cant seem to keep calcium up

[MHG]

I have twp systems. The DT system has 5 large growing frags in a 60 gallon tank and takes up about 15 ml/day in calcium.

My FT has only 3 drags in a 30 gallon system and I am up to 21 ml/day and the calc keeps dropping down to the high 200's .

each week I test with a hanna checker and I bulk dose each week to try to catch up (using the brs reef calculator). but by the next week it is back down.

both systems dose from the same jug
the pump does run when testing them (controlled by apex)
PH in both tanks is around 8.2 during the day and alk is a 8.6

I do have a calcium precip problem on the FT so I am thinking that is where the calcium is going. various reactor media is clumping or out rite turning solid. one pump gets stuck a couple times per week.


suggestion?

[Vinny Kreyling]

I would try dosing only 1 & manual on the other & see.

[bertoni]

Bulk dosing is more likely to cause problem than smaller doses spread out over a longer time period. What product or DIY supplements are going into the system? Are you dosing into the main water volume or a sump or the like? Dosing into the largest volume of water is the safest approach.

[MHG]

My apex runs six BRS dosing pumps (3 for each system) and the pumps are set to run each supplement at different times in both systems dose into the sumps which are located in the fish room in the basement.. small amounts several times per day. As I had no frags in the frag system, i was not testing or dosing for the longest time. when I introduced the frags I bulk dosed over the course of the day and set my apex to dose about 5 mils per day and began to test weekly. as the levels bottomed out I continued to increase the dose via the apex and add another bulk dose by either setting the apex to "on" for a certain amount of time, of by adding the recommended bulk amount over the course of the day. this process has been going on for several weeks.


The product I have been using for close to a decade is the BRS bilk additive. Prior to my system reboot several months ago I was dosing close to a gallon per week to keep up with the demand so I buy in 5 gallon buckets of the bulk mix.

[bertoni]

I'd try dosing into the main tank for a bit. That often eliminates any precipitation problem.

You could try some bulk doses of 50 ppm to bring the system up to the target level, and then try working from there. Up to 100 ppm should be fine, if you are sure of the dose.

[pisces 12]

I also dose small amounts over the course of the day i would also check your magnesium levels if its to low your cal and alk will not balance out

[bertoni]

A low magnesium level will allow more calcium and alkalinity to precipitate, but it's rare to have a problem. It's easy enough to check, though.

[pisces 12]

I had the same problem my cal was 120ppm to low and i used red sea part A to boost my cal ,follow the instructions, i added two spoonfuls of powder in a couple of cups of RODI water and by hand very slowing pouring in my high flow area in my sump and also if your also dosing kallwasser stop until you get the cal and alk levels in balance don't raise your cal by more the 20ppm per day good luck slow and steady

[Uncle99]

Originally Posted by bertoni

A low magnesium level will allow more calcium and alkalinity to precipitate, but it's rare to have a problem. It's easy enough to check, though.

This
You do not mention MG
Check MG 1260-1360ppm

MG is the magic that keeps the Alk and CA from just coming together quickly

[MHG]

as I have not historically had much mag consumption I test it much less. It has dropped down to 1150. Ill focus on getting that dose correct and see what happens. Thanks all for the input...

[bertoni]

1150 ppm isn't all that bad. I ran tanks at 1100 ppm for years because the old IO came at that level.

[MHG]

well now that I got the mag to 1350 the calcium is staying up no prob. But all is now the issue. I only have three frags. a monti and a couple sticks. I am up to 21ml a day of all. Each test id down around 6.5. Ill bulk dose over a day to get it up to maybe 7 and in a couple days its back down. Each test I inclrease the doser by 2ml... Where is dumps into my return it looks like its snowing when I dose. Contantly cleaning pumps and reactors seem to get clogged regularly.

PH is around 8. Probe is calibrated and I test weekly to confirm. Calc is 445 at last test. Seem to be chasing my tail on this one.

However my frags seem to look a little better. go figure.

[bertoni]

The frags probably are growing better. For a 60g system, a 21 ml dose per day is fairly small. My 29g tanks consume the equivalent of about 4 times that due to coralline growth. I wouldn't worry yet.

[MHG]

The 60 gallon system is not the one with the issue. Its my 30 gallon frag system. It has a fraction of what my 60 gallon DT has. The amount of calcium flakes sitting in the bottom of the sump is huge.

[MHG]

Whats interesting is the alk turns to a snow like particles when added. In my DT is is milky and dicipates

[Vinny Kreyling]

You can talk to the guy who should know next Friday ----

[MHG]

kool

[bertoni]

I suspect that the supplement is precipitating as calcium carbonate, then. Maybe you're dosing into the sump? Dosing into the 30g system itself might help, as might switching to baking soda as a supplement. The lower pH sometimes helps reduce precipitation.

[MHG]

well trying to lower the PH this week. see what happens. Yes I am dosing into the sump. I am only about 1/4 way down on a 5 gallon bucket of soda ash from BRS so I won't be switching supplements any time soon. I noticed my calcium uptake was a bit up this week.

[nematode]

pH of soda ash (sodium carbonate) dosing solution ~ 11.5 while the pH of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) dosing solution is ~8.5. So using bicarbonate will put much less upwards push on your pH (which likely rises substantially locally while you dose with ash) and might be causing the precipitation of ca as calcium carbonate. A lb of baking soda from the grocery store probably around 1$. So you won’t break the bank testing if using baking soda reduces your calcium precipitation problem. Then figure out how to use the soda ash.

[MHG]

Thanks for the input