New to dosing. I have questions.

[Aww7979]

Hello everyone. I have half of my answers. My Hanna ALK tester is not accurate. I tested my water with a third party and my Red Sea kit is the accurate test.

Also, the supplement I was sold to dose Alk turns out to be kalkwasser. That would explain why it would not completely dissolve. I now have the correct supplement and I'm going to dose accordingly.

So tonight's tests are as follows.

RedSea Alk 6.4
RedSea CA 400
RedSea MG 1200


My target is an ALK of 10. Brs calculator says to dose 8.6 fluid oz. I am going to dose 4 fl oz in one gallon of RODI. I am going to dose it over night. Tomorrow I will test and report. My plan is to dose all 8 oz over two nights, then on the third night dose calcium.

 

[natas]

If you keep sps coral you need to stretch that's over a few weeks. 6.4dkh to 10 is a big change for sps. I do not keep lps so I am not sure how they would react. However small changes are better than large when it comes to reef tanks.

Also 10dkh is pretty high. If you are running uln style tank be extra cautious

And yes 1-2dkh consumption a day is pretty normal depending on your bioload. I combat this by dosing over time a small amount per hour.

 

[Dapg8gt]

I still don't understand why you are mixing it with water? That's not the correct way to do it. Use the both supplements full strength not mixed In water dosed over the course of a day.

Dosing cal and alk days apart is going to get you no where You need to dose cal/alk the same day at different times at least a half hour apart. If you wait days to dose one supplement that's going to deplete them both at uneven levels. You want to supplement what's getting consumed equally daily no exceptions unless you overshot your target. That's the whole point of dosing cal/alk. I really think you should do some more research on the topic at hand and learn the basics. I'll see if I can find thread that explains it.

Take the advice above and raise your level slowly not 4 dkh in 2 - 3 days. Also the info about having alk @ 10 with low nitrates and phosphates could lead to issues and coral death or overall health.

It's going to be a never ending battle with your method. Your incorporating kalk(mixed in water) into dosing 2 part.. Only time your mixing water with your supplements is to make the full strength solution that's on the bottle from brs or what randy's recipie States. If your using a pre made solution you dose that full strength not diluted.

Break your doses up daily. Shoot for a half dkh or less raise a day in the calculator plus your consumption and break that into a few doses @ full strength. Same with calcium break it into a few doses a day or one shot for consumption at least a half hour after the dose of alk both into a high flow area.

There's hundreds of threads and videos on YouTube showing how to do it. It needs to be balanced evenly/daily between both supplements not days apart. I'm quite positive your plan will not yield the results you need as its not common practice and it's against the main reason to dose, stability..

I'd recommend getting some dosing pumps so it's automated and you can comfortably spread them out evenly for even greater stability. Or at least dose the standard way. If you want to drip something overnight that's kalk not 2 part.

Good luck and read, read, read.. Anything by sk8tr in the new to the hobby forum is pretty easy to follow along and grasp.. If I way misinterpreted your strategy I apologize but honestly I think your going about it wrong.

 

[Aww7979]

I still don't understand why you are mixing it with water? That's not the correct way to do it. Use the both supplements full strength not mixed In water dosed over the course of a day.

Dosing cal and alk days apart is going to get you no where You need to dose cal/alk the same day at different times at least a half hour apart. If you want days to dose one supplement that's going to deplete at uneven levels. You want to supplement what's getting consumed equally. That's the whole point of dosing cal/alk. I really think you should do some more research on the topic at hand and learn the basics. I'll see if I can find thread that explains it.

It's going to be a never ending battle with your method. Your incorporating kalk(mixed in water) into dosing 2 part..

Break your doses up daily. Shoot for a half dkh or less raise a day in the calculator plus your consumption and break that into a few doses @ full strength. Same with calcium break it into a few doses a day or one shot for consumption at least a half hour after the dose of alk both into a high flow area.

There's hundreds of threads and videos on YouTube showing how to do it. It needs to be balanced evenly/daily between both supplements not days apart. I'm quite positive your plan will not yield the results you need as its not common practice and it's against the main reason to dose, stability..

I'd recommend getting some dosing pumps so it's automated and you can comfortably spread them out evenly for even greater stability.

I am putting my dosage into water and dripping it over night because I currently do not have a reliable way to dose 1/4 cup of alk solution over an 8 hour period. Plus this is still new to me so I'm trying to dilute my adjustments. I realize that the balance and consistency is of the most importance but until I understand what I do and it's outcome I will never truly understand it.

As far as using kalk, I was told it was brs soda ash and did not know it was really kalk. It was not my intention to use kalk in the way I was. That was part of my problem. I would like to have a better understanding of my chemistry but with tests I could not trust, I was driving blind. I think I have that problem solved.

I have been reading and watching videos about dosing for a year and there are so many recipes, techniques, opinions, and secrets that it's hard to understand how to implement it to my own system. So in my favorite way to understand something, I'm applying cause and effect.

I really do appreciate your advice and I'm trying to find a balance. I will invest in dosing pumps someday but I cannot right now.

 

[Reefvet]

I am putting my dosage into water and dripping it over night because I currently do not have a reliable way to dose 1/4 cup of alk solution over an 8 hour period. Plus this is still new to me so I'm trying to dilute my adjustments.

You're misunderstanding the methodology here. If you're manually dosing and you need to make a correction that is not advisable all at once, dose less and take time to accomplish the correction. Don't do it by diluting the 2 part.

You're making interpretations that don't make sense. Choose a method and follow it literally.

The Chemistry forum is a better place for this type of thread, FYI.

 

[Reefvet]

So in my favorite way to understand something, I'm applying cause and effect.

With all due respect, you need to lean the fundamentals. What you're calling 'applying cause and effect' is misplaced here.

 

[Dapg8gt]

Totally understandable to be cautious. But In my mind being effective is almost as important especially when it comes to tweaking parameters in your reef for the purpose of stability.

Randy's article will point you where you want to go. Calcium is easy it's the alk rise/fall and pH that is usually the issue. Using recipe #2 when your pH is high will give you the alk raise you need with a temporary pH drop.

It's really not that hard once you grasp it I think you may be over thinking it personally. Again hope you get it figured out and good luck =).

And totally agree chemistry forum would be the best.. Or just read some of the other thousand threads pertaining to this subject =).