Ca and Alk usage

[Aquattro]

That's about 16g of Ca consumed, do you see 16g worth of growth and coraline? Measure that much powdered Ca to get a rough idea how much that is.
Regardless, if you're testing is now perfected, and you see that kind of drop, you'll need to add that to maintain levels.

[gregzz4]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

That's about 16g of Ca consumed, do you see 16g worth of growth and coraline? Measure that much powdered Ca to get a rough idea how much that is.
Regardless, if you're testing is now perfected, and you see that kind of drop, you'll need to add that to maintain levels.

I've already decided I don't need to measure that much ....
My usage is much less than most users

[RDNanoGuy]

If you a dosing with a quality two part system the easiest thing to do is test your levels then add the maximum dose of each as the instructions dictate (ie. 5mL per 10gal) then wait an hour and test again to see how much the levels rise. Then measure the levels every 24 hours (preferably test at the same time each day) for 3-4 days and record the drop. Average those readings out to figure your tanks demand then use the first dose measurement to figure how much to add each day.

For example:

If you add a full dose of ca and alk and the levels rise 30ppm and through your testing you find your tank consumes 15ppm per day then you will need to add half the maximum dose on the bottle each day.

So when I dosed manually I found a 4:4:1 ratio of ca:alk:mg was about right.

Hope that helps

[gregzz4]

Thank you ....

[gregzz4]

Sorry guys,

I should have said more than just thank you

Thanks for your tips and advice

I'll work on it and see how it goes over the next week or two with monitoring, calculations and such

[gregzz4]

After re-reading this thread I see I came across as blowing off advice

I should have pointed out that a Ca Reactor just isn't in the budget right now, so I'm stuck with 2 part for the time being

As suggested, I'll test more frequently for a week or 2 and then I'll get a couple drip containers to start with

I see Kalk wasn't mentioned - that's OK
From what I've read about it I don't want to use it as I don't think I want my Alk as high as 10 or 11

[RDNanoGuy]

I think kalk has fallen out of favor because of the upkeep required to use it although it can be a great solution for a low to medium demand tank. Premixing the solution is tedious and messy plus the solution is highly caustic with a ph of 12-14. You really don't want that on your hands. Kalk mixing reactors can help but cost almost as much as a basic calcium reactor. There is also issue that since you typically replace you top up with kalk solution if the demand for calcium is too high you can't drip in enough top up to meet the demand.