Alk keeps getting higher calcium won’t budge

[AMReef]

Hey guys I have a 135g mixed reef tank with a 39g sump, I approximate total water volume to be 140g. I have mainly lps but some sps as well.

I dose esv b-ionc 2 part. I was dosing 70ml alk a day to stay stable at 8.2-8.4, and I was slowly raising my calcium dose from 40ml all the way up to 90ml a day to try get it to mid 400’s, but it will not budge from 380. I even tried manually dosing an extra 40ml of calcium on top of my 90ml daily coming from my doser, it will not budge!

Last week after testing I realized my GHL Doser stopped dosing any thing from pump 3 which is my mag. My Magnesium was down to 1290, so I started slowly manually dosing to raise it. The weird thing is with my usual dosing my alk keeps getting higher, and my calcium will not budge at all no matter how much calcium I dose. My mag is starting to slowly raise, it’s at 1320 right before I manually dosed another 80ml mag this morning (I will test again when I get home) My alk keeps going up, it’s now at 9.2 from 8.2 so it keeps getting higher with the same dose amounts I’ve been dosing to keep stable, so I lowered my alk dosage.

All my corals seem fine, nothing is affected by this, I don’t know what’s going on.
I’m worried for a torch Bail out or a stn/rt.

I test with Salifert, RedSea and API.

The recent changes I’ve made was upgraded my skimmer, changed out my carbon and gfo, and started dosing peroxide before I use flatworm exit to slowly get rid of the flatworm issue I’m having, which is starting to reduce the flatworm population (starting to see them in my sump socks)

I’m curious this could be because of the magnesium drop?

Any help or input is appreciated.

My Parameters right now are
Alk 9.2
Calcium 380
Magnesium 1320
PH 8.0
Salinity 33.4ppm
phosphates .04
nitrates 20ppm

 

[GoVols]

All I know is this

Low mag can lockup cal and alk intake for corals, and if your nitrates drop your alk can go up.

Don't overdose either. Stay within the daily recommend dose per product, or things will lockup and your big three parameters, will precipitate down.

Just tossing those on the table, as an starting point to your thread.

 

[Mastiffsrule]

Evening

I use esv also, great product. i would not be too concerned with your numbers to low, but they do need to come up. I would back off dosing alk if you haven’t done so. You can use Randy’s calc to figure out the needed dosages for calcium and mag. You can raise mag fairly quickly , calcium slower.

my recommendation would be use the calculator, get the numbers where you want and maybe test for a week to get your dosing schedule set back up. Obviously while getting levels back up keep testing and watch corals.

Reef Chemistry Calculator

 

[GoVols]

@AMReef
Can you pickup something like Seachem "Reef Advantage" calcium power, and dose that to make sure that your "ESV calcium" is still a good batch?

And, fresh test kits would be a good call too. Don't rely on Red Sea for mag. It can give off high mag readings.
Use Salifert for mag. API should be good for cal.

Kinda like the Hanna DKH checker for alk, but API should be fine for alk too.

Like @Mastiffsrule said. Stop dosing alk for the time being, until it drops.

 

[AMReef]

I stopped dosing Alk until it drops to where I’m happy with, I will stop dosing calcium as well to see if it moves down, because right now it’s not moving anywhere. I thought the same thing maybe there was something wrong with my esv calcium, but my calcium doesn’t move at all up or down. I’m slowly raising my magnesium to see if that may help my parameters to be in check

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I stopped dosing Alk until it drops to where I’m happy with, I will stop dosing calcium as well to see if it moves down, because right now it’s not moving anywhere. I thought the same thing maybe there was something wrong with my esv calcium, but my calcium doesn’t move at all up or down. I’m slowly raising my magnesium to see if that may help my parameters to be in check

Raising magnesium should not increase demand for calcium and alk. The normal expectation is the reverse since abiotic precipitation can be a significant part of the demand.

 

[AMReef]

Randy thank you for the response.
I stopped dosing calcium and Alkalinity yesterday, and calcium finally moved from 380 to 400, and alk dropped to where I like it at 8.4. So I started doing my regular dosing again since it finally moved and then calcium dropped again to 380. I think I’m just going to stop dosing calcium for a few days, I’ll slowly raise magnesium and see how it goes.

 

[Daniel@R2R]

Glad it seems you've got it worked out. Keep us posted as to how it goes.

 

[ScottB]

OK, I'll be the old fuddy duddy that suggests you check your ALK, Ca, and Mg test kit expiration dates.

I could not raise Mg dosing a liter a week. Switched kits to see it testing +1600.

 

[AMReef]

They expire in 2021

 

[GoVols]

They expire in 2021

Well,
Have you seen anymore changes?

 

[AMReef]

Yes I ended up dosing 500ml of mag and 250ml Of calcium and it finally moved. I guess I just wasn’t dosing as much. To raise mag by 100pm I needed to dose 1250ml of esv so I did less then half to be on the safe side, and it finally moved. So now I’m happy

 

[GoVols]

Yes I ended up dosing 500ml of mag and 250ml Of calcium and it finally moved. I guess I just wasn’t dosing as much. To raise mag by 100pm I needed to dose 1250ml of esv so I did less then half to be on the safe side, and it finally moved. So now I’m happy

Yeah,
It can take a lot of mag to raise it back up.

Thanks for the update and glad that your happy.

 

[AMReef]

I appreciate it!

 

[adamsfour]

I am having a similar issue. My Alk keeps rising and cal basically doesn’t move. Based on another tread part of my problem may be bad choice for cal additive. It apparently can cause an increase of Alk. Now with both Alk and cal turned off Alk is dropping and cal still doesn’t move much

 

[GoVols]

It apparently can cause an increase of Alk.

I don't understand how alk can keep going up without dosing it, or a sudden drop in nitrates.

 

[adamsfour]

I was using Seachem reef calcium which is actually causes an increase in alkalinity as a byproduct on how it was manufactured. The technical explanations was a bit hard for me to follow but was dead on to what I have been trying to figure out for months. I just ordered a hopefully pure additive from BRS

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I don't understand how alk can keep going up without dosing it, or a sudden drop in nitrates.

he was dosing a product that adds alk and calcium.

 

[GoVols]

I was using Seachem reef calcium which is actually causes an increase in alkalinity as a byproduct on how it was manufactured. The technical explanations was a bit hard for me to follow but was dead on to what I have been trying to figure out for months. I just ordered a hopefully pure additive from BRS

I use their Reef Advantage cal from time to time.

Next time that I dose it, I'll go back and test my alk. Might be some borate byproduct in there???

Either way, thanks for the heads up

 

[GoVols]

he was dosing a product that adds alk and calcium.

Randy,
Which SeaChem product was he dosing?

SeaChem:
Reef-Pack-Fundamentals

Seachem - Reef Pack: Fundamentals

www.seachem.com

????