Why does my reef tank have high Ca and Alk?

[Nick Barbier]

I am at my wits end! I have a 125g mixed reef with a medium to heavy bioload. Until a year or so ago, I have always dosed equal parts of 2 part solution and I had good success with my corals. Then, someone at my LFS told me that you never dose equal parts of your 2 part solution. So I started lowering or increasing the dosing of Ca and Alk depending on whether they were low or high. That's when everything went out of wack and I haven't been able to get my water parameters back in balance ever since. The directions for my 2 part solution says to dose equal parts of 2 part solution. Yet my LFS folks say never to dose equal parts. That's only for beginners or people that never test their tanks. This advice totally contradicts the dosing directions of my 2 part solution and several articles that I have read.
The current tank parameters for my 125g mixed reef are: Alk: 12.5 DKH, Ca: 525, SG: 1.026, No3: 0. I would prefer to have the Ca at 430 and the Alk at 8 according to the Red Sea salt mix that I use.. My question is how do I lower my parameters to acceptable levels? I did a 36 gallon water change. But that only lowered the Ca from 530 to 525 and Alk from 12.9 to 12.5. I have lost corals from what I believe to be Alk too high.
Please help!
Thank you in advance for your advice.

 

[F i s h y]

I dont have an answer for you but our last names are almost the same! Mine is Barbieri. hope you get an answer... happy reefing

Edit* I live by the if it ain't broke don't fix it. If equal parts was working for ya and everything was happy... don't change it. We have to be careful chasing numbers. They are just guidance, let your tank and its inhabitants tell you if they are happy or not

 

[Crustaceon]

I don’t think it matters whether or not you should dose equal parts when the main problem i’m seeing is how much you’re dosing of both. I would stop all of your dosing efforts for the next few weeks and only do your normal water changes. See where your parameters land and then adjust from there. I’ll bet your daily dose will be half of what you’re adding right now.

 

[Nick Barbier]

I dont have an answer for you but our last names are almost the same! Mine is Barbieri. hope you get an answer... happy reefing

Edit* I live by the if it ain't broke don't fix it. If equal parts was working for ya and everything was happy... don't change it. We have to be careful chasing numbers. They are just guidance, let your tank and its inhabitants tell you if they are happy or not

Thanks for the advice. Is Barbieri italian? Barbier is french.

 

[andrewey]

What is your magnesium at?

 

[andrewey]

Also, is there any reason you couldn't stop dosing and let your levels fall to their ideal levels over time? Then you can measure the tank's consumption and determine your daily dosing regimen. If equal part dosing was working at maintaing your levels before, don't worry about what someone else says- if it works, it works

 

[GabeM]

What are your magnesium and phosphate levels? seems one of them must be high to keep the CA from precipitating out.

 

[Nick Barbier]

Thanks for the advice. Is Barbieri italian? Barbier is french.

What is your magnesium at?

I didn't test Mag this last time. But Magnesium is in part 1 along Calcium and trace elements. 2 weeks ago when I tested the Mg, it was at 1400.

 

[Nick Barbier]

What are your magnesium and phosphate levels? seems one of them must be high to keep the CA from precipitating out.

Mg was 1400 and PO4 was at 0.1.

Also, is there any reason you couldn't stop dosing and let your levels fall to their ideal levels over time? Then you can measure the tank's consumption and determine your daily dosing regimen. If equal part dosing was working at maintaing your levels before, don't worry about what someone else says- if it works, it works

Stoping doing

Also, is there any reason you couldn't stop dosing and let your levels fall to their ideal levels over time? Then you can measure the tank's consumption and determine your daily dosing regimen. If equal part dosing was working at maintaing your levels before, don't worry about what someone else says- if it works, it works

That was my next step to stop dosing and continue testing Alk, Ca, Mg & PO4 until levels return to normal. What's the best way to keep my levels within acceptable limits and where can I find a good online calculator for 2 part (not 3 part) solutions?

 

[Crustaceon]

Aquarium and Reef Calculators - Bulk Reef Supply

Bulk Reef Supply - Saltwater Aquarium Supplies for Reef Tanks

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[Nick Barbier]

I don’t think it matters whether or not you should dose equal parts when the main problem i’m seeing is how much you’re dosing of both. I would stop all of your dosing efforts for the next few weeks and only do your normal water changes. See where your parameters land and then adjust from there. I’ll bet your daily dose will be half of what you’re adding right now.

Thanks for the advice. I will definitely stop dosing until the tank levels fall to within acceptable levels. The directions for the two part solution said to dose 75 ml of each part according to their online calculator. I thought that was extremely high! I there a better online dosing calculator out there somewhere?

 

[Nick Barbier]

Thanks for the advice. I will definitely stop dosing until the tank levels fall to within acceptable levels. The directions for the two part solution said to dose 75 ml of each part according to their online calculator. I thought that was extremely high! I there a better online dosing calculator out there somewhere?

Aquarium and Reef Calculators - Bulk Reef Supply

Bulk Reef Supply - Saltwater Aquarium Supplies for Reef Tanks

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Thanks, but isn't that or 3 part and not 2 part dosing solutions?

 

[F i s h y]

Thanks for the advice. Is Barbieri italian? Barbier is french.

Yes it sure is Italian

 

[Saltyreef]

2 part dosing regimine consists of calcium, alkalinity and magnesium.

Mag is just supplimented based on how much calcium and alkalinity solution you use.
Somewhere in the ballpark of 1/6th the amount of 2 part iirc.

As mentioned above. Let the parameters fall naturally as well as continue your water changes with the blue bucket until youre back on track. Then resume your original dosing regimine and tweak it up or down if needed.

 

[Nick Barbier]

Thanks, but isn't that or 3 part and not 2 part dosing solutions?

The dosing calculator on BRS is only for their product and doesn't calculate if the current level higher than the desired level.

 

[Nick Barbier]

Yes it sure is Italian

Cool! I thought so.

 

[Nick Barbier]

2 part dosing regimine consists of calcium, alkalinity and magnesium.

Mag is just supplimented based on how much calcium and alkalinity solution you use.
Somewhere in the ballpark of 1/6th the amount of 2 part iirc.

As mentioned above. Let the parameters fall naturally as well as continue your water changes with the blue bucket until youre back on track. Then resume your original dosing regimine and tweak it up or down if needed.

Will do, thanks so much for the much needed advice!

 

[andrewey]

The calculator is always just an estimate. You and your tank decide your real levels. So if your calcium goes from 440 to 420 in a week, you can use the calculator to determine a daily dose. At the end of two weeks, see how well your dose got. If you maintained your calcium, then it worked for you, if your calcium still fell, then increase your dosing a smidge and see how it's going in two weeks. Dialing in your dose should be on the order of weeks, not testing day by day to even out consumption. In time, with random spot checks you might notice you'll need to dose a bit more- this is to be expected if you have increasing demand for corals, increasing abiotic precipitation, etc.

Repeat for the alkalinity to determine it's dose. Magnesium is less sensitive. You only go through something on the order of 2ppm per day. You can dose daily, but most usually do one bolus dose either once a month or whenever they finish off a calcium/alkalinity container. It's not so touchy.

 

[Nick Barbier]

The calculator is always just an estimate. You and your tank decide your real levels. So if your calcium goes from 440 to 420 in a week, you can use the calculator to determine a daily dose. At the end of two weeks, see how well your dose got. If you maintained your calcium, then it worked for you, if your calcium still fell, then increase your dosing a smidge and see how it's going in two weeks. Dialing in your dose should be on the order of weeks, not testing day by day to even out consumption. In time, with random spot checks you might notice you'll need to dose a bit more- this is to be expected if you have increasing demand for corals, increasing abiotic precipitation, etc.

Repeat for the alkalinity to determine it's dose. Magnesium is less sensitive. You only go through something on the order of 2ppm per day. You can dose daily, but most usually do one bolus dose either once a month or whenever they finish off a calcium/alkalinity container. It's not so touchy.

Thank you for all the great advice! I have stopped dosing until optimum levels are reached. I will continue to test once a week.

 

[Crustaceon]

The dosing calculator on BRS is only for their product and doesn't calculate if the current level higher than the desired level.

Most 2-part dosing liquids use sodium carbonate and calcium chloride at similar saturations. The calculator might not be exact, but it’ll likely be very close. Where’s Randy to explain this? OooO Randy I summon thee with your chemistry!