reef code a & b

Reefir

Reefir

New member
I am having a tough time 6 mons. into reefing . I am trying to get me calcium and alk levels stable and I am struggling . I havent been able to break 6 dkh and my calcium is almost 500 . ph is 8+ and salt is 1.025 . I have tried several dosing methods (and better salt salinity aqua vitro now ) .of a and b but I am getting no where . I just used baking soda ARM and HAMMER , to bring alk up slow to 9 dkh and stable . Now the calcium is going down .
Its a 90gal. mixed reef and 30 Gal. sump . since my alk increase the few coral I have been looking great . I just want to maintain my #s . I add 1 to 1.5 gallons of rodi a day via a float valve and gravity . I would like this to be some what painless , meaning a once a day habit . api test kit seems like its accurate based on other tests done for me so rule out testing supplies .
I ve looked at kalk , Randys 1 and two , reef code a and b , I am soooo going bald and grey over this . should this really be such a hard thing to figure out . THERE IS A REWARD FOR WHO EVER GETS ME ON TRACK ,$ ,not like it helps , because we all have an endless supply of $ right ? If some one can dish out what to do based on expirience . IM DESPERATE ...shhhh keep that a secret .
 
Just be patient. You have to realize that they are related. If Alk is high, then it's hard to maintain Calcium and if Calcium is high, then it's hard to raise alk. You should be sure that your alk remains high enough to prevent swings in your pH. A higher alk will provide a relatively stable pH while low calcium levels will do little more than stunt growth.

Magnesium also comes into play in the equation, so you should be testing for that as well. I keep my Mg around 1450, and you should try to get 1100+. The most important thing is to be patient. Rapid swings in any of the parameters could lead to huge problems, so take it slow. Do a google search for reef calculators and they will tell you how much of your reef code A & B you need to add.
 
i have never been a fan of reef code. it gave me crazy cyano and never would fully dissolve in the bottle.
i use b-ionic and it seems to work great. once you figure out a daily or every other day procedure and get it down to a science its simple. every tank is different and it will take time like mentioned above.
best of luck
-bill
 
What do you use i see you both on here alot ...suggestions .... even if patince might be the answer are you saying stop dosing and keep up on quality salt w/c and worry about it later or start saving and buy more stuff??????Im faithfully doing 15 gallons rodi mix for 24 hrs. of salinity aqua vitro . It seems like dosing the a and b i am not getting alk just calcium . Why cant I manuall push my #s to where i want them and dose a little every day or so ?
 
Maybe try 2 part. I have had the best success with that and only dosing a little at time will help you determine what part you may have to dose more of.
 
REEFCODE A and B is a 2 part 1,2...a,b ..... its available locally .... and so isnt pickeling lime or randys 1 and 2 .... I still ams not getting anywhere ... would a reactor or something solve all my problems in one shot ?
 
I use B-ionic Alk/Ca/Mg and dose manually twice a week. I was able to get everything on a good schedule by bringing water to my LFS and they would test with Salifert kits. We would test the day prior to my water change every week and we got to the correct ml measurement that way. It took about a month of testing to calculate what amount I needed to dose. I do 60mls of each supplement on Weds & 60mls of each right after my WC on Sats. Everything has been perfect for the past month or so.
 
thats why i luv my calc reactor:
dkh 8
ca 440-460
mag 1350-1450
took a week or two to tune it in, havent touched it since.
 
Make sure you shake the alk portion of the reef code. There should be no solids in the container. It may take some elbow grease and you can try dipping the container in hot water to warm the contents to make it a bit easier. The fact that your Alk isn't going up at all makes me suspect that your alk portion isn't mixed properly.
Personally, I use the 2 part from bulk reef supply and have had good results. Once you get it down, then its pretty easy to maintain, so don't get discouraged.
 
Another thing to remember is that when you are doing water changes make sure that the alk and cal are at the same level is what your tank water currently is and if you want your tank levels higher add more 2 part to the replacement water. I was having a hard time with this. But as stated above once you have it down its fairly simple to maintain.
 
The easiest way to figure out your dosing is to slowly get your calcium and Alk where you want them. Once you get your desired Calcium and Alk levels, don't dose anything for two days and then retest the water. Use a reef calculator to see how much Reef Code A & B you would need to add to reach the original levels. Divide by two, and that should be your dosing schedule. Start dosing the appropriate amounts of each for a few days and then re-test. Your parameters should be maintained at your desired levels and if not, adjust accordingly. The amount of two part you add will change over time as your corals grow, but once you have your dosing set, you can get away with testing less frequently.
 
Thanks , that sums it up very well . I love to see Randys posts . thank you for the help Swannyson7.....
 
I have used Randy's two part for along time. It works great for me. Keep in mind that calcium and alk cant be dosed at the same time. Otherwise they will cancel each other out. Give at least 4 hours between dosing each part.
 
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