How do you keep your CA, ALK, Mg at perfect levels?

Boboe77 · Apr 24, 2014

Hey everyone,

I need help on keeping my Calcium, Alkalinity, and magnesium in perfect conditions. I'm using all brightwell aquatics products and I'm dosing a little bit every day to keep my parameters in check. My question is, what products do you use that you have great success with and will keep your CA,ALK,Mg is good conditions.

This is my tank:

38 gallon all in one tank

Packed with SPS,LPS, and softies.

My alkalinity is the most wild

My calcium is doesn't move much during the week

My PH gets really low every night and I'm putting PH+ from brightwell aquatics to bump it up.

Magnesium hardly moves.

Dan1789 · Apr 24, 2014

Ph+ is why your alk is so wild. How much is it dropping at night. What is the daytime Ph? Perfect levels are a joke. Don't chase PH it's just a headache.

Connie · Apr 24, 2014

Run your refugium lights opposite of your DT lights and it will keep your PH from dropping so much at night.

mike007 · Apr 24, 2014

The easiest way to maintain these parameters is to use a dosing pump. First you need to test and get your parameters where you want them go 3 days without dosing and then retest and see how much these levels have gone down. This will tell you your daily consumption then you can go to the brs reef calculator and see how much to dose to maintain. Most of us you dyi supplements which are much cheaper.

NanaReefer · Apr 24, 2014

No such thing as perfect don't care what anyone says-lol. There's acceptable

redfishbluefish · Apr 24, 2014

Your pH adjuster is actually adding alk, and thereby causing the swings. Stop adding anything having to do with adjusting pH. Unless you have a CO2 problem, pH will take care of itself with proper alk and calc levels.

The "perfect levels" you request are in fact stability. Pick an alk and calc number and stick to it. I strongly believe that the best thing for corals is stability, not so much the actual number. I target 7 - 7.5 dKH Alk, and 400 ppm Calc, and try to maintain those numbers by dosing three times a day (using pumps).

StikHedRon · Apr 24, 2014

I would dump the brightwell products and switch to BRS salts for CAL, ALK and Mag and for rock solid consitency you need dosing pumps hooked up to either an Apex or Reefkeeper. PH.... I wouldn't worry about it as much, opening a window and getting some fresh air into your skimmer will bring it up some.