Taking DOWN calcium reactor : USELESS

[Tamberav]

it seems you added equipment you did not need which drove your parameters out of wack. If your tank was wall to wall SPS colonies then that would be a different story but your frags don’t need or want this crap.

More is not always better. You simply do not have the consumption to warrant it.

All you needed to do was test Alk a few times a week and adjust some 2part in a doser for consumption and continue to monitor and keep alk around 7-9.

 

[flampton]

Yes turn off the calcium reactor. Stop kalkwasser. Perform a 25% water change. Then wait a few days. Then perform another 25% change. Then finally look at your alk and calcium.

Ask yourself are these levels above or below your needs. I use NSW type levels, others prefer higher levels (no one is successful below NSW levels as far as I know).

Okay once at this point you'll choose your supplements. I personally use a personally modified recipe of All For Reef (tropic marin) Yet for a beginner I would choose a standard two part from ESV or the like.

It's beyond this post on how to track calcium and alkalinity levels and dose the correct amounts. However you need to do this research or you will fail to be stable and then you're just flushing money down the toilet.

And if you ever have concerns about your measurements always have a backup. Doesn't have to be expensive. For instance if I ever saw a pH of 7.5 digitally I would immediately check with a cheap colorimetric test.

 

[flampton]

Oh and make sure you truly understand what your salinity/specific gravity is. I mean make sure you have two methods that are giving you similar results. Normally you can use one tool but when things go crazy you need to definitely make sure nothing has gone off

 

[Daniel@R2R]

I agree with what everyone else is saying. A calcium reactor is a great tool once your tank is ready for it. My advice is to hold onto that reactor (it looks like you got a good one) and as your tank gets older and the corals grow out you'll be glad you have it. Just don't run it until you have a need for it.

 

[RVA REEF]

it looks like you just have frags, water changes will be able to keep up with their demand. Once they get bigger you can start dosing some kalk and 2 part or calcium reactor.

 

[EMeyer]

i been dosing kalkwasser for my ph alk is out a control, last time i tested 3 days ago it was 15 so i stop dosing the kalkwasser ph went down to 7.5

And people wonder why I'm on a crusade about pH.

Throw away your pH tests or probes, and don't do anything to adjust your tank's pH. Problem solved. 15 dkh? That'll kill things quickly, and screw up all your water chemistry.

Ignore pH, maintain dKH instead.

 

[hyeclass]

Yes turn off the calcium reactor. Stop kalkwasser. Perform a 25% water change. Then wait a few days. Then perform another 25% change. Then finally look at your alk and calcium.

Ask yourself are these levels above or below your needs. I use NSW type levels, others prefer higher levels (no one is successful below NSW levels as far as I know).

Okay once at this point you'll choose your supplements. I personally use a personally modified recipe of All For Reef (tropic marin) Yet for a beginner I would choose a standard two part from ESV or the like.

It's beyond this post on how to track calcium and alkalinity levels and dose the correct amounts. However you need to do this research or you will fail to be stable and then you're just flushing money down the toilet.

And if you ever have concerns about your measurements always have a backup. Doesn't have to be expensive. For instance if I ever saw a pH of 7.5 digitally I would immediately check with a cheap colorimetric test.

I did calibration on the ph probe I should get a hanna ph checker apax ph is not accurate probe

 

[hyeclass]

And people wonder why I'm on a crusade about pH.

Throw away your pH tests or probes, and don't do anything to adjust your tank's pH. Problem solved. 15 dkh? That'll kill things quickly, and screw up all your water chemistry.

Ignore pH, maintain dKH instead.

I am going to do a water change 40% check back in couple of days do a water change till my alk is 9

 

[Smite]

No need to give up on a nice calcium reactor setup! It sounds like you've lost a lot of coral so I'm not going to base your needs off what you have now but what it sounds like you plan to keep.

What parameters were you looking to maintain as far as alkalinity, calcium and magnesium? Looking at your phosphate and nitrate trends, right now you'd want to be on the lower end of alkalinity probably 9 and below.


If this was my system I'd:
1) Turn off the co2 tank but keep the calcium reactor effluent going
2) I'd start performing small water changes to bring down my parameters. You'll be waiting forever for the few remaining corals the bring them down for you


Now how did you get to where you are? Did you base your reactor settings (ph level + effluent drip rate) off a suggestion or some research?

Looking at your situation I feel like you had your reactor set higher than you demand needs. Your alk and calcium are both high. I choose to run a reactor from day 1 of adding coral. This allows me to fine tune and slowly ramp up the reactors output for the increasing demand of the tank as it grows. It also seems like a lot of co2 is not being burned off creating a very low ph value in the display? Are you sure you have your co2 doser hooked up and adjusted correctly? What is the ph in the reactor? What alk is your calcium reactors effluent line putting out?

When you get down to a level around 9 dkh and under 500 for cal start with a higher ph in the reactor around 7-7.1. To help with ph, have your reactors effluent drip into your sump before or at your skimmer so it can pull some of that co2 out of the water and increase your ph value.

 

[Smite]

Just saw your post, sounds like a plan. If you want to keep the coral you still have do multiple small water changes. I would not do 40%. Unless its a salt mix with a high alk level you're going to have issues from the sudden drop

 

[hyeclass]

Yes turn off the calcium reactor. Stop kalkwasser. Perform a 25% water change. Then wait a few days. Then perform another 25% change. Then finally look at your alk and calcium.

Ask yourself are these levels above or below your needs. I use NSW type levels, others prefer higher levels (no one is successful below NSW levels as far as I know).

Okay once at this point you'll choose your supplements. I personally use a personally modified recipe of All For Reef (tropic marin) Yet for a beginner I would choose a standard two part from ESV or the like.

It's beyond this post on how to track calcium and alkalinity levels and dose the correct amounts. However you need to do this research or you will fail to be stable and then you're just flushing money down the toilet.

And if you ever have concerns about your measurements always have a backup. Doesn't have to be expensive. For instance if I ever saw a pH of 7.5 digitally I would immediately check with a cheap colorimetric test.

I just took this pics just now black friday is coming up I am thinking to get corals by the time they come it should be ok I'll don2 water changes
What do you think

 

[hyeclass]

Just saw your post, sounds like a plan. If you want to keep the coral you still have do multiple small water changes. I would not do 40%. Unless its a salt mix with a high alk level you're going to have issues from the sudden drop

i got 140 gal = should i do a 25 gal? water change or 30?

 

[hyeclass]

Just saw your post, sounds like a plan. If you want to keep the coral you still have do multiple small water changes. I would not do 40%. Unless its a salt mix with a high alk level you're going to have issues from the sudden drop

i use FritzPRO 8.5 alk

 

[Thales]

It feels like you and your reef might benefit from slowing down and getting a firm understanding around what goes on in a tank and how to keep things stable and why and how everything interacts. I would buy nothing for a while, get stuff under control and stable.

 

[hyeclass]

It feels like you and your reef might benefit from slowing down and getting a firm understanding around what goes on in a tank and how to keep things stable and why and how everything interacts. I would buy nothing for a while, get stuff under control and stable.

i think i'll stop buying things for 3 months till everything is stabilized in my tank, as you know so is everyone stability is very important parameters in the tank. i over dos the tank with kal my dkh was 7.5 not only that my corals are dying i spend so much money and i get 0 results. i was really going to give up sale everything i got, i got really frustrated seems like i try to get help from reef2reef i end up damaging myself more then it is

i did put a post on my ph is being low so they said get kal i did read the info not sure why it end up going that high.

 

[Thales]

I am sorry you are going through this. I tell people that hey have to be careful with advice they get online, and not just do what someone says to do. You and your animals will be much better off if you develop an understanding of the 'whys' behind advice, and then decide if those why's and advice make sense to you. After all, you are the only one that knows your system, so sometimes advice that might make sense in theory is the opposite of what you want for your system. You also need to be able to tell if the advice you are being given is good or not - one of the powers and failings of forums is that anyone can give advice, good or not.

 

[Water Dog]

i use FritzPRO 8.5 alk

What is your tank’s current alkalinity?

Once you have completed some water changes, please turn the CO2 supply to the calcium reactor off and stop dosing kalkwasser. Please take your Alk readings for the next three days and post them here. With those Alk numbers we will be able to determine your Alk consumption rate. Then advise you on where to go from there to maintain steady alkalinity.

Everything in your tank is dying because of lack of stability. I would caution you not to buy anything further, even if it’s Black Friday as you’ll end up wasting even more money and killing more things.

One last question... how have you been dosing Kalk? Are you going through your ATO and ATO reservoir, using an independent dosing pump through a Kalk reactor or a combination thereof?

 

[hyeclass]

What is your tank’s current alkalinity?

Now that you have done some water changes, please turn the CO2 supply to the calcium reactor off and stop dosing kalkwasser. Please take your Alk readings for the next three days and post them here. With those Alk numbers we will be able to determine your Alk consumption rate. Then advise you on where to go from there to maintain steady alkalinity.

Everything in your tank is dying because of lack of stability. I would caution you not to buy anything further, even if it’s Black Friday as you’ll end up wasting even more money and killing more things.

One last question... how have you been dosing Kalk? Are you going through your ATO and ATO reservoir, using an independent dosing pump through a Kalk reactor or a combination thereof?

i turn the reactor off it's been already 2 days, i did dos kalk yesterday, tested it was 13 dkh it was 15 when i did a water change it went down to 13, i am going to do a water change not sure how many gal i should do it, i got 140 gal tank


what comes to Kalk i get a RODI water mix the kalk wait till it gets bottom of the barrow the chunks when the water is almost see thru i take the see thru water and dos it DUMP it in the SUMP

 

[hyeclass]

I am sorry you are going through this. I tell people that hey have to be careful with advice they get online, and not just do what someone says to do. You and your animals will be much better off if you develop an understanding of the 'whys' behind advice, and then decide if those why's and advice make sense to you. After all, you are the only one that knows your system, so sometimes advice that might make sense in theory is the opposite of what you want for your system. You also need to be able to tell if the advice you are being given is good or not - one of the powers and failings of forums is that anyone can give advice, good or not.

be honest with you, it's NOT about the MONEY it's LIFE, when my pets died ALL OF THEM due to velvet i want spend 500 getting a plastic tank crelic i think 80 gal bough new pets put everyone in there for 4 months while. corals didn't care about velvet as you know.

1 yellow tang
1 gem tang
1 blue tang
1 salfin tang
1 powder blue
2 purple tang
1 kole tang
1 Melanurus Wrasse
2 Wrasse ?? not sure which once
1 Angelfish
1 Yellow Longnose Butterflyfish
6 designer clownfish
3 Ruby Red Dragone
1 Flame Hawkfish


i am running a filter system container to keep my natraite down also, refugume

 

[Water Dog]

i turn the reactor off it's been already 2 days, i did dos kalk yesterday, tested it was 13 dkh it was 15 when i did a water change it went down to 13, i am going to do a water change not sure how many gal i should do it, i got 140 gal tank


what comes to Kalk i get a RODI water mix the kalk wait till it gets bottom of the barrow the chunks when the water is almost see thru i take the see thru water and dos it DUMP it in the SUMP

Thanks of the info. So you are manually dosing Kalk... got it! After you do your big water change, take an Alk reading. For the next few days, be sure not dose any Kalk, don’t do any water changes and please report back with your Alkalinity readings, preferably taken at the same time every day.