Bolus dosing

[Welsh Reefer.]

I don't think anyone has said this to be untrue, it's just not the Alk, apart from the previously mentioned relationships. Are you growing more algae? Perhaps fuelled by the traces? How sure are you it's the coral driving up pH? Baring in mind the Bolus System is "Designed" to protect photosynthetic organisms from light stress and provide all the trace required for maximum growyness.

Initially it was questioned for sure, but we seem to be in a better place regarding the scepticism of whether or not it 'works' and shows gains vs normal bicarb drip dosing.

No more algae, my tanks always ran relatively clean especially rock work - maybe because I'm 80% true live rock and have very high flow. Only place I really get algae is back wall which I'll clean as and when.

Corals driving pH - fairly sure, bicarb dose dose bump pH up a little (0.1-0.15 - occasionally more for some reason) before lights on but from then on photosynthesis seems to be driving pH and pretty fast from the moment lights are up, there's no doubt there's some excess co2 being gassed off via the skimmer also.

I think the light stress protection as it were seems somewhat logical in terms of photo inhibition would surely stall out pH if corals were overloaded with light and shut down photosynthesis... I guess it's all hypothetical but seems to play out that way.

I'm happy with Coral growth and colouration etc but mainly it's just a very simple easy way to run a Reef tank, I really do very very little other than refill the dosing containers - yes I know all dosing systems are similar in that respect lol but it's just my view of it.

 

[ingchr1]

To be sure other people need to test. I'm not sure it is a probe issue, why did the spike exactly take 10min befor decrease even when I changed the dosing TIME?

I get a spike which also takes ~10 minutes to level out. This is not bolus, it's carbonate and dosing spread out six times a day. It's a local effect due to the location of the probe relative to where I dose. Both in the same chamber.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Initially it was questioned for sure, but we seem to be in a better place regarding the scepticism of whether or not it 'works' and shows gains vs normal bicarb drip dosing.

Maybe you are in a better place, but I don’t see any outright evidence of “gains” vs drip dosing or any means to validate such a claim without actual controlled testing.

 

[Garf]

there's no doubt there's some excess co2 being gassed off via the skimmer also.

At your Alk, anything above 8.3ish and the skimmer will be drawing in CO2. I cant help but think something is up with your pH calibration, especially so considering you aren't using any high pH additives. However, if its true I think you need more gas exchange, for what it's worth.

 

[Pod_01]

I don't see much of a pH decline right now.

Out of curiosity where is the tank located? Also the CO2 level where the tank is located would be helpful.

I have two tanks, one is small nano and pH runs like this:

Nano is using AFR, and is located in less busy area of the house.

On my other tank the pH does this:

It runs on TM Original Balling and is located in busy area of the house. When on vacation the pH goes up as expected.
The pH pattern for this tank was same when I used full FM BOLUS method with FM products.

 

[Welsh Reefer.]

Maybe you are in a better place, but I don’t see any outright evidence of “gains” vs drip dosing or any means to validate such a claim without actual controlled testing.

Bean, you'll never be in a better place re. All this and the venom in the way you respond is why I largely do not reply to your comments, and that's fine. I'm not trying to sway you, or your opinion nor defend FM as I have nothing to gain there, I've just been just sharing my experiences and having a civil discussion as this whole thing intrigues me.

 

[Welsh Reefer.]

At your Alk, anything above 8.3ish and the skimmer will be drawing in CO2. I cant help but think something is up with your pH calibration, especially so considering you aren't using any high pH additives. However, if its true I think you need more gas exchange, for what it's worth.

It's around the 8.3 - 8.4 mark pH climb tends to slow up for me, in terms of gas exchange I run a regal 150 skimmer so there's a fair bit

Probe is fairly new and calibrated recently with the correct 7&9 fluids.

 

[Welsh Reefer.]

Out of curiosity where is the tank located? Also the CO2 level where the tank is located would be helpful.

I have two tanks, one is small nano and pH runs like this:

Nano is using AFR, and is located in less busy area of the house.

On my other tank the pH does this:

It runs on TM Original Balling and is located in busy area of the house. When on vacation the pH goes up as expected.
The pH pattern for this tank was same when I used full FM BOLUS method with FM products.

Tank is in the middle of our living room, there's 4 people in our household - my wife's home all day with our 2yo and I work from home mostly too, so I imagine at this time of year co2 levels are reasonably high with the house closed up in winter. We had a lot of people over at Christmas and boy did pH tank from the moment they walked in haha!

I don't have a co2 meter unfortunately

 

[Hans-Werner]

I also found an old graph from September when I used my own balling. One day I forgot to dose in the morning and did it in the evening. You can clearly see also a pH increase that can't not come from the light.

Yes, but this graph is very different in not showing any spikes.

The spike means that the pH dropped back very rapidly. This points to some effect that is not a normal pH increase in the whole tank. Two things come to my mind that might cause such a pH-drop: dilution or precipitation with CO2 release. This is what I suggested and asked.

 

[Mo.]

Yes, but this graph is very different in not showing any spikes.

The spike means that the pH dropped back very rapidly. This points to some effect that is not a normal pH increase in the whole tank. Two things come to my mind that might cause such a pH-drop: dilution or precipitation with CO2 release. This is what I suggested and asked.

Maybe move the pH probe into the main tank furthest away from the return and see what happens for a day or so?

 

[Pod_01]

Tank is in the middle of our living room, there's 4 people in our household - my wife's home all day with our 2yo and I work from home mostly too, so I imagine at this time of year co2 levels are reasonably high with the house closed up in winter. We had a lot of people over at Christmas and boy did pH tank from the moment they walked in haha!

I don't have a co2 meter unfortunately

The only time my pH in the main tank reached 8.4+ was when my GHL probe drifted up. I was very happy at the time, used new calibration fluid and it went down to original levels.

I be tempted to buy brand new calibration fluid and re-calibrate. Also these days I calibrate in another container and dispose of the used fluid, it prevents contamination and keeps the calibration fluid open for very short time. Lasse talked about while back.

 

[ingchr1]

Yes, but this graph is very different in not showing any spikes.

The spike means that the pH dropped back very rapidly. This points to some effect that is not a normal pH increase in the whole tank. Two things come to my mind that might cause such a pH-drop: dilution or precipitation with CO2 release. This is what I suggested and asked.

The most likely cause of the pH spike is from the solution not completely mixing with the tank water before reaching the probe. It then mixes and drops back down once the probe equalibriates. It's exactly what I see in my tank and have made a couple of posts in this thread on. In my tank the spike and subsequent drop takes ~10 minutes.

 

[WILDREEFER1000]

Your own Balling means what chemical?

Why was the pH trending down from Sep 4 to Sep 8?

I used only bicarbonate. The oh went down because the CO2 scrubber was empty I wanted to see what happens without

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I used only bicarbonate. The oh went down because the CO2 scrubber was empty I wanted to see what happens without

Was it replaced during the time of the posted graph?

 

[WILDREEFER1000]

Maybe move the pH probe into the main tank furthest away from the return and see what happens for a day or so?

I can try that also

 

[Beruka]

How different is Seachem Reef Trace to FM Reef Trace Lite?

What proof is their secret sauce better? I can make up a recipe too

 

[Oldreefer44]

FM's trace 3 which is dosed with KH contains:
Potassium
Fluorine
Iodine
Bromine
and "stabilizers based on inorganic compounds"
What I am curious about is the traces that are mixed with calcium which in my case is dosed less that 20% as much as KH which are 13 other minor traces. Will have ICP results in a few days that should answer the question for me.

 

[Garf]

Have we talked about food input yet? and the expected differences on pH that feeding fish makes?

 

[Mo.]

Have we talked about food input yet? and the expected differences on pH that feeding fish makes?

I have about 20 tangs in my system. I feed shed loads. PH is 8.25-8.48.

Not seen any issues.

 

[Garf]

I have about 20 tangs in my system. I feed shed loads. PH is 8.25-8.48.

Not seen any issues.

Is the vid on your build thread upto date? If so, is the photosynthesis of benthic communities likely responsible, not the Bolus?