2 Part Dosing QQQ's

[qy7400]

ESV doesn't sell to the public, just switched myself; it's like being in chem class all over again.

 

[Mattl22]

So both parts should always be added when dosing?

 

[qy7400]

No, you should only dose what your system needs and what you're testing for. You can buy each component separately if you need to.

 

[Boomer]

Both parts are both suppose to be added when dosing 2-parts. Randy's own articles well tell you that. However, I really do not buy into that 100 %. If one of them is getting out of control I would dose what is needed.

if the cal is used in greater amounts than alk why would you want to does more alk then needed?

But one has to ask what do you call greater amounts. If one looses 20 ppm Ca++ it will take 2.8 dKH ( 50 ppm) with it. You always use more Alk than Ca++ i.e., if you loose 20 ppm Ca++you may loose 3.2 dKH, as 0.4 dKH goes to buffering and other reactions, which has nothing to do with Ca++.

 

[Mattl22]

Man I need a water chemistry lesson gonna do some research on this


Sent from my iPhone using Reefs

 

[CHEMCHEF]

Thanks everybody.
My mag was very low. About 1100. So I started to dose Brighwell mag and got it up to 1200. This was thursday.
I made a fresh batch of Tropic Marin,SW-5 Gal. for a water change. So I decided to test the fresh batch. The results were.
Cal. 400
Mag 900
Alk 9-10
Today friday I did a 50% water change with Reef Crystals.
I will test tank tomorrow.

 

[CHEMCHEF]

Params Today
PH 8.2
Nitrate 0
Cal. 450
Mag 1400
Alk 11
PO4 .01 Red Sea Test Kit.
I think this is finally good. Mag. was the hardest to adjust.

 

[DJYoshi]

I have never really dosed or tested my tank.
I have dabbled a little with 2 part by adding a minimul dose once a week,,somtiimes.
Tank is a 34 Gal. Solana with about 18 2-3 inch frags of SPS.

I decided to test my params tonight I got:
PH-8.1-8.2
Cal.-320
KH-9.5-10.5
So I added 7.5 ml 2 part. I got
Cal-380
KH-9.5-10.So I added 15ml. 2 part. I got:
Cal 380-400
KH11.5 So I added 13 ml. Cal- 0-Alk I got:
Cal 400
KH-10-11 So I added 15 ml. cal- 5ml. Alk I Got:
KH-11
Cal-400-420.

Does this seem right? Should it really take 51ml. of cal to get it from 320-400-420 in 30-31 gal of water.
I don't want to keep on adding if I shouldn't
Also. Is my alk to high and if so should I counteract it by adding less alk than cal.? Or no alk at all?
Sorry for all the Q's @ Midnight on Monday morning and Thank you in advance for your guidance.

As CA rises, kh lowers. I'd try to get it all to the parameters that you'd like them at:
8.4kh
400 - 450 ca.
Then measure your decrease & on the bottle there's doseage info for how much to dose to replenish. I think it's 1ml = 16ppm.
Dose that equally per day and test again at the same time.
If 1 is too high, then don't dose that part while dosing the other to lower it. If both are high, then don't dose at all and let it drop down naturally as the coral uses it.

This is the advice that all the reefers gave me while I was setting up the new tank to make sure that params were all in order before I fired the reactor up.

 

[Boomer]

DJ
As CA rises, kh lowers


Not unless the Ca++ is to high or the Alk is to high or a combo of the two are two high or the pH gets to high.

 

[DJYoshi]

DJ
As CA rises, kh lowers


Not unless the Ca++ is to high or the Alk is to high or a combo of the two are two high or the pH gets to high.

Thanks Boomer. Sorry I was just going by the general rule that I've read & experienced in my system.

On another note, the OP stated his mag was at 1400.... isn't that a little high? I always try to keep mag around 1320. What would the effects of high mag be, and what's considered a high mag level?

 

[Boomer]

Yes, 1400 ppm is a little to high but not a real issue. Your ~ 1300 ppm is more like it. NSW @ 25 C and 35 ppt is ~ 1290 ppm. There are no known effects of high Mg++ and what it may or my not do. However, there has been at times success and at other times no success with controlling Bryopsis, a feather like pest algae.