Ca/Alk/Mag Mess . . . How to fix?

[gregzz4]

Originally Posted by jorjef

You say you don't want to spend the extra on a quality salt and rather go cuckoo trying to solve the balance. Well you might think differently when your tank is packed with corals and issues start popping up.. To pay an extra 20,30,40 bucks for a pail of salt is the price of one measly coral.

IO is fine for fish only tanks but not for reef IMO.

Very good points that I am getting clear as a smack to the face now ...
Brad eluded to the same idea earlier
You're gonna make me eat my words, aren't ya ?

When I was testing IO NSW with higher readings, I thought it would be enough to replenish my DT through WCs
Then these out of whack readings crammed a stick in my spokes ...
I am considering returning the newest unopened bucket of IO I have and getting into something like the IO Reef Crystals

FYI, I hadn't planned on packing so much money into it this quickly so I bought the 'economy' salt
I'll blame tang daddy and Bblinks for getting me into SPS right away

Don't get me wrong though as we are loving all the color and, so far, I haven't killed anything

[jorjef]

...

[gregzz4]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

Still not right for IO....you're holding that bottle right upside down, right?

I am holding the bottles totally vertical and making sure I get a solid 'one' drip

As I said earlier, I'll re-test tomorrow before I use it and report whatever readings I find

So much for user technique ...
I'm starting to feel like it's 'loser' technique

[jorjef]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

My LFS won't even sell me IO In all fairness, I think if you've got a good handle on dosing or (successfully) run a Ca reactor, IO is fine. I couldn't use it without upping values for new water, but lots of people do raise values and do all this mucking around. For me, peace of mind is worth the 6 bucks more a week I pay for my salt..but like you said, for me to replace my SPS collection would cost me 10k, so I'm just not interested in skimping on salt.

Yes for those that want or have the skill to play chemist IO will work. I'm with you, I'm not much for mucking at this point in the game

[gregzz4]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

My LFS won't even sell me IO In all fairness, I think if you've got a good handle on dosing or (successfully) run a Ca reactor, IO is fine. I couldn't use it without upping values for new water, but lots of people do raise values and do all this mucking around. For me, peace of mind is worth the 6 bucks more a week I pay for my salt..but like you said, for me to replace my SPS collection would cost me 10k, so I'm just not interested in skimping on salt.

I just had to wrap my head around spending potentially twice as much on salt
I know where this is going as I see I may not have to dose right now, so less cost there, and less time etc
Maybe I'll be able to spend more time gawking the tank instead of the vials

It'll be a new learning curve for me with new salt ... getting used to the tank's params again

[gregzz4]

So Shelley ..........

Did we ever help/answer your original question ?

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by gregzz4

It'll be a new learning curve for me with new salt ... getting used to the tank's params again

honestly, here's my take. I always enjoy your posts because they're so OCD. Your setup is nicer now that mine ever was new. My plumbing is "functional", almost I've watched you fight with the dry rock algae, the Ca monsters, the alk thief...it's all very entertaining. But really, do you get to sit and watch your tank at all? The stress I've read about the last few days would make me sell my tank. Reminds me of the pH meter episode of 2004...
Try this for 6 months. buy the RBS salt. Mix it to 1.026 and the proper temp, and change 25g every other week. Buy a case of beer or a bottle of your favorite beverage, pull up a chair, and just chill in front of the tank for a while. Enjoy the drink. Let the sounds put you to sleep.
Do not test stuff. Lock your kits away and just enjoy the tank. Add a coral here or there. Watch the snails crawl around. Do.Not.Test. This is supposed to be relaxing....

[jorjef]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

honestly, here's my take. I always enjoy your posts because they're so OCD. Your setup is nicer now that mine ever was new. My plumbing is "functional", almost I've watched you fight with the dry rock algae, the Ca monsters, the alk thief...it's all very entertaining. But really, do you get to sit and watch your tank at all? The stress I've read about the last few days would make me sell my tank. Reminds me of the pH meter episode of 2004...
Try this for 6 months. buy the RBS salt. Mix it to 1.026 and the proper temp, and change 25g every other week. Buy a case of beer or a bottle of your favorite beverage, pull up a chair, and just chill in front of the tank for a while. Enjoy the drink. Let the sounds put you to sleep.
Do not test stuff. Lock your kits away and just enjoy the tank. Add a coral here or there. Watch the snails crawl around. Do.Not.Test. This is supposed to be relaxing....

THAT'S NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN LOL (sorry Greg) I agree one billion percent. Let the tank do it's thing and sit back and enjoy...

[gregzz4]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

honestly, here's my take. I always enjoy your posts because they're so OCD. Your setup is nicer now that mine ever was new. My plumbing is "functional", almost I've watched you fight with the dry rock algae, the Ca monsters, the alk thief...it's all very entertaining. But really, do you get to sit and watch your tank at all? The stress I've read about the last few days would make me sell my tank. Reminds me of the pH meter episode of 2004...
Try this for 6 months. buy the RBS salt. Mix it to 1.026 and the proper temp, and change 25g every other week. Buy a case of beer or a bottle of your favorite beverage, pull up a chair, and just chill in front of the tank for a while. Enjoy the drink. Let the sounds put you to sleep.
Do not test stuff. Lock your kits away and just enjoy the tank. Add a coral here or there. Watch the snails crawl around. Do.Not.Test. This is supposed to be relaxing....

Originally Posted by jorjef

THAT'S NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN LOL (sorry Greg) I agree one billion percent. Let the tank do it's thing and sit back and enjoy...

Thanks guys, and for the acknowledgment Brad that you've been following and remembering all my trials and tribulations
It's always nice to have some input that tells me to JUST SLOW DOWN and try enjoy it

I'm going to go with Brad's and jorjef's advice for a different kind of salt
The only thing I will do is test once every new bucket and I will test my tank once in awhile to see that there is some semblance of balance going on

And you're right about enjoying it ..

I've been spending far too much time messing around and nowhere near enough just staring ...

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by gregzz4

I will test my tank once in awhile to see that there is some semblance of balance going on

Just can't help yourself, can you? I'm serious, leave it alone. I bought my Ca kit on Boxing day. I did a test the next day and the second one the other night just cause you got me curious. It's fine. RBS (or Reef Crystals) has enough in it that regular 30% water changes will top everything off. you don't have the bioload yet to worry about consumption. So test the new bucket or box, fine, you bought a kit, you want to use it, I get that. But if the salt is fine out of the box (assuming you tested it right), then it's fine. Leave it. Don't test, don't add any stoopid additives. Leave it alone.