TMC Signature 600
- Thread starter gex23
- Start date
BubbleMyTip
New member
Maybe some white sand would reflect up the diffuse light more? Not sure.
Yeah, hoping the coralline algae covering the bottom will have a similar effect.
Really confused with my Magnesium and KH levels.
Magnesium has been low for a while > 1150ppm, i've been dosing with magnesium sulphate and magnesium chloride using the UR calculator to raise it by 50 ppm per day, and have done this for 5 days - it's still only at 1230ppm.
Having just tested my calcium, that's still a touch low at 380, but my KH has dropped right down from 8 to 6.1!
Now I know Magnesium has to be correct first, followed by calcium, followed by KH so there's not a lot I can do about that.
Frustrating as i'm dosing too
.
Really confused with my Magnesium and KH levels.
Magnesium has been low for a while > 1150ppm, i've been dosing with magnesium sulphate and magnesium chloride using the UR calculator to raise it by 50 ppm per day, and have done this for 5 days - it's still only at 1230ppm.
Having just tested my calcium, that's still a touch low at 380, but my KH has dropped right down from 8 to 6.1!
Now I know Magnesium has to be correct first, followed by calcium, followed by KH so there's not a lot I can do about that.
Frustrating as i'm dosing too
.BubbleMyTip
New member
Which test kits are you using and what brand of salts/supplements? All within their expiry dates?
If you have a bucket of salt, maybe try giving it a really good shake before mixing up. Minerals can settle out and can be a bit imbalanced.
Quality salt mix (Red Sea coral pro, Dupla Marin, Fauna Marin) and water changes might be the fastest way to correct imbalances and give you a good dosing platform.
If you have a bucket of salt, maybe try giving it a really good shake before mixing up. Minerals can settle out and can be a bit imbalanced.
Quality salt mix (Red Sea coral pro, Dupla Marin, Fauna Marin) and water changes might be the fastest way to correct imbalances and give you a good dosing platform.
BubbleMyTip
New member
Hmm. Not sure then! Have you run tests on the new salt water after mixing? Maybe there is a lag between dosing and the levels measurably increasing.
So for some reason the calcium dosing mix is settling in the container which seems odd?
Anyway, added another 30w floodlight today, thus doubling the refugium total capacity to 12 / 13 litres which is around 10% of the total system volume. I've had to remove the filter sock and floss in order to achieve this :
DSC_0055 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr
#Engineroom
Anyway, added another 30w floodlight today, thus doubling the refugium total capacity to 12 / 13 litres which is around 10% of the total system volume. I've had to remove the filter sock and floss in order to achieve this :
DSC_0055 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr#Engineroom
BubbleMyTip
New member
That's some nice looking skimmate! What depth is the water level it's in and what setting out of 8 is it on? I have the same skimmer sitting in 7.5" of water and on 6/8 but not producing stuff that dark even though running Biopellets...
Tank is a 45cm cube with about 105L volume.
Maybe look into a magnetic stirrer for your calcium solution?
Tank is a 45cm cube with about 105L volume.
Maybe look into a magnetic stirrer for your calcium solution?
BubbleMyTip
New member
Cool setup. That's some nice looking skimmate! What setting is the skimmer on and at what water depth? I have the same skimmer in 7.5" of water and on 6/8. 105L system running Biopellets and can't get skim that dark...
BubbleMyTip
New member
Cheers mate.
It's on power setting 4/7, sitting in 17.5cm of water and the size of the air bubble in the adjustment tube is 3.8cm. This gives an intermediate skim, neither dry nor wet, but a fairly dark skimate.
Hope that helps you some.
Just to list what's currently in the sump in case people are interested
Chamber 1 - Overflow return pipe / 30w led floodlight / cheato algae
Chamber 2 - 30w led floodlight / cheato and hair algae
Chamber 3 - Deltec SC1351 protein skimmer / STC1000 probe / 100w visitherm heater / Bubble magus mini 70 reactor
Chamber 4 - Siporax (approx 4.5 litres) / Auto top off piping / dosing tube clamp and dosing tubes / Eheim 5000+ compact return pump
Looking at that, i'd say open the adjustment valve up a couple of turns, and reduce the power to 4/5 - it should result in a drier, darker skimate
BubbleMyTip
New member
Looking at that, i'd say open the adjustment valve up a couple of turns, and reduce the power to 4/5 - it should result in a drier, darker skimate
Thanks! Will give that a whirl for a week and see if it's any different.
Getting really frustrated with the big 3 parameters within my tank right now. I've been dosing for Magnesium manually every few days since 01/02/16, following the calculator using 49g of Magnesium Chloride (MgCl2.6H20) and 7g Magnesium Sulphate (MgSO4.7H20) to raise the level by approximately 50ppm - and all it's done is shown in the table below :
Untitled by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr
Same can be said for Calcium, really struggling to get it past 380ppm, though I noticed yesterday that the solution seems to have separated - could be to do with the cold temps in the room it's situated in?
KH has also taken a turn for the worse, so right now all 3 parameters are not looking great.
A couple of points. I use pharmaceutical grade salts for all three solutions, all mixed to the concentration recommended by Fauna Marin for their Balling method. Also added to the containers of Calcium and KH solutions (the only ones dosed several times a day via a doser) are the Fauna Marin trace elements additives, again at FMs recommended concentration.
Secondly, I use Salifert test kits for all elements, all are in date and i'm reading them correctly (as per Saliferts instructions), though with any visual test it's subject to individual discretion and I understand this. I also have the red sea pro reef test kit but it reads magnesium very high in contrast (@ circa 1300) which seems a common trait in their magnesium titration test.
Getting very frustrated as to why this is happening, as Magnesium is one that people seemingly don't ever need to dose and I can't get it to increase.....
The corals aren't sulking but neither are they at what i'd call their maximum potential for colour and / or growth.....
Thoughts?
Untitled by DEAF N1NJA, on FlickrSame can be said for Calcium, really struggling to get it past 380ppm, though I noticed yesterday that the solution seems to have separated - could be to do with the cold temps in the room it's situated in?
KH has also taken a turn for the worse, so right now all 3 parameters are not looking great.
A couple of points. I use pharmaceutical grade salts for all three solutions, all mixed to the concentration recommended by Fauna Marin for their Balling method. Also added to the containers of Calcium and KH solutions (the only ones dosed several times a day via a doser) are the Fauna Marin trace elements additives, again at FMs recommended concentration.
Secondly, I use Salifert test kits for all elements, all are in date and i'm reading them correctly (as per Saliferts instructions), though with any visual test it's subject to individual discretion and I understand this. I also have the red sea pro reef test kit but it reads magnesium very high in contrast (@ circa 1300) which seems a common trait in their magnesium titration test.
Getting very frustrated as to why this is happening, as Magnesium is one that people seemingly don't ever need to dose and I can't get it to increase.....
The corals aren't sulking but neither are they at what i'd call their maximum potential for colour and / or growth.....
Thoughts?
BubbleMyTip
New member
TMC Signature 600
What are your salinity and pH readings?
And how are you measuring salinity? Calibrated recently?
What are your salinity and pH readings?
And how are you measuring salinity? Calibrated recently?
BubbleMyTip
New member
Also chaetomorpha uses a lot of magnesium (mg is at the centre of a chlorophyll molecule), which might be slowing your increase or negating it... Maybe try pruning it back more?
If your mg supplement is pharmaceutically pure then increasing it more rapidly is less likely to cause issues as it doesn't affect pH and the low levels at the moment seem to be causing more problems.
If your mg supplement is pharmaceutically pure then increasing it more rapidly is less likely to cause issues as it doesn't affect pH and the low levels at the moment seem to be causing more problems.
Ok so I didn't mention SG - I 'thought' it was @ 1.025 - this is by re-calibrationg my refractometer after running under room temp tap water and setting to 0 from this.
However I just used some calibration solution set to 1.026 (albeit from a very cold room) and it showed my refractometer was over reading by .009, so if using that calibration fluid my tanks water is actually 1.016!
So which so I trust? The calibration fluid was at circa 10 celsius.......
However I just used some calibration solution set to 1.026 (albeit from a very cold room) and it showed my refractometer was over reading by .009, so if using that calibration fluid my tanks water is actually 1.016!
So which so I trust? The calibration fluid was at circa 10 celsius.......
BubbleMyTip
New member
Float the calibration bottle in your sump for a bit?
