Maintaining ALK and PH

C

Conceptvip

New member
Hey everyone,

I am trying to maintain my Alk and PH in my 210 tank. I currently use Alk powder and PH buffer powder every few days but would like to find a way to keep the levels stable. Right now I get a swing on my Alk between 6.5-9dKh and PH usually around 7.9. My calcium is usually around 425 and never moves and I never have to add any?. I would like to keep the PH around 8.2 and Alk around 9dkh. I'm curious if I use kalk with a dosing pump or how I could do this with my gravity fed ATO with a float. Does this sound like decent way to fix my issues? I'm just confused lol and would like some ideas Thanks!
 
you need to dose calcium and alk in equal amounts, they have a relationship to eachother. are you dosing the raw powder or mixing it? where is your magnesium? mag levels are important part of the ionic balance equation as well.
 
Mixing it in a cup of tank water than adding it through the filter sock. My mag level is 1310. So I should add calcium even if my level is already high and doesn't move? I use Seachem Reef complete liquid calcium and sachem reef builder powder alk so how should I add them together just curious.
 
when you do your daily dosing you should be dosing in equal amounts based on tank usage, if trying to raise one or the other, you can dose the single, but be aware that raising your calcium will drop your alk and vice versa. I would ignore ph as long is it is above 7.7-7.8. chasing ph is a losing battle. How heavily are you stocked with stonies?

also what test kits are you using? over what intervals are you seeing a 6-9dkh swing?
 
I only have one 6" montipora and bunch of LPS. I use salifert test kits and they are only a few months old. The alk will drop about .5-.75dkh a day. Also use about 12gal of rodi for top off a week if that matters at all.
 
do you dose daily? weekly? Switching to kalk might be a good idea, thought it will be difficult to do with a gravity fed topoff since it will want to suck the slurry, you would have to make it such that you draw topoff water from above the level of the slurry (1-2" typical) if u have a ton of coraline it will suck it up in a hurry.
 
I'm not against getting a reactor with a stir arm so there doesn't need much water flow (do you think this http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/aqua-medic-kalk-reactor-1000.html would work instead of putting the kalk in the top off tank?). Another question is how do I control the amount of kalk going into the tank because it looks like the water can only absorb so much kalk but if I'm getting to much how do I control it or would I need to get a bypass valve?
 
Now that I Think about it I may have to get a ATO with a pump just because people are talking about how the outlet hose gathers kalk build up and clogs. That would be bad for my float with such a small hole. Is this true?
 
the problem with dosing kalk seperately is ph swing, if I was going to do it that way i wouldnt feel safe without a ph controller
 
I think im going to do BRS 2 part with dosing pumps. Seems like the easiest and safest method for my setup. Ill let you know how it turns out. Thanks again for the help.
 
Conceptvip said:
I think im going to do BRS 2 part with dosing pumps. Seems like the easiest and safest method for my setup. Ill let you know how it turns out. Thanks again for the help.
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I would dose manually until you figure out what your tank needs then switch to the pumps.
plainfield I c nice and close lol
 
Hyperlitexr50 said:
I would dose manually until you figure out what your tank needs then switch to the pumps.
plainfield I c nice and close lol
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Good call, BRS is out of dose pumps anyways so ill order the 2 part now and see how much my tank uses a day.

Took a look at your pics and your tank looks amazing, Wish my corals looked like yours but its very possible its from my Alk swings stressing them out.

Im located off of Rt59 near shorewood so your 15mi or so away lol
 
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