B ionic imbalance

[benthos]

My 40g got way out of balance recently and Im not sure the best way to go about correcting it. tank is going on 5 months and I only dose b ionic.
Things were going good, I was dosing 30ml a day and was getting good coraline growth but started to up the dosage when Ca test results were reading low 300s. one night I dosed 50ml and woke up the next morning with my red cap bleaching and all LPS were pissed off. I immediately did a 10% W/C (which I do every week) and things started coming back till I lost a torch this weekend. These are the readings I got a day after another 10% W/C.

PH 8.6
Alk 12.5 dkh
Ca 200

last night I dosed 4ml of red sea Calcium Chloride in the auto top off and only dosed 20ml b ionic. I figured the extra Calcium chloride in the top off water should raise Ca and slowly Alk will lower.

Does this logic sound right? Or should I just do a large 50% W/C and start b ionic again?

Im alittle concerned how this happened, Im wondering if the concentrate b ionic isnt mixed properly and Im overdosing part 1 and not meaning to.

any advise would be appreciated.

 

[ChrisRD]

Personally, I like doing a large water change if things start getting out of whack. I always figure there could be other problems (beyond what I'm testing for) and a large water change is always a safe bet to get things back on track (if done properly).

Of course another option is to just dose the Ca-part of B-ionic (or use the Calcium Chloride to maintain Ca and discontinue all B-ionic temporarily) for a while and the Alk will drop on its own. Considering the size of the tank though, personally I would just go for the water change...

A pH of 8.6 would also concern me a little bit - I've had corals react a bit negatively once things get over 8.5 on a regular basis. First make sure your pH readings are accurate. If they are in fact high, your dosing regimen might be driving pH levels up. Having strong circulation/aeration will help stabilize pH levels. Make sure there's plenty of surface agitation. A protein skimmer helps with this as well.

HTH

 

[SnowManSnow]

In my experiance dosing aquariums, fw or sw, is kinda like taking medicine. I've known people who were cured of their ailment once they stopped taking medication on top of medication.. Start from the most obvious possibility and work yourself down I know its not medications... its additives.. but you know what I mean. And RD is right.. a WC never hurts.

Also keep in mind.. the higher concentration of dissolved substances that there are in your water, the more difficult it is for your fish and corals to carry on correct osmosis... that's why a SW tank is generally stocked less than a FW tank (because the dissolved wastes from the fish and the salt content kinda crowd things a bit).
B.

B.

 

[benthos]

thanks for the advice...Calcium chloride over a two day period and stoped dosing B ionic seems to have done the trick. Ca at 400 and Alk at 11.5 this morning and I'll see where its at later tonight. What Im guessing is I must have not been shaking the B ionic containers frequently and there was some crystallization inside the container....skewed the balance over a period of time...?

 

[DK]

You are out of control. Do a large water change and follow directions. 40 g tank takes way less than you are adding!!!!!!!!!

 

[benthos]

1ml per 4g just wasnt cutting it at first. In hindsight I can see I did go a bit overboard. Taking it slowly at 15ml and testing daily til I can figure out how much it takes to maintain the levels. Could take awhile...any idea on a "normal" amount with a dozen med size Acros and montis, a few LPS and two baby clams?

 

[reefdood]

Bionic does NOT always have to be dosed A&B evenly. I had to dose 2 pt. cal to 1 pt. alk. Every tank is different and needs different doses. I know some will say I'm wrong, whatever.

 

[ChrisRD]

As mentioned above, every tank is different so it's tough to say what dose would work for a certain size tank with certain livestock in it. The only real way to find out what your tank needs it so dose, test, adjust, test, etc. until you get it down. Of course, even after things are staying pretty stable it's a good idea to check Ca/Alk periodically because as you add more calcifying corals & clams and/or as your existing ones grow out your Ca/Alk demands will generally go up.

IIRC there's a recommendation on the B-Ionic label not to exceed something like 1 ml per gallon of tank water per part per day. I generally start with the recommended initial doses and then adjust as necessary. That said I've had to exceed that stated max dose to keep Ca/Alk levels up in a tank that was primarily SPS. Didn't have any problems.

One way to help keep your B-Ionic usage down is to top-off evaporation with kalkwasser (can save some money - especially if you're using pickling lime to make your kalkwasser). Then, the kalk is supplying a lot of the Ca/Alk and you won't need as much B-Ionic. I've done that too - seems to work pretty well. Just monitor pH carefully - you can always back-off and use a less-than-saturated kalkwasser if high pH levels prove to be a problem.

HTH

 

[DK]

I would reccomend that the dKH should be between 9 & 10. If the ca is then still low, s l o w l y add ca to get it up to 400 over several weeks. Nothing good happens quickly in a reef tank!

 

[ZooKeeper1]

dont forget about magnesium. Most cases you will need to supplement over time when using b-ionic. It will help keep your Ca and alk in line.
Also with your tank being very young these things are expected, thats why sps are not recommended for a tank that young.

 

[ChrisRD]

Here's a good article on the topic...http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-12/rhf/index.htm