keeping levels stable?

[cwb_reeftank]

ok I feel like I'm not sure how to maintain my levels at a stable point. I did a water change on May 26 and checked my alk and it read at 9.5 dKH(Hanna) I checked it today and it showed 7.6 dKH(Hanna). I want to keep my levels between 7-8. how would I one keep them stable and how would I dose or come up with a maintenance schedule for it. I use red sea salt the blue bucket, when I need to I use b-ionic 2 part, I do a weekly water change of 10 gallons on my 55. I plan on getting a doser somewhat soon.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

What alk level do you want to stabilize at?

 

[cwb_reeftank]

I'd like a good one for sps so maybe 7.5? in the middle ?

 

[cwb_reeftank]

Or what would you recommend

 

[cwb_reeftank]

anyone out there that can help me?

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

First, you need to establish how much carbonate alkalinity your tank uses in a given period. You already have a rough idea of this, because you say your tank's alkalinity dropped by about 2 dKh over the past week. Then, you need to find out how much you would need to dose to bring the carbonate levels back to where they were. This calculator says it would take 200mL of B-Ionic to get your alkalinity from 7.6 dKh back to 9.5 dKh. This suggests that you would need to dose 200mL to your tank every week to maintain a stable carbonate alkalinity, or about 29mL every day.

Personally, I would start dosing around there and see where your alkalinity goes. Be sure to test daily to see what your alkalinity is doing. If you notice your alkalinity rising higher than you would like, reduce the daily dose. If you notice the alkalinity dropping, increase the dose. If you notice the alkalinity staying stable, then you've found the right dose per day. Keep in mind that all of this relies heavily upon having accurate and working testing equipment. Be sure that your Hanna Checker is functioning properly and that your testing procedure is consistent.

Another thing to consider is the alkalinity of your salt mix. You mentioned you use the blue bucket Red Sea. The alkalinity of this salt should be between 7 dKh and 8 dKh. Keep that in mind when calculating your dosing amounts. If you maintain an alkalinity higher than that of your salt mix, a water change will decrease your alkalinity. If you maintain a lower alkalinity than that of your salt mix, a water change will result in a net increase in alkalinity.

 

[cwb_reeftank]

Thank you for the help I've been trying to figure out how to do it so I can keep it around 7-7.5ish

 

[cwb_reeftank]

I plan on getting a jaebo? Doser to keep up with would that be a good investment?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I plan on getting a jaebo? Doser to keep up with would that be a good investment?

yes. A doser and two part is pretty easy.
Starting out you may want to settle in at 8.5. don't force it. itll take some time to dial in the dose. IMO, under dosing and letting the cal and alk naturally drop while very slowly increasing the dose works well.
When I started it was probably two months before I got it settled in. I go that slow.
This also allows you to understand the impact of water changes to your schedule over a longer period.

 

[cwb_reeftank]

Would the doser I mentioned above be good?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Would the doser I mentioned above be good?

Yes. I have two of them. I have the 3 stage and also the 2 stage. (two tanks) (the DP2 and DP3)
It's a decent inexpensive option.