BRS 2 Part Volumes in a 65 gallon Mixed Reef Tank - 80ml/day?

[JMetaxas]

I'm trying to get my Alkalinity above ~8dKh on my 65 gallon mixed reef tank. There isn't a lot of coralline algae growth, nor a lot of SPS corals. I have about 10 frags and 2 mini colonies of SPS.

I dose 40ml, twice per day of BRS 2 Part and can't seem to get the Alkalinity above 8.

Is 80ml normal in a tank so small and don't have Alk rising? (btw, Calcium is approx. 400-420ppm)

I do about 25% water changes every 2 weeks using AquaForest Reef salt.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

What test kit are you using ? It seems like a lot to dose.

I have an sps dom 30 gal with clams and dose about 30ml to maintain an alk of 8. My salt is also 8.

Also have a 55 w sump and am dosing 30ml.

 

[JMetaxas]

I'm using a new Hanna Alkalinity tester. I've dosed less and maintained close to 8 but I don't see any rise in Alk after going up from ~50ml/day.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Have you tested over days (without dosing ) to see what’s being depleted ?

 

[JMetaxas]

No, I haven't. I'll have to try that.

 

[braappn]

I struggled with a similar problem in a new-ish tank dosing soda ash. Kept dosing more and more but the levels wouldn’t rise. Turns out my sand was turning into rock from all the precipitation. Never saw any precipitation on pumps or heaters.

Stopping dosing for a few days and restarting with bicarbonate instead of soda ash solved this problem. But the alk drop during this process threw things out of whack for awhile for sure.

I’m no expert but thought you might want to check your sand for clumping.

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

Are you dosing a sodium carbonate (soda ash) or sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) solution? What are your calcium and magnesium values? What test kits are you using for calcium and magnesium? Are you dosing the same amount of calcium per day as well?