Dialing in All For Reef

[numin8r]

I checked my water parameters in a LSF and below are the results:
2/13/2024
Salinity: 1.026
Nitrate: 5
Phosphate: .17
Calcium: 470
Alk: n/a
Mag: 1500+

Since then I stopped dosing All 4 Reef to get the parameters down and did 3 water changes.
I started dosing 2 ml of All 4 Reef daily and I also added Kalk in my ATO (10 ml in 10 gallons).

2/15
Calcium: 450
Alk: 8.2
Mag: 1440

2/18
Calcium: 400
Alk: 7.6
Mag: 1300

2/19
Calcium: 430
Alk: 7.89
Mag: 1350

2/20
Calcium: 435
Alk: 8.12
Mag: 1305

The tank is 30 gallons and what should my parameters ideally be? I have a mixed reef. Corals seem to be doing well. I also dose carbon (NP Bacto Balance). I noticed that i am getting cyano slime in some sand spots and the back glass is covered. Should I stop dosing carbon? Besides that I also dose zeobak and zeofoods.

Should I look into dosing trace elements for my SPS corals?

Thanks

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

The parameters on 2/15 to 2/20 are all fine.

The magnesium changes are test errors. Just ignore it.

Trace elements may or may not be useful, but if using AFR, it is a low priority.

Can you explain w3hat this means exactly:

"I also added Kalk in my ATO (10 ml in 10 gallons)."

 

[numin8r]

The parameters on 2/15 to 2/20 are all fine.

The magnesium changes are test errors. Just ignore it.

Trace elements may or may not be useful, but if using AFR, it is a low priority.

Can you explain w3hat this means exactly:

"I also added Kalk in my ATO (10 ml in 10 gallons)."

If I were to use trace elements is there a certain brand/product that you would recommend?

I heard about Components Strong ABCK from Aquaforest.

I basically added Calcium Hyroxide (kalk) to my 10g ATO. I just started off with 10ml. I heard it would help with elevating the PH. Is this not advisable?

Also, should I continue with Carbon dosing or wait for the cyano to die off a little. Is there benefit from dosing bacteria to the tank?

I am looking at switching salt to Tropic Marin Syn-biotic salt.

 

[Troylee]

If I were to use trace elements is there a certain brand/product that you would recommend?

I heard about Components Strong ABCK from Aquaforest.

I basically added Calcium Hyroxide (kalk) to my ATO. I heard it would help with elevating the PH. Is this not advisable?

Also, should I continue with Carbon dosing or wait for the cyano to die off a little. Is there benefit from dosing bacteria to the tank?

I am looking at switching salt to Tropic Marin Syn-biotic salt.

I don’t think you need any trace elements if you’re using all for reef and doing water changes periodically. The cyano could be from dosing to much bacto balance and or poor flow. I would back off the carbon till the cyano goes away by manually removing it every day. As for the kalk in top off it works just fine and can save you some money on the all for reef but makes it harder to dial the all for reef in as your evap rates changes all the time so the kalk dosage isn’t precise it fluctuates and makes all for reef harder to dial! You can get it close but never perfect with that route.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

If I were to use trace elements is there a certain brand/product that you would recommend?

I heard about Components Strong ABCK from Aquaforest.

I basically added Calcium Hyroxide (kalk) to my 10g ATO. I just started off with 10ml. I heard it would help with elevating the PH. Is this not advisable?

Also, should I continue with Carbon dosing or wait for the cyano to die off a little. Is there benefit from dosing bacteria to the tank?

I am looking at switching salt to Tropic Marin Syn-biotic salt.

As I said, if using AFR you may just be duplicating what is in the AFR, but Tropic Marin A and K is a reasonable choice, IMO. The one you suggest may be as well, I just do not have as much confidence in a company I know less about.

Calcium hydroxide is a powder. You mean 10 mL of powder?

 

[numin8r]

Correct - 10 mL of powder.

 

[numin8r]

I don’t think you need any trace elements if you’re using all for reef and doing water changes periodically. The cyano could be from dosing to much bacto balance and or poor flow. I would back off the carbon till the cyano goes away by manually removing it every day. As for the kalk in top off it works just fine and can save you some money on the all for reef but makes it harder to dial the all for reef in as your evap rates changes all the time so the kalk dosage isn’t precise it fluctuates and makes all for reef harder to dial! You can get it close but never perfect with that route.

That's true as I can't control how much kalk is being put in from the ATO to the tank. I will monitor it. I only did 10 mL of powder so maybe it's not that concentrated

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

That kalkwasser is very weak. If you add 1% of the tank water volume each day by the ATO, it is adding very roughly 0.2 dKH per day. Since the alk is rising by a similar amount, you can likely reduce the 10 ml further.

 

[numin8r]

That kalkwasser is very weak. If you add 1% of the tank water volume each day by the ATO, it is adding very roughly 0.2 dKH per day. Since the alk is rising by a similar amount, you can likely reduce the 10 ml further.

The idea was to increase PH with dosing kalk in addition to All4Reef. Shouldn't I increase it if it's only .2 dkH?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

The idea was to increase PH with dosing kalk in addition to All4Reef. Shouldn't I increase it if it's only .2 dkH?

It's having almost no pH boost at that low dose, and alk seems to be rising a bit over the last few measuriemene3ts so raising it isn't a good idea.

You could drop the AFR and use only the kalkwasser to get a bit more pH boost, but the effect will still be smallish.