Mobile Bay Reef Keepers

I have been having a hard time keeping my cal and alk right. Wed. I got my them where I wanted them - alk: 11 dkh, Ca: 450. I dosed 1/2 cup of each part of B-Ionic yesterday. Today I tested them again. My Ca was 400 and my alk was 7.4. So either my B-Ionic is bad or it's crap or my alk demand it way higher than I thought.

Anyway, at 5:30 I dosed some baked baking soda. Enough to raise my alk to 9 dkh. When it was through, about 6:30 I dosed some CaCl to et my ca up to about 470. Now I can hardly see into my tank. I shouldn't have dosed too much of either, I have been dosing these at least every week and recently two or three times a week for the past three months. Everything that I can see looks OK. I figure that it is just precipation but it doesn't seem to be filtering out by the 100 micron filter sock like I thought it should. I see not difference now than 20 minutes ago.

Well, maybe I should go ahead and hook my reactor back up now before I kill the tank again. I can't see much but it looks like I will at least have Xenia when it's all over with .

I don't really have my thinking cap on right now, but I believe 470 and 9 cannot be dissolved (at least locally anyway). You pushed the threshold. Even if it could be dissolved in solution it would have to be done uniformly and slowly. You do indeed have a reaction ongoing that will not stop until the solids settle or enter solution over time.

You should not kill anything with the precip. but the addition of baking soda in great quantities by itself could seriously burn some stuff.

I do not use a reactor. I use homemade alk. and calcium mixtures. I just add enough one night or two to get my alk. at 8.5 and calcium at 430. I them add a uniform amount of each each day for 4 days. At the end of the four days I test levels and adjust daily dosing by overage or underage. I test about every two weeks.

Again, I do not have the calculation in front of me, but as you go over about 9 alk. and 440-450 calcium, you have to be careful with your additions as you are getting close to the soluable capacity. The concentrated additions cause a local precip. that spreads.

Why do you run your alk. so high?

I used to run 10 and 485 all the time with absolutely no problems. Once I got it there my reactor would hold it there . I put it at 11 because I have been having such a hard time keeping it right. I am going to put my reactor back on tonight after the kids go to bed or tomorrow morning. The rest of the weekend is pretty much packed until Sun evening. I really don't want to keep having the alk drop below 8 (I think that below 8 is stressful) every other day even though I am dosing. BTW, What I usually do is just add equal amounts of the baking soda and CaCl. Just like the recipe, I just don't have it premixed.

You are definately going to do more damage by trying to get your levels up so fast, really you're better off just trying to keep them lower and stable. I can never get mine as high as I would like, but the stability of keeping the alk at 8 and the cal at 430 or so is better. The growth may not be as much as some but at least everything is healthy. If you can break it up to adding morning and night, or more if possible it'll work. Have you checked your magnesium levels?

Now that I've thought about it, my corals are growing just fine. Fast enough for me anyway.

Occasionally I have the cloud effect happen when I add buffer, but it goes away within an hour or so, usually much faster. I've never been able to figure out exactly why, but it doesn't seem to hurt anything.

10 and 485 is some serious levels. Way above normal seawater, especially alkalinity. I don't think I could get there without some serious pH adjustment. I know I would have to use a reactor to add it slow enough to avoid local precip.

At least one advantage of the increased alk. should be no algae.

From all that I have read 10 is pretty much ideal for a SPS tank. The Ca is higher than normal though. I think my 2-part has one bad part. I am going to use up the calcium part but use the baking soda as the buffer.

Redfish, how much of each do you add per day?

I read an interesting article last night, it stated that one of the reasons for precipitation at lower levels (other than low magnesium) is temperature. It also had a section on the rise of available carbonates at various ph levels. I'll see if I can find it again. It was one of Randy's Advanced Aquarist articles.

I'm starting to consider using a drip method for adding buffer and cal, just to see if it'll make it a little easier on me. I think I may be able to get the alk up to 9 (that's kind of my target level), but I bet that's the only way I'll be able to keep it there.

Everything looks fine today and I got my old reactor hooked up. I kind of remembered how I had it set up last time and today when I could check it the Ph is 6.8. Pretty close. I have to measure the alk of the effluent now.

Come on, Scott.....admit it......you're addicted to your calcium reactor. Just can't handle life without it.

.Your right. I used to be addicted to skimmers but since I sold one I only have 4 now