Chemistry is a mess. Please help.

[reefwars]

Originally Posted by LeanneP

I was only dosing alk but then I realized I was out of balance because my alk was actually dropping the more I dosed and my Ca started dropping too. I dosed only Ca yesterday for awhile but then my alk dropped again too. I have got my Ca to 420 but then it is still dropping so I have continued increasing how much I am putting in. Alk was up to 6.4 from 6.1 but now my alk is down to 5.4. I am dosing too much alk? I have read and read and I have been doing water changes but nothing seems to be working.
When I called j & l I was told my system would be about 63 gallons so that is where I was getting my numbers from in doing a 20 gallon water change. I have my mag high because I was told earlier that it was good to have mag high if alk was low.
My test kits are all new so I now they are accurate. I am almost getting to the point of just selling everything because I am so frustrated. I am amazed that I haven't really lost anything, but my long tentacle anenome has not been happy. He has let go of his foot hold 3 times since this has been happening.

What are you dosing for Alk and how much over 24hrs? It's hard to help without the info , do you keep a logbook?


Stop chasing numbers and bulk dose to get your alk up if your target alk is more than 1dkh higher then your at now then spread the doses out over a couple days of you must , but the bulk has to be added.

Realize that as you add Alk and calcium animals start to use it , especially if they are healthy and growing , coralline being a big consumer so more Alk is now needed(fwiw this never ends)

High mg won't be a problem but low mg will.

You can raise your Alk by 1 dkh in fact you can do more but to play it safe 1 dkh a day is plenty. Healthy tanks can consume 1dkh to 3 dkh per day , dosing lots isn't uncommon.

Don't monitor daily calcium drops they arnt accurate , your test can't test that low and will send you adding more or adding less (chasing numbers)

Don't get frustrated , it's confusing at first especially when there's so much conflicting information but fwiw Alk won't rise unless it's added somehow , you have to add it.......be it through the salt or through the chems your going to have to get your levels where you want them and you'll then have to find a way to keep them there.

As a side note there are other ways to keep Alk and cal in check , a calcium reactor may be less headache for you

[ReEf BoSs]

Sounds like you might just be over thinking it . Dose as said above either alittle a day or aggressive. I vote aggressive as you are already fustrated.Dose until you tank is where you want it in one day then test alk every day/ calcium after 5-7days. This will tell you how much ur needing to add. I dose way more alk than calcium and have never dosed mag but it is in with my calcium, everything is balanced as i can tell. Good luck the people in this forum know way more than me .

[Myka]

Leanne, you still haven't told us what product you are using that I have read. This is important as different products are different concentrations (particularly liquid supplements. What test kit are you using? Dosing is simple if you give us the right information!

Do this:

1) Test alkalinity. Record.
2) Add 3 tsp of DRY sodium bicarbonate alkalinity powder into about 2 cups of RO water. Mix well, pour slowly into the sump (take about 30 seconds to pour).
3) Wait an hour. Retest. Record.

Post back with your results.

[LeanneP]

Sorry for not posting the proper info. I use C-Balance from Two Little Fishies and when my tank is stable I dose 12 mls a day with a doser. In the last 24 hours I have dosed 40 mls of alk and a little less of Ca. I am using new Salifert test kits that I have just got last week. My alk had gone up a little to about 6.7 this morning and my ca was at 415. I have done as Mindy suggested and I added 3 tsps of reef builder from Seachem. Is Cbalance not very strong? I will post the results of the alk at 11:20 when an hour is up. Thanks for all the help.

[reefwars]

Originally Posted by LeanneP

Sorry for not posting the proper info. I use C-Balance from Two Little Fishies and when my tank is stable I dose 12 mls a day with a doser. In the last 24 hours I have dosed 40 mls of alk and a little less of Ca. I am using new Salifert test kits that I have just got last week. My alk had gone up a little to about 6.7 this morning and my ca was at 415. I have done as Mindy suggested and I added 3 tsps of reef builder from Seachem. Is Cbalance not very strong? I will post the results of the alk at 11:20 when an hour is up. Thanks for all the help.

12mls isnt much and 40mls isnt much either , so yes youll need to add much more alk to get where you want it


some people have to does in the hundreds of mls ( a friend doses 1g of alk and cal a week in a 120g sps packed tank)

it would take well over 200mls of bicarbonate solution just to birng your tank to 9dkh, this doesnt take in account how much your tank uses.


if c balance is a bicarbonate solution then its not as strong as a sodium carbonate solution would be , im not sure what their product would be but it would be either or if its in salt form.

[reefwars]

i dose 40mls of bicarbonate solution in a 40g system that has mostly lps and zoanthids

[LeanneP]

I added the 3 tsps of reef builder and now my dkh has gone from 6.7 to 8.5. I didn't think it was good to raise the alkalinity that quickley. Now my question is how do I keep it there? I was using the reef calculator but I guess it wasn't really giving me the right amount because it said to dose 108 mls to get alk to 8.6. Should I continue dosing and add the reef builder as extra?

[reefwars]

Originally Posted by LeanneP

I added the 3 tsps of reef builder and now my dkh has gone from 6.7 to 8.5. I didn't think it was good to raise the alkalinity that quickley. Now my question is how do I keep it there? I was using the reef calculator but I guess it wasn't really giving me the right amount because it said to dose 108 mls to get alk to 8.6. Should I continue dosing and add the reef builder as extra?

actually the calculator is spot on , 3.3 tbs of dry sodium bicarbonate crystals will raise your from 6.5 to 8.5

generally theres no need to raise your alk that fast but its not necessarily going to cause harm , as i mentioned its a rule of thumb but you can def do more if you needed to

it comes down to what are you entering as your solution or additive if your using the brs calcutor?

[Myka]

Originally Posted by LeanneP

Thanks for all your time and advice. I am hoping to get back on track now.

Sounds like you have it figured out now. The idea is to test, dose a measured amount, wait an hour, test again. Do that with the C-Balance so you know how much it affects your tank. I haven't used C-Balance in a long time, so I can't remember how much it should affect your tank.