How much is too much of a swing? What should my goal be? (Also, alk to nutrient ratios.)

[am3gross]

I have the Apex, I am working out fine tuning the dos for my daily usage as I have just started dosing 2 part. I feel like I am pretty close but what is a solid +/- spread I should be shooting for daily? What should my target be? I know ALk is 9-11, CAL 450 ish and MAG 1350..

 

[Caseyoidae]

Those are all good targets. Alk is the most important. The oceans something like 8dkh and that’s a pretty good target for a reef tank as well. Keep the fluctuations as small as possible with alk. Calcium and mag fluctuations are not nearly as important. Love the stingray!

 

[Deep]

What is the Alk in the fresh salt water that you mix ? It is always best to target Alk levels that are close that so that it is stable even post water changes. I am assuming there is some daily Alk usage by corals - do you know how much that is ?
As for Cal and Mag - your current levels are fine. You just need to dose equal parts of the 2 part based how much you are dosing Alk.

 

[Fishyfish22]

for calcium and magnesium, you just want them to be within the recommended levels.
Alk is the one that requires stability. for example while 9 and 11 are both within the ranges for alk, if it goes from 9 to 11 in a day you will most definitely be experiencing die off.

test your alk drop over the course of two days. From there measure how much the DOS should add and how frequently. when you begin to add more hard coral you'll have to do this again, it's something even people with calcium reactors have to do.

 

[Greg P]

I have the Apex, I am working out fine tuning the dos for my daily usage as I have just started dosing 2 part. I feel like I am pretty close but what is a solid +/- spread I should be shooting for daily? What should my target be? I know ALk is 9-11, CAL 450 ish and MAG 1350..

What are your current SPS/LPS ?
What's your Alk, Ca and Mag?
What's your PO4 and NO3?

 

[Jonify]

A 1.4dKH swing is the max recommended, according to popular dosing products' instructions. But for max health, you should probably strive for something much, much smaller. My tank swings from 8.8-9 every day, and my coral are rapidly regaining health after a kalk mishap a few months ago.

 

[am3gross]

What are your current SPS/LPS ?
What's your Alk, Ca and Mag?
What's your PO4 and NO3?

Currently I have a mix of both LPS/SPS, but mostly SPS. All are small frags. 40 pcs in total.

Current levels are...

ALK: 9.12. Since calibration of the trident on the 19th my range has been 9.1 to 9.8
CAL: 4.29. Range has been 421-437
MAG: 1361. Range 1356-1365
PO4: 0. measured on 19th Jan
NO3: I have not measured. I should probably check that today to see.
And PH has been between 7.73-7.85. I can not get that above 8. I really thought that by dosing that soda ash that would have gone up past 8, but that has not been the case.

 

[am3gross]

What is the Alk in the fresh salt water that you mix ? It is always best to target Alk levels that are close that so that it is stable even post water changes. I am assuming there is some daily Alk usage by corals - do you know how much that is ?
As for Cal and Mag - your current levels are fine. You just need to dose equal parts of the 2 part based how much you are dosing Alk.

I will check on this today, I use IO salt so I am sure the numbers are low. I know there are better salts out there that I could use.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Those are all good targets. Alk is the most important. The oceans something like 8dkh and that’s a pretty good target for a reef tank as well.

The ocean alkalinity is about 6.5 dKH at 35 ppt salinity.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I will check on this today, I use IO salt so I am sure the numbers are low. I know there are better salts out there that I could use.

Normal IO is fine. It is my preferred salt.

It does have high alk, but that does not mean you need to target a level so high.

While some SPS corals will grow faster at high alk, aLk in the 8+ dKH range risks burnt tips if you do not maintain adequately high nitrate and phosphate.

 

[X-37B]

The ocean alkalinity is about 6.5 dKH at 35 ppt salinity.

Exactly! Why do I keep hearing the ocean's alk is 8-9.
Some very well known sellers keep saying this.
Such is the hobby I guess.

 

[am3gross]

Normal IO is fine. It is my preferred salt.

It does have high alk, but that does not mean you need to target a level so high.

While some SPS corals will grow faster at high alk, aLk in the 8+ dKH range risks burnt tips if you do not maintain adequately high nitrate and phosphate.

Wait a second here... I just measured Nitrate at 0.. If my Phosphates are also at 0 then you are saying I should be in the 7's for my alk levels?

 

[am3gross]

If this is the case then I should be shutting down my DOS instead.

 

[X-37B]

I have the Apex, I am working out fine tuning the dos for my daily usage as I have just started dosing 2 part. I feel like I am pretty close but what is a solid +/- spread I should be shooting for daily? What should my target be? I know ALk is 9-11, CAL 450 ish and MAG 1350..

This is the range I run for my tanks stability.
Pick your levels and keep them in range no matter what you run.
Alk 7-7.5
Ca 420-450
Mag 1300-1350
Po4 .02-.08
No3 5-10

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Wait a second here... I just measured Nitrate at 0.. If my Phosphates are also at 0 then you are saying I should be in the 7's for my alk levels?

If you have SPS, definitely.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

If this is the case then I should be shutting down my DOS instead.

Yes, at least until alk drops down or nutrients rise.

 

[am3gross]

This is the range I run for my tanks stability.
Pick your levels and keep them in range no matter what you run.
Alk 7-7.5
Ca 420-450
Mag 1300-1350
Po4 .02-.08
No3 5-10

These are the numbers I will shoot for, and make adjustments if needed.

If you have SPS, definitely.

My mind has just been blown, I have been trying to hit numbers that has not been beneficial for a while, this is what may have led to my demise years ago when I decided to take a break...

Thanks for all the info everyone. I just shut down the DOS. I will let the numbers fall, and see how much it drops each day. Then start the DOS back up when the time is right.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Just to be sure we are clear, 11 dKH is fine as a target if high coral growth is the main goal. You just need to be sure to maintain adequate nutrients, and color might possibly not be optimal if higher nutrients lead to more zooxanthellae (which are golden brown) in the corals.

 

[am3gross]

Just to be sure we are clear, 11 dKH is fine as a target if high coral growth is the main goal. You just need to be sure to maintain adequate nutrients, and color might possibly not be optimal if higher nutrients lead to more zooxanthellae (which are golden brown) in the corals.

Higher nutrients means I need to add Nitrates some how, I am already seeing a slight Cyano out break which only occurs when I feed more, so I tend to cut back and it goes away. Should I continue to feed more and push thru the Cyano or is there another way I can add nitrates with out having to dump an entire bottle of "XYZ" additive in my system which is between 400-450 gallons?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Higher nutrients means I need to add Nitrates some how, I am already seeing a slight Cyano out break which only occurs when I feed more, so I tend to cut back and it goes away. Should I continue to feed more and push thru the Cyano or is there another way I can add nitrates with out having to dump an entire bottle of "XYZ" additive in my system which is between 400-450 gallons?

You can feed more, or dose nitrate or something like an amino acid.

IMO, cyano is worth it to avoid dinos.