Alk Supplement Turns to snow

MHG · 06/06/2019, 06:56 PM

Had a issue with my frag system with getting the calcium up, but getting the mag right seemed to fix that. But then my all started to drop. Now y calk is dropping again. When I does the all it instantly turns to particles and snows to the bottom of the tank. Calcium is dropping again.

PH is 8 (calibrated probe and Salifert test kit)
Alk has dropped from 9 to 5.5.
Calcium is dropping from 450 to 320 and dropping.

I have only three frags and I am dumping in the BRS soda ash solution to the tune of about 40 ml a day on a system where the total system volume is about 40 gallons.

Its only a few months old. Clearly its all just precipitating out and the levels just keep dropping.

Suggestions on how to stop the precipitation would be greatly appreciated.

bertoni · 06/06/2019, 10:59 PM

It's fairly common for alkalinity supplements to cause temporary precipitation of magnesium hydroxide. Maybe the precipitate is redissolving over time?

If the precipitate seems to be permanent, I'd dose into the larger volume of water, which generally is the main tank, and not into a sump.

What is the magnesium level currently, and what products are you dosing? Dosing baking soda for alkalinity often helps with precipitation problems. How much are you dosing in one shot? You might need to dose something like 50 ppm of calcium per shot, and spread the doses out every 10-15 minutes or so for a bit.

BrettDS · 06/07/2019, 09:28 AM

I wonder if there is a testing error or a bad test kit. Calcium and Alkalinity shouldn’t precipitate out at 9dkh and 450ppm, so I wonder if one or both levels is actually much higher than you think.

What test kits are you using? It might be worth getting another test kit or a standard solution just to verify.

Goss · 06/07/2019, 04:36 PM

Snow means you maxed out your calcium. I would get a new test kit.

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outssider · 06/07/2019, 05:43 PM

stop dosing carbonate and start dosing bicarbonate....and do it slowly...

MHG · 06/15/2019, 05:41 AM

Thanks for the input.

06/06/2019, 06:56 PM	#1
MHG Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 2,919	Alk Supplement Turns to snow Had a issue with my frag system with getting the calcium up, but getting the mag right seemed to fix that. But then my all started to drop. Now y calk is dropping again. When I does the all it instantly turns to particles and snows to the bottom of the tank. Calcium is dropping again. PH is 8 (calibrated probe and Salifert test kit) Alk has dropped from 9 to 5.5. Calcium is dropping from 450 to 320 and dropping. I have only three frags and I am dumping in the BRS soda ash solution to the tune of about 40 ml a day on a system where the total system volume is about 40 gallons. Its only a few months old. Clearly its all just precipitating out and the levels just keep dropping. Suggestions on how to stop the precipitation would be greatly appreciated. __________________ MHG (LIRA Member) 60G Cube, Kessil 360's

06/06/2019, 10:59 PM	#2
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	It's fairly common for alkalinity supplements to cause temporary precipitation of magnesium hydroxide. Maybe the precipitate is redissolving over time? If the precipitate seems to be permanent, I'd dose into the larger volume of water, which generally is the main tank, and not into a sump. What is the magnesium level currently, and what products are you dosing? Dosing baking soda for alkalinity often helps with precipitation problems. How much are you dosing in one shot? You might need to dose something like 50 ppm of calcium per shot, and spread the doses out every 10-15 minutes or so for a bit. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

06/07/2019, 09:28 AM	#3
BrettDS Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Orlando Posts: 1,109	Alk Supplement Turns to snow I wonder if there is a testing error or a bad test kit. Calcium and Alkalinity shouldn’t precipitate out at 9dkh and 450ppm, so I wonder if one or both levels is actually much higher than you think. What test kits are you using? It might be worth getting another test kit or a standard solution just to verify.

06/07/2019, 05:43 PM	#5
outssider Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Reseda, Ca. Posts: 1,717	stop dosing carbonate and start dosing bicarbonate....and do it slowly... __________________ Please don't feed the bears because the bears will become dependent on free handouts and forget how to take care of themselves …... Current Tank Info: 75 Gal. Mixed reef mostly sps

06/15/2019, 05:41 AM	#6
MHG Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 2,919	Thanks for the input. __________________ MHG (LIRA Member) 60G Cube, Kessil 360's

06/07/2019, 04:36 PM	#4
Goss Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Location: Valley Center, Ca. Posts: 222	Snow means you maxed out your calcium. I would get a new test kit. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk