Brs 2 part on the way, need help plz!!

[alvssaxo]

So I recently went from making my own water and mixing myself to buying already mixed salt water from my lfs. When I was mixing myself I used io reef crystals which my parameters were really high. Now the water I get from lfs uses tropic Marin pro and everything runs low. I’ve been having issues with alkalinity which is first thing I noticed. September 27th it was at 6.0! So I made liquid soda bicarbonate (without baking the soda first) and followed dosing instructions per brs calculator and I have a 32 gal biocube so I dosed 20-30ml a day til I reached 8.4 on the 6th of October. (Hanna test kit btw every day) I’ve been using the mixture I made to keep it steady between 8 & 8.5 but read that it’s only short term so I went ahead and bought the beginner pack 2 part from brs online and it will be here Wednesday. I did a water change yesterday (15%) & I tested everything today (please refer to picture) and I see that the mag and calcium are also the lowest they’ve ever been. I just want to ask for suggestions on what I should aim for on parameters when I get the 2 part? Tank inhabitants below

corals: lps/softies
Gbta
2 rfa’s
Kenya tree
Toadstool
Zoas
Acan
Favia
Hammer & torch
Duncan’s
Gsp

(Ps. I don’t plan on any sps nor care to try because I believe lights on biocube are not suitable for sps)

fish:
2 ocellaris clowns
Royal gramma
Midas blenny

inverts:
Porcupine urchin
Skunk cleaner shrimp
Brittle star
Halloween hermit
4 blue/red leg hermits
4 nassarius snails
10 snails mix of astrea/turbo

might be too much info, just want the best advice I can get & give best info I could. TIA

Also, im aware of nitrate at 0 but api only test from 0-5 so I’m not sure if they are truely bottomed out. No major algae issues that the urchin hasn’t taken care of. Also I run a refugium in the back and noticed ever since a put chaeto in, nitrate went from 10ppm every week before wc to “0”
Tests I used for mag and phos were salifert. Alkalinity was Hanna checker. Calcium and nitrate were api. And ph with Hanna probe

 

[Gtinnel]

I personally shoot for alkalinity of 8.5, calcium around 400, and magnesium of around 1400. As long as these values are within a reasonable range then stability is more important than the actual level.
For raising alkalinity I have always used arm & hammer baking soda, which I bake in the oven before making the solution (it helps raise pH a little bit). For calcium I just buy the calcium chloride from BRS and add it to rodi water.

 

[alvssaxo]

I personally shoot for alkalinity of 8.5, calcium around 400, and magnesium of around 1400. As long as these values are within a reasonable range then stability is more important than the actual level.
For raising alkalinity I have always used arm & hammer baking soda, which I bake in the oven before making the solution (it helps raise pH a little bit). For calcium I just buy the calcium chloride from BRS and add it to rodi water.

How fast do you think I can raise the calcium and mag? I understand that alkalinity shouldn’t be raised no more than .5 a day.

 

[homer1475]

Nothing wrong with any of those numbers IMHO. Might raise the CAL a bit(I like to keep mine around 420), but other then that your numbers look fine.

 

[Gtinnel]

How fast do you think I can raise the calcium and mag? I understand that alkalinity shouldn’t be raised no more than .5 a day.

Calcium is generally recommended to not increase by more than 50ppm a day. I would personally recommend a little less. If your calcium is currently 380 then I’d probably take it up slowly. There really isn’t any rush in raising it, and it’s not really that low anyway.
I can’t help with mag, since I’ve never really had to dose it. I’m guessing my water changes replenish it.

 

[alvssaxo]

Nothing wrong with any of those numbers IMHO. Might raise the CAL a bit(I like to keep mine around 420), but other then that your numbers look fine.

Do you happen to know why liquid soda bicarbonate is only temporary and why it’s recommended to get the 2part? Because the alkalinity supplement is basically baked baking soda right?

 

[homer1475]

Do you happen to know why liquid soda bicarbonate is only temporary and why it’s recommended to get the 2part? Because the alkalinity supplement is basically baked baking soda right?

No idea where you got that from, it's all I dose my reef.

Simple Arm&Hammer baking soda mixed in RO/DI is all I use. I do not bake it to make soda ash, as I do not have a PH issue. Sodium bicarbonate(Baking soda) is a fine way to dose alkalinity if you do not need a small PH boost. Soda ash(baked baking soda/BRS 2 part) is also fine to use and will give a small PH boost.

Might want to have a read through this article by @Randy Holmes-Farley, our resident chemist. BRS 2 part is based off his DIY 2 part.

https://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php

 

[alvssaxo]

No idea where you got that from, it's all I dose my reef.

Simple Arm&Hammer baking soda mixed in RO/DI is all I use. I do not bake it to make soda ash, as I do not have a PH issue. Sodium bicarbonate(Baking soda) is a fine way to dose alkalinity if you do not need a small PH boost. Soda ash(baked baking soda/BRS 2 part) is also fine to use and will give a small PH boost.

Might want to have a read through this article by @Randy Holmes-Farley, our resident chemist. BRS 2 part is based off his DIY 2 part.

https://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php

Thank you!