Alk slightly low

[DmitryB]

Alrighty then, readings almost a week since dosing with NeoNitro. With these numbers - do I dose? Nitrate has dropped and may keep dropping like it did before until it bottoms out. The 40 gallon tank has a few fish in it. 170 is still without fish, but will be getting a few small fish on Friday. (Aquacultured small, so they'll be like an inch! So not a lot of bioload yet.)

40 Gallon
Nitrate - 3.7
Phosphate - 0.59
Alk - 6.9
Calcium - 390
Magnesium - 1300
pH - 8.0

170 Gallon
Nitrate - 4.6
Phosphate - 0.09
Alk - 8.7
Calcium - 389
Magnesium - 1360
pH - 8.2

I'm also going to start doing All For Reef. Don't have a doser set up yet, so will just be adding the full amount at once until a dose is set up. (6 ml for 40 gallons and 38 ml for 170 gallons)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I think you could dose a bit more, or not. The nitrate values are at the border of low IMO, but there is no urgency.

 

[DmitryB]

I think you could dose a bit more, or not. The nitrate values are at the border of low IMO, but there is no urgency.

Thank you Randy!

To keep the levels from bottom out again, should I only dose when I see them dropping or do you think it's worth setting up a regular schedule of XX dose to keep it from swinging?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thank you Randy!

To keep the levels from bottom out again, should I only dose when I see them dropping or do you think it's worth setting up a regular schedule of XX dose to keep it from swinging?

Either way seems OK since the drop was slow, IMO.

 

[DmitryB]

Alrighty so did my latest readings. Some interesting results. (For some reason Ammonia went up a bit to .05 in both tanks. Will do water changes tonight. These are the first readings since I've began dosing NeoNitro and AllForReef. For both using the minimum recommended doses. My Alk was trending low in both tanks. Nitrates seem to be doing pretty well. I may start dosing it only every other day? These numbers seem ok. But Calcium is now elevated in both tanks, with other readings seemingly ok.

40 Gallon

170 Gallon