sorry for double post.
Instructions say you should dose exact amount of components 123 and give time for system to adjust.
If you find that original ratio doesn't work for you you can adjust it with Ca, kH,Mg buffers which you can buy in powder and add to the mix.
Your line of thought is pretty close
(Read below)
Alright, It takes awhile for your ions to equal out to make 3 even daily doses per component + parts.
Simplest way to to look at three Component +'s
Component 1+ = Cal & Mag.
Component 2+ = Alk
Component 3+ = Continual coral trace elements that are in salt mix.
The
key is to lock in the dose of Comp-2 to the alk you want first.
Use that dosage for Comp-1+ and 3+ and don't change their dosage unless you have to up or lower Comp-2+ dose.
Most likely your Cal and maybe Mag will drop lower than you desire. (Your Ions have not balanced out yet)
Do not use Comp-1+ to bring up those parameters!
It has other stuff in it and you'll never balance out to 3 equal daily doses per day, per part. You will be just chasing.
So, Here's what to do. As long as Comp-2+ is still got your alk locked in.
Bring up your Cal and or Mag with
"pure" chemical forms.
I used SeaChem "Reef Advantage" Cal powder and Mag crystals to keep those two parameters in check until my ions balanced out.
You could use AF
pure Cal and Mag to do the same thing. I just had some "Reef Advantage" buckets in my garage.
After two weeks my ions balanced out and was at 3 equal daily doses per all three components + parts and put "Reef Advange" back in the garage.
Always kept dose the same for Comp-3+ to Comp-2+ and never changed that dose from Comp-2+. Again, Comp-3+ is trace elements.
If your Cal is rising too high during this adjustment period.I have nothing for you and never encountered that scenario.
I happened to be one of the first group of reefers in the US to use the AF Reef Salt (Not the Probiotic). So Deep Water was taking time to see if I was happy with the "Reef Salt". They were going into testing out the Probiotic salt in their systems.
When Comp-1+ 2+ 3+ first hit the US, Deep Water Aquatics took time to teach me this method for locking in all 3 parts equally and they were new to it too and were correct on how to do it.
Hope this helps and is typed in a understandable format.
Regards, GoVols