Help with dosing problem.

AJI23

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Alk 8.4 Ca 435 Mg 1600 Salinity 1.026 Temp 79.5 I'm running a 120g 48x24x30. 40g breeder sump. 2 Kessil a350w tuna blue. 2 Mp40wes reef octopus nwb150. Brs dual GFO carbon reactor. Digital aquatics elite controller. 3 brs dosers. Currently dosing alk 40 min at 1.1ml 12 times a day. And 35min at 1.1ml of calcium 12x aday. And mag at 20 ml aday. Don't have a lot of corals. A few frags. Monti,hammer,Paly, acan, Duncan the dincan has like 10 heads. And monti is about 5" wide Please help I don't understand why I have to dose so many mls of each. I read peoe dosing 50mls per day. I'm doing that times 12
 

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As I mentioned in the similar post you have HERE, that amount of alk calculates to approximately 4.6 dkh a day. I would stop dosing and test for alk and calc over the next three days and see what numbers you get. This method is one way to determine daily consumption of alk and calc.
 
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AJI23

AJI23

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That is how I calculated my dosage consumption. But I did it over a single day of not dosing. And if I was over dosing. My levels would be going up my levels are staying the same. Maybe someone else has this problem could chime in. This will greatly help. As It is very expensive to dose this amount and considering going to a ca reactor to keep up demand.
 

TinpanVA

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You can't get a good average on just one day's observation. The recommended way is to take a reading (maybe double check it) and then do nothing for 3 days, re-test. This will give you a much better average. With the very low coral load you have mentioned, there's no way you need 528 ml's a day. How are you testing? What test kits are you using? What are you using for the alk mixture? How are you mixing it? I think alot more information is needed to give you the best advice we can.
 
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AJI23

AJI23

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I'm using brs 2part. Mix 2cups of soda ash per gallon for all. Mix 2/12 cups of ca per gallon. I am using Red Sea pro test kit. And had my levels checked at lfs came back exactly as I measured. And I don't notice any precipitation. I mix the alk by slowly adding soda ash to gallon of ro water as I am stirring it up.
 
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AJI23

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I'm will do a recalculation over 3 days starting tonight when I get home. So test and stop for 3 days recalculate and divide by 3?
 

Randy Holmes-Farley

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FWIW, you are dosing at the high end of normal (assuming the 4.6 dKH per day), but with plenty of SPS corals, people are not dosing 12x less and being successful. Even a soft coral tank might use half of what you are using if coralline is growing well. :)
 
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Today, 05:13 PMRandy Holmes-Farley
FWIW, you are dosing at the high end of normal (assuming the 4.6 dKH per day), but with plenty of SPS corals, people are not dosing 12x less and being successful. Even a soft coral tank might use half of what you are using if coralline is growing well.

Thank you Randy Holmes.
Btw. I have read all your articles and find them very informative and have served me well. Enjoyed the literature. I'm a little confused by what you are saying. By (people are not dosing 12x less and being successful. Even a soft coral tank might use half of what you are using if coralline is growing well). So are they dosing as much as me and are successful? Or they are not? I don't have a Abundance of coraline algae. I have some. But it's not everywhere. I might have a spot here and there on the glass But it's not like my rocks are all purple. And this tank has been running for about a year and half now. Thanks. And I am greatful for all the help people. I can't thank you all enough.
 
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So the last time I tested was Sunday, the same day I brought it to lfs to get tested and my levels were. Alk 8.4. Cal 435. Mg 1600. I just tested and my all was at 9dkh cal 320 and mag 1580. Why would my Ca drop so much when I am adding so much solution. I also noticed some precipitation in my sump and back wall of aquarium. This dosent make sense. If I am OVER dosing, then why don't my level just continue to climb instead of dropping and precipite instead. What causes this precipitation? Is it because I am adding so much that it is not actually mixing with my water volume and only some does. Can you please explain this mystery to me.
 

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Calcium and alkalinity are a balancing act. To high alk and calcium precipitated out. Magnesium helps balance the two in my experience. 9 is not bad for alk. I would try to keep there.
 
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AJI23

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So if alk and cal are not balanced they will precipitate. I thought mag balances them out and my mag levels are at 1580. So what causes the imbalance. How do you balance these. If I am added what's being depleted than that should keep everything balanced. Yet all I am doing is precipitating. I am very frustrated. I've spend a ton of money and effort and can't seem to get this dosing under control.
 

Randy Holmes-Farley

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So if alk and cal are not balanced they will precipitate. I thought mag balances them out and my mag levels are at 1580. So what causes the imbalance. How do you balance these. If I am added what's being depleted than that should keep everything balanced. Yet all I am doing is precipitating. I am very frustrated. I've spend a ton of money and effort and can't seem to get this dosing under control.

Precipitation has nothing to do with balance. It has to do with how much of them are present. Balanced but high (either or both, but especially alkalinity and also high pH or low magnesium) can lead to precipitation of calcium carbonate.
 

Randy Holmes-Farley

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So the last time I tested was Sunday, the same day I brought it to lfs to get tested and my levels were. Alk 8.4. Cal 435. Mg 1600. I just tested and my all was at 9dkh cal 320 and mag 1580. Why would my Ca drop so much when I am adding so much solution. I also noticed some precipitation in my sump and back wall of aquarium. This dosent make sense. If I am OVER dosing, then why don't my level just continue to climb instead of dropping and precipite instead. What causes this precipitation? Is it because I am adding so much that it is not actually mixing with my water volume and only some does. Can you please explain this mystery to me.

That calcium drop is almost certainly testing error, not a real drop, unless you added huge amounts of alkalinity additives and no calcium. To drop calcium by that much would require that 16 dKH of alkalinity be consumed, and I presume that isn't a possibility. :)
 
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AJI23

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I tested the Ca 3 times. Twice with my Red Sea pro test kit and sailfert test kit. Same reading. 320ppm. Brs calculator says I need 1500mls to bring my levels up to 430. With a tank volume minus rocks and sand of 130gallons. This make me confused. I'm pulling my hair out. This is absurd. I need to take a chemistry class. I don't understand this situation.
 

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