Can Kalk dosing counteract dosing two part ?

[Johnic]

I’m currently dosing 1800ml of BRS Pharm grade kalk and also dosing 40ml of both Calc and Alk BRS mixed powder. I can’t seem to bring my calcium up past 390, I even used Brightwells calcium powder mixed with rodi water yesterday and today dosing 60ml each day and it still hasn’t gone up past 395.

I have only 5 soft corals in the tank but a lot of coraline. What is sucking up my calcium or is it being counteracted by the kalk ? Is the rock absorbing it ? Sand ?
The tank is 9 months old, I used dry rock when setting up the tank and I have a sand bed.

 

[blaxsun]

What are you using for testing kits?

 

[Johnic]

What are you using for testing kits?

Both Apex Trident and Salifert

 

[blaxsun]

Both Apex Trident and Salifert

I don't know what size your tank is, but I have a 200-gallon mixed reef (a lot of LPS and SPS) and I only dose <10ml of calcium daily. So it really seems like you're dosing a lot (unless it's really, really diluted).

 

[apb03]

Maybe precipitation is my guess.

You shouldn’t need to dose anything for quite some time. I'm running 3L of kalk and 10ml of AFR per day on 130gal with at least 100 frags 30% or so SPS and a ton of LPS. Even then my Calc is in the 500s

What is your alk?

 

[Johnic]

Maybe precipitation is my guess.

You shouldn’t need to dose anything for quite some time. I'm running 3L of kalk and 10ml of AFR per day on 130gal with at least 100 frags 30% or so SPS and a ton of LPS. Even then my Calc is in the 500s

What is your alk?

Alk is 8.9.
Should I just stop dosing alk and Calc ?

 

[Johnic]

I don't know what size your tank is, but I have a 200-gallon mixed reef (a lot of LPS and SPS) and I only dose <10ml of calcium daily. So it really seems like you're dosing a lot (unless it's really, really diluted).

I agree, not sure why the calcium isnt going up higher and why im dosing so much for only 5 soft corals in a 75 water volume tank.

 

[Gyarados]

Low magnesium level will give you a problem like that

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

There's no scenario where adding enough calcium chloride cannot boost calcium as high as you want.

IMO, you just are adding too little.

40 mL of my DIY two part (such as BRS uses) only adds 2 ppm of calcium to 200 gallons of water.

Try adding 500 mL in a day and see what it does for calcium.

This calculator is useful for figuring doses. THe BRS recipe = Randy's Recipe #1.

 

[apb03]

Alk is 8.9.
Should I just stop dosing alk and Calc ?

If it were me, I would stop the dosing. You really don't have any demand for it right now with only a handful of soft corals. Your water changes should take care of it until you add LPS and/or SPS.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

If it were me, I would stop the dosing. You really don't have any demand for it right now with only a handful of soft corals. Your water changes should take care of it until you add LPS and/or SPS.

"I have only 5 soft corals in the tank but a lot of coraline."

Coralline can use a lot of alk and calcium.

 

[Johnic]

There's no scenario where adding enough calcium chloride cannot boost calcium as high as you want.

IMO, you just are adding too little.

40 mL of my DIY two part (such as BRS uses) only adds 2 ppm of calcium to 200 gallons of water.

Try adding 500 mL in a day and see what it does for calcium.

This calculator is useful for figuring doses. THe BRS recipe = Randy's Recipe #1.

Got it, I'll follow the recipe on the your web site under calculator.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Got it, I'll follow the recipe on the BRS web site under calculator.

Sorry, I forgot to link the calculator, which is much more inclusive than the BRS one:

Reef Chemistry Calculator
http://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chem_calc3.html

 

[Johnic]

Sorry, I forgot to link the calculator, which is much more inclusive than the BRS one:

Reef Chemistry Calculator
http://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chem_calc3.html

Awesome, thanks alot!! I'll let ya know in 2 days how the dosing worked out.