Unsure why elements are out of wack. :/

[lolgranny]

So here is where im at.

Tanks been up since August 10th

40g DT--Bare Bottom, 20g sump. NAC-6 skimmer, fuge lit with 75w 10k bulb, 20lbs of sand(4"deep) with cheato.

250w halide/2-65w PC's
Have about 4000gph going thorough the DT

~40lbs of live rock
~10snails
~20blue legged hermits
3chromis
ebli angel
4acros(which are doing good, cept they are browned out due to over skimming / limited feeding)

Have some algae problems, but its been receding a LOT this past week. I feed typically once a day since ive noticed the angel start nipping at my milli
I did have some snails die off 2 weeks ago(about 10 of them) i think due to them not having enough algae(the kind they want / like)

Im testing using API and Salfert so these are pretty accurate.

Alk- 14-15?!?!?!!
Calcium 380-400
Mag 1000-1100
Salinity 1.024-1.025
Nitrates-0
Phos-0
PH is staying stable(running DT lights / fuge lights on separate timers)

Im doing water changes with reef crystals every week using RO/DI water. About 4g on a 50g system. I dont dose ANYTHING and im unable to figure out why i cant align my 3. I just picked up B-Ionic, and im going to try and boost the Calcium to about 420-440. Im going to do a few water changes, but before i do i was planning on testing the freshly made saltwater to see if the reef crystals are causing the alk to be where it is.

Does anyone have any ideas? suggestions? anything?

Thanks,
David

[M88A2]

your mag is really low, gonna be hard to maintain the other params with it being off. i suggest you get your mag up to about 1350 and then mess around with the cal/alk. i dose all 3 in different amounts daily. but missing a day seems to not affect anyhting.

[lolgranny]

Ive been told that mag will stay in check once calc / alk are aligned. Ive started dosing some Mag using Kent tech M, but its not moving much.

:/

[jc-reef]

You need to get you Mg up in order to keep your Ca/Alk stable. Calcium will percipate out with low Mg. You will probably need to dose quite a bit of Mg to get up to 1300-1400.

Here is an online calulator that can help you figure out how much to dose. You simply plug in the numbers and it will give you the dose amount. Get the Mg up FIRST, then you can work on your Ca & Alk. Now, you don't want to dose more than say 100ppm a day...safer to keep it at 50ppm or so max a day so you dont shock your system.

http://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chem_calc3.html

Good luck!

[lolgranny]

Update
Mag=1250
Cal=300
Alk=15?!?!?!?!?!!?

Im so lost with the alk, im testing using Api / Salifert test kits.

Im dosing Mag / Calcium every day now to try and get them where they need to be.

[smtank]

Yes you need the mag to stabilize the alk. Like others posted, bump up the mag and work from there.

[tmgrash]

Have you tested your alk in your new water before doing a WC, probably is mixing high. You cal is certainly fine at 380-400, I wouldnt worry about that. From what I understand you can only have so much alk and cal together before saturation, raising mag will raise the saturation level. So, since your alk is 15dKh you probably wont be able to get your cal much higher even if you wanted to with your mag at that level.

What cal supplement are you using? Sometimes they come as a two part but only adverstise the cal, such as tropic marin bio calcium.

[Masterofnonsense]

Raising your magnesium can take a lot of additive. You may want to look into BRS diy additives as they will be a lot cheaper in the long run.

[wickedfish]

The salifert alk test reads high, get another alk test, API or elos to cross check it with. There is a thread on the salifert alk tests being on the high side.

And agreed get your mag up. Via just magnesium, no additives or extras like some brands do.
Try Bulk reef supply 3 part. And if you can get your self a dosing setup it will help keep your balance.

But you must know what your systems thirst for alk, mag, and calcium is first on a daily basis. "which means testing daily for alk, mag and cal." Its a pita but worth it once you have it all dialed in.

Good luck.

[jc-reef]

Originally Posted by Masterofnonsense

Raising your magnesium can take a lot of additive. You may want to look into BRS diy additives as they will be a lot cheaper in the long run.

+1 on getting a bulk supply and DIY.

Keep working on your Mg...(1300-1400) then start on your Cal/Alk. I would also check your Alk results with a different tester...LFS perhaps....it sounds unusually high and you could be getting a false reading with your tester.

[lolgranny]

Im using both API / Salifert kits for alk and they are coming very close to each other. Ill check it again tomorrow and give us a update.

[gh0st]

Maybe I missed it, but....

What is your PH? I'm guessing probably pretty low.
Alk is a bit high, I try and maintain mine around 4 meqs/l or about 11.2 KH as tested on the API Kit.
Calcium is Really Low if it's 300, probably caused by high ALK and low PH, Try and maintain between 400-420.
Mag is also a little low. Around 1300-1400 is preffered.

Try raising the Magnesium and also to a lesser extent the Calcium. Some Light PH buffer if needed may also help to stabilize your chemistry.

[lolgranny]

Tested again

Mag-1250
Calcium-320
Alk-15 on api // 16 on Salifert (maybe higher? when im dripping the KH solution in im using the entire syringe)

Im not dosing anything at the moment, just Kent tech M. Still doing water changes once every week- every week and a half.

[lolgranny]

Ph isnt swinging. Its sitting at about 8.2

[Allmost]

Originally Posted by lolgranny

Tested again

Mag-1250
Calcium-320
Alk-15 on api // 16 on Salifert (maybe higher? when im dripping the KH solution in im using the entire syringe)

Im not dosing anything at the moment, just Kent tech M. Still doing water changes once every week- every week and a half.

your alk is too high and calcium too low.

you want ca++ and MG ratio of 3.1 to 1.

a good help here : http://reef.diesyst.com/flashcalc/flashcalc.html

[chumcrazy]

When I used reef crystals my cal. was always high like 450-480 and my alk was always really low. I switched to IO and have a higer alk and add one cap full of cal. to the water change water (10gal/week) and all params have been stable. Sounds to me like your seeing the opposite. Maybe try adding some cal. to you water change water.

[lolgranny]

Originally Posted by Allmost

your alk is too high and calcium too low.

you want ca++ and MG ratio of 3.1 to 1.

a good help here : http://reef.diesyst.com/flashcalc/flashcalc.html

Yes i understand my Alk is WAAYYYYY too high, thats the reason for this post. I have no clue at why it is where it is and why im unable to get them correct.

[reefpeeper]

just add calcium and some mag. add max amount of calcium per day until level is right. if mag is not right cal and alk will be hard to control



Sent from my Eris using Tapatalk

[lolgranny]

Im going to make another batch of water and test that tomorrow. See how it turns out, part of me thinks i got a bad batch of reef crystals. I had issues with it when i started up this talk, had a huge calcium percipitation which was all over the pumps / skimmer / sump / and DT glass. I called them and they said it was because i only had 20lbs of LR and no sand and i added the salt too quickly?!!? This is my 3rd tank and ive never had issues like this. bah

[lolgranny]

Originally Posted by reefpeeper

just add calcium and some mag. add max amount of calcium per day until level is right. if mag is not right cal and alk will be hard to control



Sent from my Eris using Tapatalk

Ya, ive been adding the suggested amounts of Mag each day to try and get it up some more so then i can mess with my calcium and hopefully that will fix the redic Alk issue im having.

[jc-reef]

Updates?

[LifeAquatic]

First I would suggest using a second DKH test but you mentioned using API and Salifert. You should test your new water for DKH before adding to display. You might have picked up a batch of salt with Higher DKH then normal. You say nothing is being doesd into the tank. The only way for the DKH to rise is from water changes. It must be the bag of salt you are using. Like the others posted low MAG will make CAL and ALK unstable.

[reefried]

salifert kits say right on them that over 11 dkh they have a 0.5 +/- but i would still bet your alk is high

[iamwrasseman]

get the mag up some more and keep it 3x your calcium and leave the rest alone for a week or two and see what happens .
how do your corals look ? if they are okay ,let her ride but that alk is high and i suspect your test kit . have it checked against another kit as its much cheaper to buy a test kit rather than keep dosing mag if the alk is testing wrong .
also dont do a water change for a couple of weeks and see what you params do .

[lolgranny]

Originally Posted by jc-reef

Updates?

Update#1(Saturday)

Mag=1250
Calcium=300
Alk=15

Update#2(Today / Tues)

Mag=1350
Calcium=320
Alk=15-16(api)

Ill be doing a water change tomorrow and will test the new water again.
Only adding Mag / B-Ionic part 2(Calcuim side)