How much Calc/Alk Are You Dosing?

viperfish · #1 07-28-2010, 01:45 PM

I just switched over from BRS two part additives to the stuff littlesilvermax is selling. BRS recommends 2 cups Calc per gal and 1 1/8 cups Alk per gallon, and to the best of my knowledge the new stuff I am using follows the Randy Holmes-Farley recipe which is 2 1/2 cups Calc and 2 1/4 cups Alk. The Randy Holmes-Farley recommendation for dosing is 1 ml per gallon (recipe 1) on a heavily stocked tank. My tank is an SPS med to heavy demand.

I was just wondering how much everyone is dosing. I know everyone's tank is different but now that I obviously have to change the amount I am dosing it would give me a general idea.

christyf5 · #2 07-28-2010, 03:22 PM

I dose what you said first. The 1 and 1/8c for alk is if you're using sodium bicarbonate (ie,UNbaked baking soda). I can't be bothered to bake mine and it seems to get the job done regardless.

Currently I think I'm up to dosing about 250ml Ca and 275ml Alk on 200gal total water volume. I was struggling a bit with the alk levels but I think I've got it mostly figured out.

reefermadness · #3 07-28-2010, 04:07 PM

320ml of each / day on 250g SPS system.

viperfish · #4 07-28-2010, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by christyf5

I dose what you said first. The 1 and 1/8c for alk is if you're using sodium bicarbonate (ie,UNbaked baking soda). I can't be bothered to bake mine and it seems to get the job done regardless.

Currently I think I'm up to dosing about 250ml Ca and 275ml Alk on 200gal total water volume. I was struggling a bit with the alk levels but I think I've got it mostly figured out.

I've been baking mine mainly due to my low PH. I found that bicarbonate drove my PH down.

christyf5 · #5 07-28-2010, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by medhatreefguy

I've been baking mine mainly due to my low PH. I found that bicarbonate drove my PH down.

Yes it does lower the pH a bit, my tank currently runs at about 7.9-8.0 but prior to dosing I was using a calcium reactor that kept the tank at about 7.8 with no problems. I'm not as hung up on pH as I am with low alk so unbaked it is. I was also getting a ton of precipitate (like small mountains of it) in the sump with the baked stuff. No problems with the unbaked. I'm not sure if I was doing something wrong or what but the precipitate was really annoying.

Zoaelite · #6 07-28-2010, 04:56 PM

No wonder my ALK has been so hard to maintain, I started my dosing @ 20ml a day CA/ALK and just bumped it up to 50ml/ day for my total system of 350g.

Oddly my calcium levels are stable (Most likely due to my water changes over anything) @ 440 ppm. I thought the draw of CA/ ALK was very similar but my
ALK tends to drop much faster anyone know a reason for this? The system is fairly heavy stocked, I will double to 100ml/day tonight and then increase it after that accordingly.

viperfish · #7 07-28-2010, 04:56 PM

I do have precipitate in the sump. My PH has been dipping 7.7-7.8 at night and never above 8.1 during the day. I have been dosing Aquavitro Stability the last couple of days, it's supposed to stabilize PH without affecting Calc or Alk.

viperfish · #8 07-29-2010, 12:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zoaElite

No wonder my ALK has been so hard to maintain, I started my dosing @ 20ml a day CA/ALK and just bumped it up to 50ml/ day for my total system of 350g.

Oddly my calcium levels are stable (Most likely due to my water changes over anything) @ 440 ppm. I thought the draw of CA/ ALK was very similar but my
ALK tends to drop much faster anyone know a reason for this? The system is fairly heavy stocked, I will double to 100ml/day tonight and then increase it after that accordingly.

I just cut mine back to 9 ml per hour. I was a touch on the high side.