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gettareef

All Sorts of Dosing Questions

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gettareef
, 02-15-2015 at 07:31 PM (15542 Views)
Marc and any of you that can help,

I have been dosing for about a year now using 2part, and dosing alk and cal unevenly. I seem to be dosing much more alk...I dose about 2.5oz of alk daily, and maybe dose calcium once per week if even that. It seems my alk drops daily where calcium drops at a much slower rate. Would you suggest I begin dosing in equal volumes of alk and cal daily? Would I then dose 2.5oz alk and 2.5 cal? I didn't dose in equal amounts as I believed this would increase my calcium to an undesirable high level. I maintain my alk at 8dkh and cal at 440ppm. Also, if the calcium were to become too high, what method is advised to reduce it? Water changes? And if so, how big of a water change would you advise (e.g. percent of tank volume - I have a 75 gallon reef)?

I've also heard that you shouldn't dose alk and cal at different times. I dose manually currently. If I were to dose alk and cal in equal volumes, would it be advised to dose at the same time or how much time needs to pass after you dose one before you can dose the other?

I recently got the BRS kalkwasser package (I've been using BRS 2 part). I have been considering using kalk due to the benefits; raise ph, easier to dose, etc.. I plan to put it in my 5 gal ATO and let the evaporation rate dose for me (my evaporation rate is pretty consistent). Based on my current dosing amount of 2 part, how much kalk should I place in my ATO reservoir per gallon to begin with? What is the recommended amount of kalk per gallon in an ATO for people just beginning to dose kalk? And finally, what is the recommended way to mix the kalk powder in the water reservoir? I understand that one dose not want to dose the powder on the bottom of the reservoir after mixing, so is it recommended to put the dosing tube just a little above the powder residue? And when dosing kalk using the ATO method, is it necessary to stir the ATO water every few days or so?

Haha I'm sorry for all the questions. I just want to make sure I am dosing correctly with my 2part and begin dosing kalk the right way if I go that route. I've had this reef for over 3 years now with some corals growin significantly and others not making it. I don't think my parameters have ever been consistent, and just recently after beginning dosing more often, my corals have begun to grow/encrust. I want to not just understand what to do regarding dosing, but why things must be a certain way, and to get on the right path so my corals continue to grow and thrive.

Thank you so much for all your help! It is greatly appreciated - Dustin

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‎ NEED HELP STAT! , ‎ Water Chemistry , ‎ Questions - Need some input

Comments

  1. melev's Avatar
    When I dosed ESV's B-Ionic, you were supposed to dose the equal amounts daily. I always dosed in the morning when pH was the lowest. To avoid overdosing, you are going to have to test frequently. Weekly would be ideal, on the same day and time for a consistent baseline. I was dosing milliliters. For the 29g, 15ml of Part A and 15 ml of Part B. Each one was poured slowly over a 20-30 second period in an area of high flow (where the water rippled hard in front of a powerhead). For the 55g, I used 30ml of each.

    Kalkwasser is 1 teaspoon per gallon. Mix it well, let it settle out for an hour before hooking it up. Yes, don't pump the sediment nor the surface scum. You want the liquid between it. No, you don't have to remix it or anything. Once the container needs refilling, you can clean it out and start anew. I don't use kalkwasser because the pH is 12 and if an ATO doesn't stop flowing it will flood the tank with high pH water killing livestock.
  2. gettareef's Avatar
    Thanks for the quick feedback. Recently I've been testing alk on a daily basis and check cal about every other day; really only takes 2-3 minutes. I think I'll give kalk a try with the 1tsp per gallon. I'll see what effect it has on my alk/cal and either supplement with dosing mite 2part or reducing the kalk to 1/2 or 3/4 tsp per gallon. My hope is to get it so all I will need is kalk, which i believe is doable with majority of my corals being small frags. I suppose the increased PH will be a good thing as my PH hovers around 7.8-8.0. I'll have to add some additional precautionary measures to my ATO float valve so that it won't get stuck on. I think having my apex detecting a high PH, then shutting off the ato pump and sending me a message will help. Of course if kalk turns out to work well for my system, the next step would be to upgrade to dosing it individually with a stirrer, but let's not get ahead of ourselves! I'll add the kalk to the ato tomorrow. Wish me luck, and thanks again Marc
  3. melev's Avatar
    What you might do is limit how much is in the ATO as well. That way no matter what if every drop went into the tank, it wouldn't hurt your system. I used kalkwasser for three weeks with my 280g. The ATO reservoir held 15g of solution, so all of that at once wouldn't raise pH much at all (8.6 at most).

    Why would it all add at once? A skimmer overflowing non-stop is one way. Been there, done that. Not a fan.