Advice or just observations please
Have an 11 month since start with 6 month matured rocks - 180 Cade.
T5 hybrid with 3 Gen5s
solid thriving Fuge, regularly changed socks and RS skimmer
Salt - 1.026 - have to keep it from edging to 1.027
AWC with TM Pro 4 liters PD
dosing 450 mls BRS Kalk daily
Temp 79.5
Alk consistently 10.8 to 11.5 - Hannah 2-3 times a week (I know that's high end but its where it is)
Calcium 450-490 - Nyos - weekly
Mag 1380 - Salifert - monthly
N - 5.0 - 7.0 - Hannah or Red Sea -
Phos - 0.02 Hannah
Dosing Chaeto grow and Acropower
Live in a very rural setting and 4G (weak at that) IS my internet, so no WiFi advanced automation - Kamoer bluetooth and Mobius world!
Tank has a good assortment of Soft, LPS and SPS - most are thriving (Torches are going crazy) and last 2 - 3 months Acros have been spreading, reaching, coloring up and most with very active polyp movement. Very sporadic target feeding. Acros taking on some color that were not present at purchase and the LFS guy who cultivates them is impressed.
Tank had an over dosing Kalk run about 6 months ago which resulted in 25-30% coral frag loss and set back of many others. Had one ChemiClean treatment about 3 months back that did what it was supposed to do as much as I hated having to do it.
Since then honestly getting to the point where visual inspection and coral growth is making me feel better about the stability and (knock on drift wood) health of the system is where I would like it to be. Some hair algae in some of the low flow areas, and working on addressing that - hand picking, more grazers, and repositioning flow.
So my concern has been pH running 7.7 to 7.9 with a Milwaukee hand held that has been calibrated with same firm standard. Am plotting a fresh air line for the skimmer, but not there yet.
Was going to seek advice on low level intervention tools to bring it up slowly, but a new wrinkle has been added. On a lark I bought a Hannah pH checker, and it is reading 8.3 to 8.1 over 4 sessions/2 days.
Now, does anyone have experience with Hannah, and can I count on that and write off the Milwaukee. Is there a reader that would be a reliable tie breaker? Did an ICP test months back and have an unused one, but my lab bench experience (make vaccines for a living) makes me doubt their utility.
Tank looks and feels good, and don't want to mess up by pushing the pH and now the Hannah makes me feel like it matches the SPS condition.
Thanks for your considered inputs.
Have an 11 month since start with 6 month matured rocks - 180 Cade.
T5 hybrid with 3 Gen5s
solid thriving Fuge, regularly changed socks and RS skimmer
Salt - 1.026 - have to keep it from edging to 1.027
AWC with TM Pro 4 liters PD
dosing 450 mls BRS Kalk daily
Temp 79.5
Alk consistently 10.8 to 11.5 - Hannah 2-3 times a week (I know that's high end but its where it is)
Calcium 450-490 - Nyos - weekly
Mag 1380 - Salifert - monthly
N - 5.0 - 7.0 - Hannah or Red Sea -
Phos - 0.02 Hannah
Dosing Chaeto grow and Acropower
Live in a very rural setting and 4G (weak at that) IS my internet, so no WiFi advanced automation - Kamoer bluetooth and Mobius world!
Tank has a good assortment of Soft, LPS and SPS - most are thriving (Torches are going crazy) and last 2 - 3 months Acros have been spreading, reaching, coloring up and most with very active polyp movement. Very sporadic target feeding. Acros taking on some color that were not present at purchase and the LFS guy who cultivates them is impressed.
Tank had an over dosing Kalk run about 6 months ago which resulted in 25-30% coral frag loss and set back of many others. Had one ChemiClean treatment about 3 months back that did what it was supposed to do as much as I hated having to do it.
Since then honestly getting to the point where visual inspection and coral growth is making me feel better about the stability and (knock on drift wood) health of the system is where I would like it to be. Some hair algae in some of the low flow areas, and working on addressing that - hand picking, more grazers, and repositioning flow.
So my concern has been pH running 7.7 to 7.9 with a Milwaukee hand held that has been calibrated with same firm standard. Am plotting a fresh air line for the skimmer, but not there yet.
Was going to seek advice on low level intervention tools to bring it up slowly, but a new wrinkle has been added. On a lark I bought a Hannah pH checker, and it is reading 8.3 to 8.1 over 4 sessions/2 days.
Now, does anyone have experience with Hannah, and can I count on that and write off the Milwaukee. Is there a reader that would be a reliable tie breaker? Did an ICP test months back and have an unused one, but my lab bench experience (make vaccines for a living) makes me doubt their utility.
Tank looks and feels good, and don't want to mess up by pushing the pH and now the Hannah makes me feel like it matches the SPS condition.
Thanks for your considered inputs.