Chemistry is a mess. Please help.

[reefwars]

Originally Posted by LeanneP

I have a 90 gallon mixed reef tank and for the past month my alkalinity has been low and I can't seem to get my tank stable. I talked to J &l and was told to do a 20 gallon water change but my alk is at 6.1 and my new sw had alk at about 12.5. Won't that be too much of a shock to my tank if the alk goes up to 8.6 from 6.1? Is this the best way to solve this because I am at my wits end. I have a doser and have used the calculator but it has not worked. I think that I may have been dosing too much alk and my ionic balance got screwed up. I have started dosing calcium again and my mag is at 1500. Should I get a different salt with lower alk? Just wondering if using a new type of salt will be hard on the tank too.

if your adding alk through a doser to make up a bulk addition and alk isnt raising then you have one of three issues:

either the test in inaccurate
not enough alk is added
or the alk precipitated out


how much alk are you adding to raise it and over what time frame?

what product is it your adding?

how are you testing and have you figured out what your daily consumption is?

doing a water change to raise your alk is fine but theres better ways of doing it and def less expensive ways


it is fine to dose cal if the demand is there while alk is low , i cant see why it wouldnt be?