CA adjustment question.

[ddc0715]

ok, ca consumption adjustment.... I will admit it still kinda confuses me a bit. currently dosing 10mls daily via Neptune DOS between the time of 00:00-23:00. Here's what I see.
9-23 21=525 at 8am
9-24-21 =510 at 8 am CA drop of 15
9-25-21 = 495 at 8am CA drop of 15
9-26-21 = 487 at 8am CA drop of 8
so how much should I increase my daily dos (of 10mls) by? my target is 480. should I let it drop below 480 then adjust?

 

[blaxsun]

Do you have a Trident testing/influencing your dosing amount or are you manually testing Ca? I usually adjust by 2ml increments when I make a change, then monitor for 24-48 hours.

Yes, if you’re trying to get your calcium down to around 450 I might be inclined to wait until it hits 480 before making an adjustment.

 

[arking_mark]

Our hobby-grade test kits for Ca are not very accurate and prone to error. The Apex Neptune has a stated accuracy of +/- 15 ppm. 15 ppm = about 2 dkH. Since Ca and Allk are consumed almost equally in a tank, using Ca for dosing is not recommended as using Alk measurements can be 20 times more accurate.

How to balance Ca/Alk in the reef aquarium?

After reading: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-12/rhf/ Here are my takeaways: For most practical purposes, Ca and Alk are consumed equally. However, "...the demand for calcium and alkalinity may not be precisely balanced at 20 ppm calcium per 1 meq/l of alkalinity..." The biggest...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

It's not possible to say how to best make adjustments without knowing what product you are dosing to what size tank.

 

[ddc0715]

It's not possible to say how to best make adjustments without knowing what product you are dosing to what size tank.

185 GROSS GALLONS or 150TG +/- (after subtracting for rock) brs calcium chloride)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

185 GROSS GALLONS or 150TG +/- (after subtracting for rock) brs calcium chloride)

At what concentration of the calcium chloride?

 

[ddc0715]

At what concentration of the calcium chloride?

not sure I follow? I mix per instructions and dose 10mls a day that's all i know.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

not sure I follow? I mix per instructions and dose 10mls a day that's all i know.

OK, you are likely using my DIY recipe if it is the recipe that BRS recommended to you (I asked because some people choose different concentrations).

Using this calculator and electing Randy's Recipe #1, and 185 gallons you can see that

Reef Chemistry Calculator

you are adding about 0.5 ppm per day of calcium.

I'd up that to about 200 mL (about 11 ppm) per day and see what that does after a few days (not jsut one day; too much test noise for that to be accurate). Then adjust as needed to stabilize calcium where you want it (400-550 ppm calcium is fine, IMO).

 

[ddc0715]

thanks randy ill use the calulator

 

[ddc0715]

OK, you are likely using my DIY recipe if it is the recipe that BRS recommended to you (I asked because some people choose different concentrations).

Using this calculator and electing Randy's Recipe #1, and 185 gallons you can see that

Reef Chemistry Calculator

you are adding about 0.5 ppm per day of calcium.

I'd up that to about 200 mL (about 11 ppm) per day and see what that does after a few days (not jsut one day; too much test noise for that to be accurate). Then adjust as needed to stabilize calcium where you want it (400-550 ppm calcium is fine, IMO).

Ok question one about your calculator. Under CA and ALK there is something called Balanced Calcium is: Balanced Alkalinity is: can you explain these. Right now I am letting my numbers fall naturally until I hit my target of 450ish, 9-9.5 dkh. the numbers I used in this pic are just made up so that i can see how the chart is functioning. so I want to say these boxes tell me that my ca should be at 428 if I want a 9.5 dkh? Am I correct?

Question 2 I currently use your diy two part; that being part one calcium chloride and part 2 being soda ash (sodium carbonate). I found this mod to R.R.1 but I have questions (red text)

Part 1 - The Calcium and Magnesium Part
Dissolve 500 g of calcium chloride dihydrate plus 261.2 g of magnesium chloride hexahydrate in enough water to make a total volume of one gallon.

MY 1 part is pure calcium chloride (bought from brs)

What is calcium chloride dihydrate in laymen’s terms? And where can I purchase it

What is magnesium chloride hexahydrate in laymen’s terms? And where can I purchase it

Part 2 - The Alkalinity and Sulfate Part
Dissolve 374.7 g of sodium carbonate (594 g of baking soda that has been baked) plus 68.7 g of sodium sulfate in enough water to make a total volume of one gallon.

my 2 part is straight-up soda ash only (sodium carbonate) I got this covered

what is sodium sulfate in laymen’s terms? And where can I purchase it? I think I found it on amazon as Duda Energy 5ssf Natural Sodium Sulfate Food Grade FCC 99+% Granular Anhydrous Crystals Salt Made in USA is this the correct item?