Water changes, dosing, and top off

[Bilk]

I'm a bit confused. If you need to dose more, then dose more. If your dosing containers aren't large enough then get bigger containers. The tanks rate of evaporation on the system volume of your tank, shouldn't be exceeded by the dosing of saturated solutions of 2 part. I don't see that being possible.

Are you mixing saturated solutions? If not then mix up saturated solutions and adjust your dosing schedule accordingly.

 

[CHSUB]

8 teas of Reef Builder is a lot. if your mag is low it will cause precipitation of your cal and alk supplements. (ie. your gravel getting hard)


from RHF: "The extent to which magnesium gets onto calcium carbonate surfaces depends strongly on the amount of magnesium in solution. The more there is, the more it gets onto the surfaces. If magnesium is lower than normal, then it may not adequately get onto growing calcium carbonate surfaces, allowing the deposition of calcium carbonate to proceed faster than it otherwise would, potentially leading to increased abiotic precipitation of calcium carbonate from seawater onto objects such as heaters and pumps. Often the inability to maintain adequate calcium and alkalinity despite extensive supplementation, and the precipitation of significant amounts of calcium carbonate on heaters and pumps, are signs that the water has inadequate magnesium."

 

[Wazzel]

I'm a bit confused. If you need to dose more, then dose more. If your dosing containers aren't large enough then get bigger containers. The tanks rate of evaporation on the system volume of your tank, shouldn't be exceeded by the dosing of saturated solutions of 2 part. I don't see that being possible.

Are you mixing saturated solutions? If not then mix up saturated solutions and adjust your dosing schedule accordingly.

I was trying to keep from having saturated solutions and fear I am nearing that point. I do not know the saturation point of the products I use. The 10 liters I dose now is just under my tank evap rate.

 

[Wazzel]

8 teas of Reef Builder is a lot. if your mag is low it will cause precipitation of your cal and alk supplements. (ie. your gravel getting hard)


from RHF: "The extent to which magnesium gets onto calcium carbonate surfaces depends strongly on the amount of magnesium in solution. The more there is, the more it gets onto the surfaces. If magnesium is lower than normal, then it may not adequately get onto growing calcium carbonate surfaces, allowing the deposition of calcium carbonate to proceed faster than it otherwise would, potentially leading to increased abiotic precipitation of calcium carbonate from seawater onto objects such as heaters and pumps. Often the inability to maintain adequate calcium and alkalinity despite extensive supplementation, and the precipitation of significant amounts of calcium carbonate on heaters and pumps, are signs that the water has inadequate magnesium."

According to the basic instructions I should be at 4 teaspoons. I am at twice that. I have not seen any excess scaling on my pumps or heaters when I service them so I think my mag is in an acceptable range. The part I bolded kind of makes me wonder tho.

 

[Bilk]

I was trying to keep from having saturated solutions and fear I am nearing that point. I do not know the saturation point of the products I use. The 10 liters I dose now is just under my tank evap rate.

Rany's 2 part is really all you need and the recipe is easy to make and much cheaper than commercial products which are probably the same as in Randy's 2 part. If you use his recipe, then you'll know how to make a saturated solution of calcium and alkalinity. You can also buy the Bulk Reef components which are also probably cheaper and there's also no guessing. You will be dosing much less - on the order of a few hundred milliliters per day, at most, (guessing 200ml total of both components combined). They you top up with RO water. This is a much easier method to maintain. JMO

 

[Wazzel]

Not doubting the Randy's two part works, but why would it be any more or less complicated than commercial products. Some of the things I say I do not know is because I have not dug I to it to much.

 

[Bilk]

Not doubting the Randy's two part works, but why would it be any more or less complicated than commercial products. Some of the things I say I do not know is because I have not dug I to it to much.

Well it's less complicated because you know the concentrations of the components and can adjust accordingly. This is the prime reason many people don't like using supplements that don't explain what they are or what the concentrations are in them. Not knowing that info lends to the issue you are having now.

 

[kevin_e]

I would check magnesium before proceeding. Jmo

 

[Mock]

Randy's works, I dosed it for years and grew some awesome corals. Its a flawless make up as long as you follow the directions. Its WAY cheaper than buying anything in the stores and for a 60g cube would be minimal work. I did it on a 365 gallon system before I had the calcium reactor.

I still use his Epsom Salt idea to raise Magnisuim and on a little system as yours, would go back to it in a heart beat. Its just I have bake enough baking soda to fill three cookie sheets and buy enough driveway heat (which is hard to find in Arkansas) for my system now that I look like I am up to something other than just playing with a box of water.

 

[Wazzel]

Mag checked out at 1400.

 

[kevin_e]

I use 16 teaspoons of calc chloride and soda ash every 8 days or so and don't consider it to be much at all. I think you just need to mix a stronger solution.

 

[toothman]

If your tank is growing like a weed why rock the boat, with 2 part dosing the only disadvantage is chloride build up. This is why you must do water changes with dosing. I would just stay with what you are doing. Kalk can be great, but it does raise ph which you may not need. It can also precipitate phosphate out and possibly cause cyano.

My 400 gal tank I dose bulk reef cacl ratio of 16oz to 2 gallons of water
arm and hammer 16 oz to 2 gallons of water.

Adding trace elements can enhance everything, Fauna marin has a 3 bottle system that you add to your 2 buckets.

 

[Wazzel]

I think I am going to just keep increasing the dosage as needed. I can add kalk on the third channel at any time. Going to go ahead and get the third container, since it is only $6. The seachem products include trace elements. They give the proportions on the data sheet. Reef Advantage calcium has the ratio 100 Ca, 5 Mag, 0.1 Str. The seachem products are not to expensive. $25 will get me both parts and last a few months.

 

[Peter Eichler]

Seachem's use of boron in reef builder would prevent me from ever considering using it. It's basically baking soda with some stuff I don't want, so using it instead of good ole arm and hammer doesn't make sense to me. You may want to look into this before continuing to use it.