Acro help!
- Thread starter greg0385
- Start date
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greg0385
Valuable Member
Im about to throw in the towel with this 2part dosing. I cant find the amount that keeps my alk stable.
The frustrating part is that i had the proper equipment to dose alk and swapped it out for 2part dosers.
So now im looking for another 50ml/min doser to dose kalk only at nite.
1.5ml of 2part too much
.5ml isnt enough
1ml works but not consistent.
Seriously!!?!! 1ml of 2part with 40+ acros is the amount i using
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The frustrating part is that i had the proper equipment to dose alk and swapped it out for 2part dosers.
So now im looking for another 50ml/min doser to dose kalk only at nite.
1.5ml of 2part too much
.5ml isnt enough
1ml works but not consistent.
Seriously!!?!! 1ml of 2part with 40+ acros is the amount i using
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Dowtish
5000 Club Member
When you say its not stable how much is it swinging?
Mine can go from 145ppm to 160ppm depending on when I test. As long as there is something for the corals to take in, and it is replenished you should be fine.
Mine can go from 145ppm to 160ppm depending on when I test. As long as there is something for the corals to take in, and it is replenished you should be fine.
greg0385
Valuable Member
Ok now that makes me feel a little better.
I got around 8.00 reading 2days in a row(will give exact readings once i get home)
Yesterday was 8.2
I test everyday at 5pm
.2 spike doesnt seem like much but was looking for more or less the same reading from day to day at the same time
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I got around 8.00 reading 2days in a row(will give exact readings once i get home)
Yesterday was 8.2
I test everyday at 5pm
.2 spike doesnt seem like much but was looking for more or less the same reading from day to day at the same time
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Dan1789
Well-Known Member
1 ml a day? That's crazy. I have a 90 with mostly Lps and softies, 9 sps frags now and I dose around 50ml of alk and 50 ml of Ca. I'm wondering if I'm dosing too much now. My alk stays within .5 dkh each week when I test it, but I have noticed my sand hardening in spots.
greg0385
Valuable Member
Your telling me! Something isnt adding up. I just cant figure it out :(
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dwilliams87
Valuable Member
Sand hardening can be an indication of Calcium being too high. I would check that.
greg0385
Valuable Member
Alk results:
October day-alk
2-138/7.72
3-142/7.95
4-no test
5-148/8.28
6-145/8.12
7-144/8.06
8-147/8.23
9-148/8.28
I have tried different dose amounts
The doser runs for (5,10,15 or 30seconds) on each hour for 10hours.
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October day-alk
2-138/7.72
3-142/7.95
4-no test
5-148/8.28
6-145/8.12
7-144/8.06
8-147/8.23
9-148/8.28
I have tried different dose amounts
The doser runs for (5,10,15 or 30seconds) on each hour for 10hours.
Sent from my ZTE-Z990G using Tapatalk 2
dwilliams87
Valuable Member
5-9 is great, and 3 isn't bad either. I think your dosing correctly.
greg0385
Valuable Member
I be stoked if i was dosing the exact same amount every day.
Below are the seconds its on per hour for 10hours.
October day- seconds on
2-5ec
3-30sec
4-no test
5-15sec
6-5sec
7-10sec
8-10sec
9-5sec
I know its small changes in doses but remember im dosing small amounts
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Below are the seconds its on per hour for 10hours.
October day- seconds on
2-5ec
3-30sec
4-no test
5-15sec
6-5sec
7-10sec
8-10sec
9-5sec
I know its small changes in doses but remember im dosing small amounts
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Osteoclast
Community Member
Your data is actually very tight given the standard deviation and error of the checker. You are basically looking at the same reading. A drop off here or there in the volume in the cuvette easily accounts for this minor variation. I would dose a median volume per hour and then assay weekly (ie 15). You need to review means, ranges, and error in measurements. This is all statistical variation. Good luck.
Osteoclast
Community Member
Another point previously raised are your doses of Alk for a 150 gallon tank are minuscule I dose over 300 mls daily of Alk and CaCl in my 600 gallon system. Your dosing contribution would appear almost negligible to your water volume. I top off with Kalk in addition to standard 2 part BRS preps. It would suggest that your water change Alk concentration is quite high and/or the coral uptake low. You might also want to get a second opinion on that Hanna checker.
greg0385
Valuable Member
Pending tomorrow's results i will set the doser too either
5sec or 10sec for a few days.
I have the hannah alk test down to a science. Fill the culvette with 10ml using a 5ml syringe twice. Then take the 1ml syringe and pull out .4ml out the culvette. Perfect amount each time.
The question i yet to find a answer is WHY IS MY DEMAND SO LOW!?!?
I just dont get why others are dosing 20+ml each day and have less corals.
** I know why the acros arent growing, its because they arent using much alk/cal. And i know why my alk/cal is very low, its because my acros arent growing!** Im stuck in this forever revolving scenario.
Here is a quick run through of corals i have.
Gsw3 acro pack
Bubble gum milli, rainbow sherbert, pink tip acro, deep blue tort, blue hoeksemni, hot pink acro, rommel watermelon,exquistor acro, ora ice tort, chaos cyphastria, dragonskin acro, ora verde, toxic green tort, metallic blue milli, bird of paradise
Sexy coral
Pink floyd, garf bonsai, tri color, terra del fuego, jamba juice, orange pachy(plate)
Mr coral
Pink lemonade milli, strawberry milli, superman acro, purple monster hot tomalli, blue with pink polyps, insane milli
Reef pets
Strawberry dreams, blueberry acro
Aqua SD
Ice fire enchinta, aussic glacier tort, strawberry shortcake, candle stick acro
Local purchases
Pink lemonade, purple stag, green poci, green acro, wild caught neon green acro, purple cap, green with blue rim cap
other corals
6-rainbow acans
26 zoas
+ i have 13 more acros coming saturday and a clam(aqua sd). The weekend after next i have orange passion and pink floyd(sexy corals).
So with the number of corals i have, why is there such a low demand? What caused the corals to go stagnant?
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!!
Thanks for everybody's input
Greg
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5sec or 10sec for a few days.
I have the hannah alk test down to a science. Fill the culvette with 10ml using a 5ml syringe twice. Then take the 1ml syringe and pull out .4ml out the culvette. Perfect amount each time.
The question i yet to find a answer is WHY IS MY DEMAND SO LOW!?!?
I just dont get why others are dosing 20+ml each day and have less corals.
** I know why the acros arent growing, its because they arent using much alk/cal. And i know why my alk/cal is very low, its because my acros arent growing!** Im stuck in this forever revolving scenario.
Here is a quick run through of corals i have.
Gsw3 acro pack
Bubble gum milli, rainbow sherbert, pink tip acro, deep blue tort, blue hoeksemni, hot pink acro, rommel watermelon,exquistor acro, ora ice tort, chaos cyphastria, dragonskin acro, ora verde, toxic green tort, metallic blue milli, bird of paradise
Sexy coral
Pink floyd, garf bonsai, tri color, terra del fuego, jamba juice, orange pachy(plate)
Mr coral
Pink lemonade milli, strawberry milli, superman acro, purple monster hot tomalli, blue with pink polyps, insane milli
Reef pets
Strawberry dreams, blueberry acro
Aqua SD
Ice fire enchinta, aussic glacier tort, strawberry shortcake, candle stick acro
Local purchases
Pink lemonade, purple stag, green poci, green acro, wild caught neon green acro, purple cap, green with blue rim cap
other corals
6-rainbow acans
26 zoas
+ i have 13 more acros coming saturday and a clam(aqua sd). The weekend after next i have orange passion and pink floyd(sexy corals).
So with the number of corals i have, why is there such a low demand? What caused the corals to go stagnant?
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!!
Thanks for everybody's input
Greg
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Last edited:
greg0385
Valuable Member
Alk test today
147/8.23
I dose for 5sec each hour for 10hours. So i say thats more or less the proper amount to dose(maybe 6 or 7 seconds).
I am worried about the alk at 8.2 is too high since i run biopellets.
Some of my acros look worse than they ever had since i started keeping tabs of kalk and 2part. Maybe its from the alk spike on sept 15, or maybe its from bumping the leds from 325 to 425par.
Im thinking about letting it naturally drop to 7.7-7.8dkh then start dosing again to see if that improves on some of my corals.
I also thought about taking the biopellets offline and using gfo and waterchanges to control phos/nitrates. If i did this, then i might not get alk spike burns on sensitive corals. And be able to run a higher alk level.
I talked to a Coral vendor last nite and their params are
10dkh
440cal
1350mag
No biopellets
I sent two other vendors the same email asking what their params were and how they export nutrients.
From the vendors that i have made purchases from, all have their alk at 9-10 and dont use biopellets.
I also purchased a brs 50ml/min doser just incase i choose to go back to kalk instead of 2part.
Sigh!! Im so lost right now :( i truly only want to be able to have a sucessful acro growing tank and it seems all im getting are hurdles and roadblocks to overcome.
Sent from my ZTE-Z990G using Tapatalk 2
147/8.23
I dose for 5sec each hour for 10hours. So i say thats more or less the proper amount to dose(maybe 6 or 7 seconds).
I am worried about the alk at 8.2 is too high since i run biopellets.
Some of my acros look worse than they ever had since i started keeping tabs of kalk and 2part. Maybe its from the alk spike on sept 15, or maybe its from bumping the leds from 325 to 425par.
Im thinking about letting it naturally drop to 7.7-7.8dkh then start dosing again to see if that improves on some of my corals.
I also thought about taking the biopellets offline and using gfo and waterchanges to control phos/nitrates. If i did this, then i might not get alk spike burns on sensitive corals. And be able to run a higher alk level.
I talked to a Coral vendor last nite and their params are
10dkh
440cal
1350mag
No biopellets
I sent two other vendors the same email asking what their params were and how they export nutrients.
From the vendors that i have made purchases from, all have their alk at 9-10 and dont use biopellets.
I also purchased a brs 50ml/min doser just incase i choose to go back to kalk instead of 2part.
Sigh!! Im so lost right now :( i truly only want to be able to have a sucessful acro growing tank and it seems all im getting are hurdles and roadblocks to overcome.
Sent from my ZTE-Z990G using Tapatalk 2
ritter6788
Coral Fraud Private Eye
Hi Greg!
Nice setup you have. Sounds to me like you're doing everything right. I hate it when I think I'm doing everything right and it doesn't work! :)
Just a couple of thoughts. Whenever I have trouble with my tank or SPS stop growing I get back to basics. Stop dosing, stop using phosphate removing media, stop any additives at all. You have a large tank with a good volume of water and only small sps frags, you may not have to dose anything at all for a while.
JMO here but if it was my tank, I would go back to the most basic of systems and see if anything improves. Water changes, skimming, macro algae, no dosing, no biopellets for now. After a few large water changes test and see what your parameters are, especially alk and cal. Don't even worry about kalk or dosing with equipment, if you get any drop in parameters you can dose manually for now. Once you have your tank parameters test daily to see if you are getting any drop (especially alk, it drops first). You likely won't have to worry about calcium as much since it is used up more slowly than alk. Magnesium shouldn't be an issue for a long time if you are using a salt with good mag levels. Once you see a drop in parameters consistently start your 2 part dosing again very slowly like you've been doing and test daily, dose manually and increase your dosage as needed. If you don't see a drop in parameters don't bother dosing a thing, it will only precipitate out and throw off your tanks balance.
I would ditch the biopellets for sure (for now at least). Honestly, I've never tried them but my tank always does poorly when I add phosphate removing media. I run a huge skimmer for my system so maybe it starves the corals too much but I'm not sure. Unless you're having bad algae problems your phosphates aren't an issue. My tank always does better with a little algae growing.
I'm sure there is more to post and I'm sure some of this has been addressed already but if it was my tank this is where I would start. Back to basics and keep it as simple as possible.
Nice setup you have. Sounds to me like you're doing everything right. I hate it when I think I'm doing everything right and it doesn't work! :)
Just a couple of thoughts. Whenever I have trouble with my tank or SPS stop growing I get back to basics. Stop dosing, stop using phosphate removing media, stop any additives at all. You have a large tank with a good volume of water and only small sps frags, you may not have to dose anything at all for a while.
JMO here but if it was my tank, I would go back to the most basic of systems and see if anything improves. Water changes, skimming, macro algae, no dosing, no biopellets for now. After a few large water changes test and see what your parameters are, especially alk and cal. Don't even worry about kalk or dosing with equipment, if you get any drop in parameters you can dose manually for now. Once you have your tank parameters test daily to see if you are getting any drop (especially alk, it drops first). You likely won't have to worry about calcium as much since it is used up more slowly than alk. Magnesium shouldn't be an issue for a long time if you are using a salt with good mag levels. Once you see a drop in parameters consistently start your 2 part dosing again very slowly like you've been doing and test daily, dose manually and increase your dosage as needed. If you don't see a drop in parameters don't bother dosing a thing, it will only precipitate out and throw off your tanks balance.
I would ditch the biopellets for sure (for now at least). Honestly, I've never tried them but my tank always does poorly when I add phosphate removing media. I run a huge skimmer for my system so maybe it starves the corals too much but I'm not sure. Unless you're having bad algae problems your phosphates aren't an issue. My tank always does better with a little algae growing.
I'm sure there is more to post and I'm sure some of this has been addressed already but if it was my tank this is where I would start. Back to basics and keep it as simple as possible.
6272862829
2500 Club Member
Greg could it be the mix of the alk solution not mixing right. What does the brs alk solution suppose to test at and check that.
greg0385
Valuable Member
Are you referring the 2part alk jug? I have no idea what alk its at. I can test it this afternoon to what the solution test at.
I have some news to tell later today or tomorrow! I have found new hope and feel really good about the outcome.
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