how much do i add?

[richieg0324]

how much eight.four do i add for a 12 gal tank? if anyone can give me the math formula itd be great as i need to calculate calcium dosage also...thnx alot

 

[ccCapt]

What is eight.four?
There is no forumla to calculate calcium dosage. The dosage is dependant on consumption. What is your current calcium level and how much does it drop daily...or weekly?

 

[richieg0324]

eight.four by aquavitro is a ph buffer.... my lfs told me to add the calcium twice a week im staying in the 400-420 mg/L range on the calcium and the ph keeps dropping to 7.5-8.0 range. The eight.four bottle says 7ml for 30 gal daily until ph stabilizes

 

[Bige]

Your salt should replenish calcium. You should test you water before adding anything. Also, There are several reasons for low ph and in some cases it wont go up even with buffer. As long as your ph is stable, than 7.8 or 7.9 is not unheard off. As long as it stays there. Mine always stays at 7.9. No matter what I do. So I leave it alone. My ph has been 7.9 for 2 years with no problem.

 

[Bige]

Are you doing weekly partial water changes?

 

[ccCapt]

Just so we're on the same page...you are talking about 2 seperate things. pH and calcium.

A pH of 7.5 is low while 8.0 is fine. When are you testing it? It's normal for a tank to have a lower pH in the AM before the lights come on and a higher pH in the evening after the lights have been on all day. Using any buffer is not a good way to try to control pH. The stuff you are using is baking soda and boron. The boron will temporarily hold the pH steady, but can also raise the tanks borate level to potentially dangerous levels. The baking soda will raise the tanks alkalinity. The more you add, the higher it goes. What is your current alk level?
Here are a few articles you can read.
Low pH: Causes and Cures by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com
Boron in a Reef Tank by Randy Holmes-Farley

Your calcium is fine at 400-420. What salt do you use? How often do you do water changes and how big are they? As far as figuring out how much you need to dose or if you need to dose at all, you must test your water. Test it today. If it's at 420, how many days does it take to drop to 380? Also keep in mind many test kits only measure calcium in increments of 20, so you can't be sure the color turn happened at 19 drops or 20 drops...or would a 1/2 drop have made the change? Bottom line is test, test and test again before dosing.
This is an excellent "must read" article.
The “How To” Guide to Reef Aquarium Chemistry for Beginners, Part 2: What Chemicals Must be Supplemented

 

[richieg0324]

yeah im doing weekly 20% changes my alk is 125.3kh...and yeah ive been checking my ph at random times i knew about the light factor just never "clicked" lol i do test my water daily, im using instant ocean salt...thank so much for the input

 

[ccCapt]

I would stop dosing that pH buffer. I think it's messing with your alk test, unless you are using the Seachem alk test kit they have specially made for their product with it's high boron level. Your alk is too low for Instant Ocean. It should be around 196. Next time you make a fresh batch of water for a water change, test the calcium and alk. You should get around 400 ppm calcium and 196 ppm (11 dKH) alk.

 

[richieg0324]

k ill do that