Parameters?

rayn · May 16, 2016

My tank is only a couple months old now. Gone through the cycle, got the uglies, added a small cuc. Then added a few corals and a couple fish.

Corals consist of 2 small acan colonies, maybe around 10-15 heads each. Some are newish. Meat coral that had shrunk up and is now starting to grow again. Small blasto coral.

Cal 320
Mag 1240
Alk 5.2?! Tested twice to be sure

I do weekly water changes using RC at 30 a time on a ~140 gallon volume.

I dosed in 80ml of alk and it only raised to 6.2. According to the calculator I need in the range of 300ml total just to get it to 8.0.

I'm just surprised it is that low. I figured RC had higher number then this, or could the 4 small corals actually be using this much?

Randy Holmes-Farley · May 16, 2016

The kit alk units are dKH or meq/L?

jsker · May 16, 2016

What test kits are you using? Your Ca and Mg are about 100 off of being ideal. That is also surprising for RC to be that low after a water change. What is your salinity?

rayn · May 16, 2016

Dkh for the measurements. I can read both, it is Red Sea kit.

I clean the testing vial with new water and a tooth brush before each test so there isn't any contamination either.

Randy Holmes-Farley · May 16, 2016

FWIW, the cycle depletes alkalinity (when nitrate is produced), so if you did not adjust or water change after that, it might be from cycling.

jsker · May 16, 2016

rayn said:
Dkh for the measurements. I can read both, it is Red Sea kit.

I clean the testing vial with new water and a tooth brush before each test so there isn't any contamination either.

Wow that is strange. RC run high in Ca, Akl, and Mg and you do not have enough to deplete the system yet. I used to use a half cup of salt per gallon of water.

rayn · May 16, 2016

Salinity is 1.025 or 34ppm. Per refractometer.

jsker said:
What test kits are you using? Your Ca and Mg are about 100 off of being ideal. That is also surprising for RC to be that low after a water change. What is your salinity?

I was thinking the other two were off, but all is the biggest.

rayn · May 16, 2016

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
FWIW, the cycle depletes alkalinity (when nitrate is produced), so if you did not adjust or water change after that, it might be from cycling.

I never adjusted for it. I can dose and get it back up. Not all at once tho

jsker · May 16, 2016

rayn said:
Salinity is 1.025 or 34ppm. Per refractometer.

I was thinking the other two were off, but all is the biggest.

from my experience, it like the Ca is like 450 and the Mg is low and I only had to adjust the mg. When I used RC my Mg was always low but my alk was high and my Ca way so high that I would get deposits on my heater.

Yes you can dose to get everything back to where it needs to be. I would dose Mg and Ca when you do your water change. do you use an ATO? if so dose your kalwasser in the ATO water. This is also what I used to do. Then I went the the Balling Method and now dose this way.

rayn · May 16, 2016

I don't ever remember RC being this low. I've used it for years or IO. This is the end of a box of RC though.

I will have a ato, but it isn't set yet. Doing multiple daily top off right now. I have a dosing pump to be setup as well once I get to it.