All for reef or 2 part

blasterman

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All for Reef and similiar products require alk and calcium uptake to be in a pretty consistent ratio of consumption, correct? Some tanks are in this state - others are not. Some younger tanks with decent SPS loads will gradually even out - some never will. More problematic is many reefers assume calcium and alk consumption are in a perfect ratio when they aren't and are stubborn to admit it thinking something is wrong when it's not.

Otherwise you run into the same problem of alk and calcium getting out of whack because you are trying to solve both with one product.

Two parts allow you tweak alk and calcium uptake individually. You are never stuck in the "my alk is low but my calcium is at 500, what should I do" scenario.

"Why not just use kalk given you get a bonus pH boost"


I have a 20gal full of SPS and it would take close to a tablespoon of dry kalk to meet my daily alk needs. I can get away with between 1/2 to a full teaspoon in 24 hours before precip becomes a problem. So, i use a half teaspoon of kalk per day and tweak the rest with two part.
 

maleks.reef

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All for Reef and similiar products require alk and calcium uptake to be in a pretty consistent ratio of consumption, correct? Some tanks are in this state - others are not. Some younger tanks with decent SPS loads will gradually even out - some never will. More problematic is many reefers assume calcium and alk consumption are in a perfect ratio when they aren't and are stubborn to admit it thinking something is wrong when it's not.

Otherwise you run into the same problem of alk and calcium getting out of whack because you are trying to solve both with one product.

Two parts allow you tweak alk and calcium uptake individually. You are never stuck in the "my alk is low but my calcium is at 500, what should I do" scenario.

"Why not just use kalk given you get a bonus pH boost"

I have a 20gal full of SPS and it would take close to a tablespoon of dry kalk to meet my daily alk needs. I can get away with between 1/2 to a full teaspoon in 24 hours before precip becomes a problem. So, i use a half teaspoon of kalk per day and tweak the rest with two part.
Why would the Alk be low and Ca be high though? Isn't their consumption directly proportional?
 

BiggestE222

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All for Reef and similiar products require alk and calcium uptake to be in a pretty consistent ratio of consumption, correct? Some tanks are in this state - others are not. Some younger tanks with decent SPS loads will gradually even out - some never will. More problematic is many reefers assume calcium and alk consumption are in a perfect ratio when they aren't and are stubborn to admit it thinking something is wrong when it's not.

Otherwise you run into the same problem of alk and calcium getting out of whack because you are trying to solve both with one product.

Two parts allow you tweak alk and calcium uptake individually. You are never stuck in the "my alk is low but my calcium is at 500, what should I do" scenario.

"Why not just use kalk given you get a bonus pH boost"

I have a 20gal full of SPS and it would take close to a tablespoon of dry kalk to meet my daily alk needs. I can get away with between 1/2 to a full teaspoon in 24 hours before precip becomes a problem. So, i use a half teaspoon of kalk per day and tweak the rest with two part.
You are correct. Experiencing this right now. My calcium uptake is much higher than Alkalinity. So I am using Kalwasser and 2-part right now or going forward for a while
 

M Stein

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You are correct. Experiencing this right now. My calcium uptake is much higher than Alkalinity. So I am using Kalwasser and 2-part right now or going forward for a while
I have a higher Calcium uptake too. Which is weird because it's usually alkalinity that has a higher uptake. Randy Holmes-Farley has an article explaining higher alk consumption but not Calcium.
 

Viva'sReef

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I think Randy is referring to the complexity of AFR not having immediate effects on tests because it's a bacterial breakdown process over time. That's my super simple explanation anyway lol I'm sure someone way smarter than me will chime in and elaborate
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

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