Unsure why elements are out of wack. :/
- Thread starter lolgranny
- Start date
+1 on this. I have heard of others with super high alk out of the box with RC. Seems inconsistent but noteworthy.
Agree with all other posts btw.
Good luck.
lolgranny
The DQ King
Just tested the water again today
Mg= ~1400(Tested 4x's because i got a different # off the bat. 1350 first, 1400 second, 1450 third, and 1350 last... tested with ELOS)
Ca= 360-380(Api tested 2x's)
Alk= 15 still(Api tested 2x's)
Salinity= 1.025(Refractometer)
Ill be doing a 10-15g water change on Wed so i will test the new salt then and give us a update. For now im done dosing Mg and will just dose Ca.
Sound good?
David
Mg= ~1400(Tested 4x's because i got a different # off the bat. 1350 first, 1400 second, 1450 third, and 1350 last... tested with ELOS)
Ca= 360-380(Api tested 2x's)
Alk= 15 still(Api tested 2x's)
Salinity= 1.025(Refractometer)
Ill be doing a 10-15g water change on Wed so i will test the new salt then and give us a update. For now im done dosing Mg and will just dose Ca.
Sound good?
David
iamwrasseman
New member
if that alk would drop you would be dancing in heaven !
I may be wrong as I have never used that ESV product, but if you are adding calcium carbonate, that is your problem. It sounds like you should be adding calcium chloride to boost your Ca:Mg ratio as to not increase alkalinity.
lolgranny
The DQ King
Im not sure? Its a 2 part solution, one being Alk, the other being Ca. Im not using the Alk part due to my levels currently.
Does anyone else know about this?
lolgranny
The DQ King
Ill give ya a big cheers to that once they do drop haha. I have off work for another 2 months so ive been giving it alot of loving. oww oww :lmao:
lolgranny
The DQ King
So i tested the new saltwater again, this time with a new bag of salt since we think the old one was off.
Alk- 28? Is this right in a new mix? I know im testing right because its matching up with the LFS. Im using the API alk test for this one.
Im going to test the water alone in a second....
Alk- 28? Is this right in a new mix? I know im testing right because its matching up with the LFS. Im using the API alk test for this one.
Im going to test the water alone in a second....
lolgranny
The DQ King
ok.... so now im completly lost.
The regular... RO / DI water is coming out with a alk of 18...
I get the water from the LFS, they use it on there 100+ tanks and dont seem to have 1 issue whatsoever.
now accepting donations for a RO / DI unit so i can put it in my house. HA
The regular... RO / DI water is coming out with a alk of 18...
I get the water from the LFS, they use it on there 100+ tanks and dont seem to have 1 issue whatsoever.
now accepting donations for a RO / DI unit so i can put it in my house. HA
jc-reef
New member
+1.....alk 28-18 = 10...which is much closer to where you want to be. Guess you know the answer to your issue and solution to resolve.:thumbsup:
alanbates12
New member
Dude I too got caught up in all the chemistry. My Parameters were about like yours and this is what I did. First I bought two part solution from BRS, http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store...sium/two-part-calcium-and-alkalinity-solution After using the online calculator I dosed my tank and everything was great but my alk was high like yours. I found using RODI with a TDS of 0. Over time my alk has came down to 9. Maybe look at your additives. Even with water changes my levels stayed the same. Also I've dosed everything to its upper level. After you get your Mg and Ca stable I think you'll notice your alk dropping. If you don't have a lot of corals these levels should not need much maintenance. Just my uneducated thought....
lolgranny
The DQ King
Ok so i figured it out, the water ive been using has a Alk of 16!!!!! I wanted to make sure i was testing it right so i took it to 2 other stores today to verify.
DEAD ON! So the RO water i was getting is no good. Now im left with this question, the other store by me that sells water only has DI water. Alk is 0, unsure of the TDS, but this is one of the nicer stores around so i would have to assume that its good.
Ill phase out the alk with water a medium sized water change this week since i just did one lastnight.
Thoughts???
AND!!! Thanks again for all the help guys, i appreciate it very much!
DEAD ON! So the RO water i was getting is no good. Now im left with this question, the other store by me that sells water only has DI water. Alk is 0, unsure of the TDS, but this is one of the nicer stores around so i would have to assume that its good.
Ill phase out the alk with water a medium sized water change this week since i just did one lastnight.
Thoughts???
AND!!! Thanks again for all the help guys, i appreciate it very much!
alanbates12
New member
Don't know your situation but I'd look into buying a RODI system for your home. I bought one from BRS and I've saved enough money over one month to almost pay for the system. Of course I did do a couple of big water changes. Anyway check this out, http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/75-gpd-ro-di-5-stage-plus-system.html this is only one system. Mine was so easy to hook up. You could even hook it up under your kitchen or bathroom sink. Anyway I"m sure you've thought about this before but its a savings over the long run and you'll not have to worry about the water your getting. Also you can even hook this into your sump and have it automatically top off your system. I"ve been told if I do that this is the only valve you use..http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/level-loc-auto-top-off-unit-for-ro-systems.html Best of luck.
