well, after a week of testing on a daily basis and having some good concrete targets to shoot for, i've finally ironed out my issues with ca and alk imbalance.
i've been meticulous with testing and recording results: this is what i ended up with that works for my tank:
drip rate 185 dpm
bubble count 55 bpm
effluent ph 6.5
resulting ca, stable at 430
resulting alk, stable at 8.2 dKH
hopefully i'll be able to maintain these numbers and they don't go outta wack by tomorrow!
thanks agian for your help Marc and Marie!! patience is the key.
how's your battle there J? making any headway?