2 Part Dosing QQQ's

[CHEMCHEF]

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.

 

[CHEMCHEF]

BTW,
Does the first drop of the cal & alk final soution count?
The Calcium test says add one drop of reagent, if color remains turns from pink to violet your cal is under 20 mg.
If it remains pink, Add drops 1 at a time and multiply by 20 when it turns from pink to violet.
So am I looking for 22 drops to reach 440 or 23 drop to reach 440?
Same with the alk. Drop #1 is a test drop. Shold I count it?
I have not been counting it.

 

[scapone]

I would not keep adding alk to your tank if over dosed can kill your corals I know cause I did that before. Your alk seems good 8-12 range is fine.51 ml could be possible . What test kit are you testing your water I. Use salifert or elos

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[CHEMCHEF]

Nutrafin Test kits.
I know I should have better kits but this is what I have right now.
I wound up ading 40 ml. more cal. and my readings are
Cal 440-460
Alk 11-12

 

[scapone]

Leave your calcium at 400 it does not need to be at 500 380-450 at most

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[CHEMCHEF]

I just figured I would get it to 450 so I can check it the next couple of day and see how much it goes down without it getting too low.
I don't know if that makes any sense, but i figured better a little high than low.
I bought a Red Sea Mag test today and will check that tomorrow.
This test seems fairly involved.

 

[scapone]

never had red sea test kit but the other two test kits i told you about are easy to read and accurate. just test often at least once a week so you can moniter your paremeters and see if dosing is needed DONT EVER WING IT. I cant stress that enoungh cause you can easily destroy your tank.if mag is not right it will be hard to keep cal in check they work hand in hand.

 

[Mattl22]

I'm in the exact same boat as chief just started to need dosing before my wc took care of it I guess my demand has gone up
If someone could explain step by step how to test and figure out how much dosing is needed daily that would be much appreciated
My alk drops daily cal every few days


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[TheSherm]

Chef, keep in mind you can dose just one of the parts to bring that particular level up. You dont have to dose both every time. If cal is low, just dose that.

Best way i've determined how much dosing is needed: test, wait a day, test again. The difference is how much cal/ alk your tank takes in a day. Dose and test a little while later to determine how much the dosing has raised the levels in your tank, then adjust dose appropriately. That should also allow you to figure out how often to dose.

 

[CHEMCHEF]

Thanks guys. This is helpful info.
Sherm I have dosed about 50-60 ml. more cal than alk. For some reason it seems like my alk is very high. This morning i got a reading of 12-13KH
I didnt test for Cal. Because late last night it was @ 450
I wont ask how to get my alk down until I figure out what the Mag. level is at and adjust it accordingly. Then test again to see where I am at.

 

[xclusive252]

I had a few questions in the past about this and a really good reefer from this site who was banned (Dr. Harry) gave me the right info to get my Coral to grow full.
1) test your calc, Alk and Mag today
2) don't add anything no matter how high or low your readings are
3) test again in 24 hrs and see how much it dropped. Example 400 calc first day 24 hrs later it's 300 which means your corals need 100 calc a day.
4) find a reef calculator and input your data and it will tell you how much calc you need to add. Divide that number by 24 and that's how much you dose an hr. Example if 100 calc lose in 24 hrs needs 48 ml calc per day that 2 ml per hour all day long
5) test water again every day for a week to make sure calc Alk and mag are ok and if it is then you are ok if not play with it by adding 1 ml more an hr or taking 1 ml out depending on what is good for you
6) also dose the same amount of Alk that you dose calc never put more of one then the other.
I'm not an expert in anyway but this method worked great for me and I hope it does for you. If you can't get the correct answer here ( which is hard to believe) you can always go to reef central ny reef club and try there. Tons of great guys there that love the hobby and have tons of good info and more then welcome to help you out bud.
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[Mattl22]

Adding both parts if only ur alk is low dosnt seem right can anyone else chime in on this ? Also what if u don't have dosing pumps ?


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[xclusive252]

Don't need dosing pumps you can use air tube with a valve and find out by opening and closing valve to see what 2 ml is an hour ( yes hard and long process ) or you can dose 2 times a day morning and night 24 ml from my example in last post. And plz by all means ppl chim in and let me know if I'm wrong or not so I also can improve my methods if they need to be improved.


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[CHEMCHEF]

Thanks again for the info. Dr. Harry seemed to be a good guy. I miss reading his threads.
It's too late for me to test & not add anything. That ship already sailed. But I will try this in a week or so if things do not work out this way.
I just tested my mag 1100
Seems a little low.
What is most peoples desired MG.? I have read 1350 to as high as 1500

 

[mbg75]

chem, what brand 2 part are you using? and what salt?

 

[xclusive252]

I try to keep a 1350 mag and +1 on what 2 part and Salt are you using. I'm a big fan of reef crystals and Diy mag calc and Alk


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[Boomer]

Good advice you gave to Chem xclusive.

This is the calculator he is refering to Chem


Reef chemicals calculator
http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chem_calc3.html

 

[CHEMCHEF]

I am using ESV 2 part and Brightwell Mag
Salt: TMPR, Changing to ESV salt when TMPR runs out
Thanks for the link Boomer

 

[cmuro100]

Number 6 confuses me - if the cal is used in greater amounts than alk why would you want to does more alk then needed?

 

[mbg75]

+1 on the esv salt. since i switched, mag levels have been much better.

Hey anyone know if ESV sells to the public? They are located in Hicksville.