Raising Alk.

[hunggi74]

Hello everyone. My tank has Alk. at 7-7.2dKH according to Salifert test kit. I dose 15ml per day of both 2Part A&B. My magnesium is at 1460ppm and my cal is at 480ppm. Both are on the high side. My question is can I dose more of Part B (Alk.) and less of Part A to raise my Alk. and lower the mag. and cal. or do they both have to be in equal proportions? Ideally, I'd like my Alk. to be around 8dKH to give me some wiggle room up or down. Or should I be using another method to raise just my Alk? I should also mention that I got these results tonight before dosing and I do my biweekly water change tomorrow. Any advice is appreciated.

[craigwmiller]

With everything, comes a 'it depends' caveat

7 is the alk number I strive for, but I'm running Zeovit and that's where ideally I should be close to.

Can you dose things out of balance, yes. Majorly out of balance, no -- things will start to precipitate out if you are significantly out of balance and then you might start going the wrong direction.


My biggest question is: is there something that seems not healthy, or not 'right' in your tank that you are looking to solve? Or are you just trying to chase a certain number of Alk?

Also, have you compared your test kits with that from another reefer?

[hunggi74]

Thanks for the quick response. No nothing seems unhappy. Except one acan frag but the other four acan frags seem to be doing fine. My tank is LPS dominant if that helps any. I'll take my water over to a friends house to test as well. Maybe I am just chasing a number. But when you got only a certain amount of funds for corals you want to have the best possible environment for them so you're not wasting money and getting dirty looks from the wife
I was just told I could use BRS bulk additives to raise my alk and not affect my other two. Problem is I got almost 3/4 full bottles of C Balance to go through. Looks like baking soda time.

[The Guy]

are you dosing manual or using a doser?

[hunggi74]

Originally Posted by The Guy

are you dosing manual or using a doser?

Just manually every night.

[The Guy]

Originally Posted by hunggi74

Just manually every night.

Point of info, alk & cal should be dosed at different time slots. I was told by J&L to do one in the am and one in the pm, I'm using TLF 2part and dose Sundays & Thursdays at 15 ml for each manually and my levels pretty much right on. I check the mag level when I do my water changes and if any adjustments are required it's added with the new water.
Hope this helps. Cheers

[hunggi74]

Thanks Laurie, I'll try dosing one in the AM and one in the PM to see if it helps raise my alk up or not. If not, can I still dose 2part and supplement with baking soda? Honestly, tank is doing so well that I'd hate to start messing with it too much and create more problems than solutions. Just worried about my alk being at 7 is all. Not much leeway there lol

[The Guy]

Originally Posted by hunggi74

Thanks Laurie, I'll try dosing one in the AM and one in the PM to see if it helps raise my alk up or not. If not, can I still dose 2part and supplement with baking soda? Honestly, tank is doing so well that I'd hate to start messing with it too much and create more problems than solutions. Just worried about my alk being at 7 is all. Not much leeway there lol

I am no chemistry expert but would suggest you raise your alk slowly to the level you want. Give J&L a call and talk to John or Jeff they will steer you in the right direction for sure. I usually talk to J&L regarding water chemistry and they have always given me the answers I need. Good luck.

[Myka]

Skip a day of dosing Part A, and double dose part B (dose one in morning, dose two in evening). Re-test day after. Do it again if needed. You don't have to dose equal parts all the time. The idea is to get it balanced and dose equally, but sometimes you need to adjust.

[Wheelman76]

Well i agree there is no need to dose equal amounts of bulk Alk or Cal from BRS for example ,you are supposed to dose equal parts of C balance.