppm Alk and 420 pm CA and 1260-1350 mag.

 

[Brandon0921]

Forget PH
Dose, then test, dose then test, and you will likely see a pattern.
Keep track of especially Alk by testing daily, even moderate swings make corals unhappy.

I believe the uptake from corals of ALK and CA should be similar, but dosing can be different, depending on the concentration you made, or, was supplied pre made.

Make sure MG is on point. It's much safer to dose and test than to assume the manufacture got it right in every bottle..

I sure you have your targets, likely approx 160 ppm Alk and 420 pm CA and 1260-1350 mag.

I do realize I will be testing daily during the transition. Just wanted to see if someone can confirm that math as I have things pretty locked in now. My concern isn't with a pH level in particular, its any sort of drop in pH due to switching products that may lead to RTN. Again, not really a concern, but something to note. Just trying to do my best due diligence prior to changing. I'm very susceptible to alk swings in such a small volume of water. If my math is correct, I will need very little adjusting once i switch products.

 

[Uncle99]

Agreed, Alk swings can be more of an issue with small water.
I have found manufactures dosing recommendations sometimes accurate, sometimes not.
I go on the low side of what they say and let my water talk for me.
While we could verify the math, if the original numbers are not accurate, so would be the extension.

I think your taking the right precautions!

 

[Brandon0921]

Agreed, Alk swings can be more of an issue with small water.
I have found manufactures dosing recommendations sometimes accurate, sometimes not.
I go on the low side of what they say and let my water talk for me.
While we could verify the math, if the original numbers are not accurate, so would be the extension.

I think your taking the right precautions!

That's a very good point! I hadn't even considered the inaccuracies. Maybe I should fill two 5g buckets with RODI, add the amount of solution I'm currently dosing to one, test, then do the same with the new solution on the second bucket.

 

[Uncle99]

That's a very good point! I hadn't even considered the inaccuracies. Maybe I should fill two 5g buckets with RODI, add the amount of solution I'm currently dosing to one, test, then do the same with the new solution on the second bucket.

Great idea, trust no one with your pets!

Watch your salt as well.........roll the bag or box or bucket several times, keeps the mix, properly mixed....

 

[bertoni]

I suspect that both calculators are close enough for our purposes, but I'm not sure which one would have the edge in precision. The formula might have changed recently. If so, I'd probably trust the Marine Depot calculator, since it likely is getting more maintenance.

As far as the balance question, our test kits are only so accurate, and water changes will muddy the water, so I wouldn't worry about the small difference that you see. I'd just dose equal parts, at least at the start. Water changes might make calcium dosing irrelevant, if the consumption is quite low, for example.

 

[Brandon0921]

I suspect that both calculators are close enough for our purposes, but I'm not sure which one would have the edge in precision. The formula might have changed recently. If so, I'd probably trust the Marine Depot calculator, since it likely is getting more maintenance.

As far as the balance question, our test kits are only so accurate, and water changes will muddy the water, so I wouldn't worry about the small difference that you see. I'd just dose equal parts, at least at the start. Water changes might make calcium dosing irrelevant, if the consumption is quite low, for example.

Thank you all for your replies!

 

[bertoni]

You're welcome. Good luck!