Just not working out

[twon8]

close to 3, anywhere between 2.5 and 4 is fine imo,

 

[surfn]

i got a litermeter back in september, and i've been calibrating it to shoot for around 10-11dkh. my zoas weren't looking as good over a long period of time, so i dialed it down to around 8.5-9.5 dkh since i have a mixed reef. so far no ill effects.

 

[Stixbaraca]

OK guys the tests are in! I am using a Salifert KH/Alkalinity test and the reading I got is between 6.7-7.0 for the KH value in dKH. My Alkalinity is between 2.63-2.51

I am guessing they are out of wack for my 58 gallon.

 

[Stixbaraca]

The guy I got the caps from was keeping them under compact fluorescent lights...and they were doing nice in there!

 

[gflat65]

Going from PC's to MH could have an effect (that's a lot more light), but I'd start with the Alk/calcium equilibrium. That is one of th ebiggest forgotten killers among most corals, especially sps. I have one heck of a time keeping mine as high as 8 (dKh). I dose three over-heaping tablespoons of Seachem two part powder (ca one day, alk the next) and this barely keeps my 125 on par (heavily stocked with SPS). I do three level tablespoons for the 120 (mostly LPS and zoas) and that seems to keep it in line. I'm making the switch to the homemade two part (Dowflake for calcium and baking soda for alk) for cost reasons... Test every couple of days until you figure out a routine that works for the tank. Once you get it set, you won't have to check as often, as twon mentioned. As you add more stonie corals, you'll need to adjust, of course.

 

[Mr. Ugly]

My main tank has total system volume of 81 gallons. I dose 100ml of DIY 2-part daily. That would be 100ml of each component.

That keeps the system in the 3-3.4meq range, or 8.5-9.5dkh. So that would be about what Twon and Al are running on their tanks.

Montis and birdnest grow pretty fast with those parameters.

I dose about 250ml of DIY Mg supplement weekly too. I target 1350ppm. If Mg gets below 1100, my blastos and some other lps start to have probs.

 

[Stixbaraca]

So do you think with my levels I should be dosing to keep them higher?

 

[Stixbaraca]

I have a couple bottles of the 2 part stuff...I think it is and ESV product maybe B-Ionic...I guess I can start using that more often.

 

[revhtree]

You can use Baking Soda to raise it.

Here is a good read, and on down the page explains how to use Baking Soda.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm

 

[Stixbaraca]

Awesome read Rev! I think I will very slowly start making changes and testing along the way until I can get it right!

 

[twon8]

yeah, you should raise the alk and ca, using kalk for top off would be a good way to provide them.

 

[revhtree]

I would use a calcium additive and baking soda to raise them up where you want them, and then as twon said drip kalk/limewater to mantain them.

 

[Mr. Ugly]

Doesn't baking soda have a tendency to lower pH compared to washing soda(sodium carbonate)?

The DIY 2-part uses baked baking soda. Baking the baking soda drives off the CO2 turning the bicarbonate to carbonate.

The baking soda is recommended if pH is high to begin with, as might be if you already use kalkwasser.

Good to test your pH before you pick your supplement.

 

[surfn]

i had a pH probe/meter on my tank for well over a year. this was back when i was in grad school and i did things the super cheap way on my nano. i would just mix up a tsp of baking soda per gallon of top off water every day or two, and pour straight into the tank. i never noticed a noticable pH swing.

i have since tested pH and never really saw a noticable relationship even with the litermeter running the DIY 2-part. so i dont even bother looking at my pH anymore. as i tend to think trying to change the pH would just cause other problems.

i love the DIY 2-part, as its cheap...but the dosing pumps arent so cheap. i think i'm around 60mL/day on my 65g system of the alk part. i havent had time to hook up the calcium part yet, or an Mg part. but with only 3 pumps, i think one of them i'm gonna make a freshwater topoff from a larger resevoir.

 

[surfn]

I dose about 250ml of DIY Mg supplement weekly too. I target 1350ppm. If Mg gets below 1100, my blastos and some other lps start to have probs.

ya know, i'm having a really hard time figuring this Mg stuff out. i wonder if my salifert Mg kit is out of wack. i was testing and dosing using the Bio-mag flake, which by the way i really discourage, b/c you have to dose a TON. (i.e. very little Mg, and alot of filler crap).

anyways, i went through an entire bottle of this stuff in a couple weeks, just to raise my ppm by 250. then i remember testing a week later, and it was like 1100ppm, then a week later it was at 1400ppm, last week it was like 1200ppm. does Mg vary depending on when you test it? (i.e. night vs. day?)

what do you mean when your blastos are having a probs? i need to try and find some of that Mag-flake from homedepot.

 

[Stixbaraca]

I'll have to test the Calcium also I guess to see where I am at.

 

[twon8]

Doesn't baking soda have a tendency to lower pH compared to washing soda(sodium carbonate)?

The DIY 2-part uses baked baking soda. Baking the baking soda drives off the CO2 turning the bicarbonate to carbonate.

The baking soda is recommended if pH is high to begin with, as might be if you already use kalkwasser.

Good to test your pH before you pick your supplement.

it has a marginal effect on ph, but as long as there is proper aeration the co2 will be blown off quickly and ph will actually rise a minimal amount.

the diy has two versions, one bakes the baking soda, as this makes it more soluble in water. the othere version you use just baking soda.

honestly i think ph is overstressed as an important parameter, i don't worry if it is a bit high, if it is low i know my alk is likely low as well.

 

[twon8]

ya know, i'm having a really hard time figuring this Mg stuff out. i wonder if my salifert Mg kit is out of wack. i was testing and dosing using the Bio-mag flake, which by the way i really discourage, b/c you have to dose a TON. (i.e. very little Mg, and alot of filler crap).

anyways, i went through an entire bottle of this stuff in a couple weeks, just to raise my ppm by 250. then i remember testing a week later, and it was like 1100ppm, then a week later it was at 1400ppm, last week it was like 1200ppm. does Mg vary depending on when you test it? (i.e. night vs. day?)

what do you mean when your blastos are having a probs? i need to try and find some of that Mag-flake from homedepot.

when my tank was low on mg, i had to dose two and half liters of the randy's homemade mg supplement. and it raised it about 200 ppm.

mg is very abundant in our tanks, so when it gets low it takes a lot to make it up.

you can use epsom salts in place of the mag flake in a pinch, there are a few companies in richmond that sell it.

 

[Mr. Ugly]

I'd have to add about 1.5L if my Mg was down to 1100.

Agreed on the pH. I pretty much don't check it anymore. I just dose the 2-part, and it's been fine all along.

I'm using Instant Ocean salt, so when I do a water change, I add 8ml each of the Ca and Mg per gallon of new salt water.

Then I just need to do daily dosing to keep up with the rate of depletion.

If the Mg gets low, blastos and other lps can start showing tissue recession and exposed skeletons. A few people I know had unhappy looking bubble and hammer corals. Their Mg was below 1100, and the probs went away after after they brought their Mg up to 1350-1400.

Probably a problem with the coral having difficulty laying down new skeleton when Mg is low.

I don't think time of day matters on Mg measurement.

 

[twon8]

The guy I got the caps from was keeping them under compact fluorescent lights...and they were doing nice in there!

it's also possible you are bleaching the caps from too much light, might want to move them down.