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Okay so I measured my alk and it was 5.2 dkh

Calcium was high at 544
Mag was 1350
Temp swings are 80.6 high and 79 low
Ph 8 during day at night 7.6

what’s the best plan to fix this? I use instant ocean purple box

I’ve been reading baking soda but gave been told just to do kalk but I’m not sure which to do and how much to raise it by and the ratios etc. any help would be much appreciated
 

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hi,double check ,triple check dkh,baking soda in 200 gal,1 tablespoon a day approx .5 dkh go slow every other day ;) :)
cal will come down as alk rises
 
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I’ll check again tomorrow to be 100% sure, using Hanna checkers. If I check it again and dkh is still low I raise it with baking soda then once it’s where I want it I dose kalk? Or just keep dissing baking soda? Thanks so much by the way
 

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i've switched over to b soda ,just couple months ago so far so good,cheaper ;) anybody knows a down side please chime in:cool:
 
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Sweet!! so for dosing baking soda do I just use the ratio you gave me, then try to figure out how much I need to dose daily? New to dosing so rather nervous lol
 

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i'm 3 decades in,always used kalk ,then a&b liquid,just read about here and trying poss google wait for more expert opinions ;) but def work in pinch ,unsure of long term use:) @Randy Holmes-Farley?? thanks
 

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Okay so I measured my alk and it was 5.2 dkh

Calcium was high at 544
Mag was 1350
Temp swings are 80.6 high and 79 low
Ph 8 during day at night 7.6

what’s the best plan to fix this? I use instant ocean purple box

I’ve been reading baking soda but gave been told just to do kalk but I’m not sure which to do and how much to raise it by and the ratios etc. any help would be much appreciated

If you are confident in the alkalinity reading, boost it with an alk supplement, such as baking soda.

Nothing else is needed.

How are you measuring pH?
 

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okay awesome, ph in measuring with an apex

I'd recheck the calibration and measure pH in a cup of tank water since many folks have pH measurement probleme with t aquarium controllers, but if the pH really is hitting 7.6, I'd try to raise the bottom end.
 
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I'd recheck the calibration and measure pH in a cup of tank water since many folks have pH measurement probleme with t aquarium controllers, but if the pH really is hitting 7.6, I'd try to raise the bottom end.
Should I get the calibration fluid again? Measuring in a cup of tank water, will it give me a certain amount or tell me if it’s in accurate? Raise with kalk when alk is stable from baking soda?
 

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Sweet!! so for dosing baking soda do I just use the ratio you gave me, then try to figure out how much I need to dose daily? New to dosing so rather nervous lol
I have a small frag system which needs a little alk boost occasionally. I like the BRS calculator. Enter water volume, current alk, desired alk, and select sodium bicarbonate. Will tell you how much is needed to reach your target
 

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Should I get the calibration fluid again? Measuring in a cup of tank water, will it give me a certain amount or tell me if it’s in accurate? Raise with kalk when alk is stable from baking soda?

If you do not have any calibration fluid, order some and don't worry about pH until it comes in.

Measuring in a cup should give the same vale. if not, there is a problem, such as electrical interference. measuring away from the tank is good to, but that may be hard.
 
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Thanks so much everyone! Gonna order ph calibration fluid and measure away from the tank, dose baking so too raise dkh about 1 every other day. Will be back if I have any other questions! Thanks again!
 
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I did test dkh while lights where off should I test when their on? I’m assuming like ph it swings slightly at night?
 

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I did test dkh while lights where off should I test when their on? I’m assuming like ph it swings slightly at night?

It does not matter what time of day you test alk, just that while you are making corrections choose the same time of day to test. As alk can fluctuate throughout the day.
 
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So tested tonight at around the same time as yesterday (was about 15 minutes earlier than yesterday). First test was 5.0, second test was 4.8, third test was 4.9. I did a water change and tested the water for the water change it was 9.3 dkh, I did roughly 55 gallons. I tested after and the DKH was at 6.3 then. Found out my skimmer was putting stray voltage into the tank also! My ph at the beginning of the water change was 7.85 and after it was 7.98. Everything looked amazing after the water change, some things where open more than ever.
sorry for the long post.
Made soda ash and will dose 1 tbspn in two days since I increased alk a lot with the water change.
 
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Hey guys, can this be a cause of dosing soda ash?
it’s weird the sps are doing well and growing great they just randomly have dead spots

198EF85B-771C-4207-81A7-B301F53C0028.jpeg 294B4503-7548-438F-9472-11B94BEFC4FE.jpeg B5E64FAA-5DAA-435D-AAE7-5939F06CF1F7.jpeg F4AB3C20-3BEE-48C8-81AD-E76D23B5428E.jpeg
 

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Hey guys, can this be a cause of dosing soda ash?
it’s weird the sps are doing well and growing great they just randomly have dead spots

198EF85B-771C-4207-81A7-B301F53C0028.jpeg 294B4503-7548-438F-9472-11B94BEFC4FE.jpeg B5E64FAA-5DAA-435D-AAE7-5939F06CF1F7.jpeg F4AB3C20-3BEE-48C8-81AD-E76D23B5428E.jpeg

I cannot see how that relates to dosed alkalinity, unless you are adding solids that land on the corals.
 

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