alk and ca levels before dosing

[steve r]

i an earlier post i got some advice on dosing CA. i bought a good ALK , CA and PH test kits. i also bought the b-ionic 2 part alk/ca additive.
here are my levels before i dose in the morning. does this sound pretty good? will this 2 part bring my CA level up to 400-420 or will i need to use something else to get it up there?

ph 8.2. about 2 hours after my lights went off
ALK 9.6 DHK / 3.43 megL
CA 340

any final words of wisdom would be appreciated. i got my eye on a nice candy cane coral and i want to square my ALK / CA first

steve r

 

[c0mf0rt]

I'd like some info on this too.... I'm just starting to use RedSea's CALK..... I set my Cal around 380ppm and my Alk is about 4 meq/l ..... Now I'm getting the dosing correct on the CALK.... any words of wisdom ??????

 

[scuba_steve]

steve what are your reading after ya dosed ?
also your ca dosing is going to be based on what you have that uses ca ! so if your ca usage is low no need for full doses need to test daily for a week or two to get an idea of what your tank needs :-0

 

[steve r]

i will take a reading after i dose in the morning. i just wanted some info before i took the plunge. right now i have softies and coraline that would be using some of the CA. i will just take it slow and test frequenlty

thanks
steve r

 

[theatrus]

I've heard it is possible to 'overdose' the Ca part of B-Ionic to bring up Ca levels. Maybe not the most efficient method, but it might work? Anyone have any expierience with that?

 

[scuba_steve]

you can over dose anything ! always test

 

[sumphead]

Steve r, I would recommend dosing as directed and waiting an hour or so and test. Depending on those results (where you are vs, where you want to be) then wait and test again the next day at the same time in the photo period. If there is no change from the day before then dose again. *I am assuming one done won't bring you all the way up to where your target is* Remember consistency is as important as the result. Dose the B-ionic parts slowly and I recommend doing dierctly into the pump for a good mixture. I would rather see a steady 380 calcium readout that a waivering 390-420. Along with a balance alk of course.

R-

 

[seaham358]

Like SH says start out slow adding what the bottle says, after a week if it does not go up add a little extra every morning. Keep testing every day till you know how much your tank is using.
Cal 400-450 and Alk 10-11 is a good place to run the tank.
It took me almost a 2 months in the beginning to get the tank alk and cal stable to where I knew what to add every morning without testing daily, I went to weekly testing then.
The 2 part is fine to bring up the levels with no worries as long as you take it slow.
You maybe using twice as much cal compared to alk in the beginning.

 

[steve r]

cool. thanks for the info guys. so after i monitor testing i can possibly add a little more of the 2nd part ( CA ) to bring up my CA levels while maintaining my ALK

thanks again
steve r

 

[steve r]

my levels have increased over the last week of dosing. my ALK is at 10.5 and my CA is at 380. the ALK is rising much quicker than the CA. i already cut the amount of ALK in half and doubled the CA. can i not add the ALK one morning? i really dont think i want my ALK to get much higher than 10.5, my ALK dose is already very small. but my CA still needs to come up


thanks as always for the advice
steve r

 

[steve-s]

Buffers/alk suppliments are always best added in the AM. It helps prevent large overall daily swings to the pH. Considering pH is at it's lowest point by then, there is less impact.

You'll find it much easier to get the Ca increase you need if you let the alk fall off a bit. Stop adding the buffer and just add the Ca. Ca can be added in parts several times a day without much concern as long as they're not too large at one given time.

Personally I'd let the alk come down to somewhere near 8-8.5 DKH while the Ca increases to 415-420 ppm. Keep track of the alk and when it reach's the lower point, simpley add enough to maintain it not increase it. For maintenance, use smaller daily doses rather than larger correction doses. It will keep the chemistry much more stable rather than yo-yoing with the larger additions on each side.

Cheers
Steve

 

[steve r]

that sounds like a plan. i added my CA this morning but no ALK. i will keep testing.

thanks
steve r