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02-21-2008, 04:33 PM
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#1 (permalink)
| | Torch Coral
Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Baltimore, MD Age: 47
Posts: 1,163
   |  Alk/Ca Inbalance
ok, so tested the water in our display tank today and got readings of
Ca 480
Alk 2.9 Meq/L
Mg 1300
ph 8.4
When I add the Alkalinity portion of a 2 part product the solution turns into tiny particles. Obviously the Ca and Alk are not balanced. What action or inaction should I take?  _________ 72 gallon bowed 150lbs LR 60 lbs LS
2 Percs
1 Chevron Tang
Hippo Tang
Six Line Wrasse
Coral Banded Shrimp
Cleaner Shrimp
Starry Blenny
4 Lyretail Anthias
Long Polyp Toadstool
Montipora
Long Tentacle Anenome
Short tentacle plate
Pulsing Xenia
Green Star polyps
Frogspawn
29 gallon
2 Clown
1 Coral Beauty
1 Fairy Wrasse
24 FOWLR
Dwarf Lion
125 gallon African Cichlid Tank http://home.comcast.net/~pizzal/index.html 
"The more you learn, the more acutely aware you become of your ignorance" | 
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02-21-2008, 04:54 PM
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#2 (permalink)
| | 3reef Sponsor
Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Va/Ct
Posts: 4,270
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Once you kick the Dkh up to 4.5 to 5.0 you will see the calcium fall off a bit that Ca has gotten on top and is suppressing the Carbonates , Mag is a tad low get that to 1400 , _________ Some of the world's greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible (Doug Larson) | |
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02-21-2008, 05:19 PM
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#3 (permalink)
| | Vlamingii Tang
Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: joliet,il Age: 41
Posts: 1,888
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with a pH of 8.4 if you add dKH or a buffer your going to percipitate out. if your pH was lower i would suggest bumping the dKH but for now if you bump the Mg up around 1500 that should buffer Ca and dKH better. other than that i wouldnt do anything until the Ca drops on its own. try and figure out your dKH consumption rate.
what products are you using? i.e. test kits, dosing, reactor, and so on. they might have a part to this. also how soon after did you test after the products dosing?
_________
just one little sps frag tank with lots of goodies | |
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02-21-2008, 05:32 PM
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#4 (permalink)
| | Torch Coral
Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Baltimore, MD Age: 47
Posts: 1,163
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I dosed this morning around 7 and then tested around 5:00 this evening. I am using B-ionic supplements and Salifert test kits...Should I just not dose for a few days? Everything in the tank looks good and the Coralline is growing like crazy, back of the tank is completely encrusted and the sides would be if I didn't scrape...
Thanks, Guru... | |
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02-21-2008, 07:22 PM
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#5 (permalink)
| | Vlamingii Tang
Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: joliet,il Age: 41
Posts: 1,888
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sounds like things are going good for ya, if you up the Mg and let the Ca drop on its own that will bring things within specs a little better. then after that if you want to raise the Ca and dkH you can do so, but its not needed. the trick is finding out the dKH consumption rate of the tank, wait 48hrs inbetween dosing to find it out. then just figure out how much your dosing to match what you had prior. | |
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02-21-2008, 09:28 PM
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#6 (permalink)
| | Torch Coral
Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Baltimore, MD Age: 47
Posts: 1,163
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Sounds like a great idea, guru...I will wait before dosing and then get a point of reference... | |
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02-21-2008, 10:03 PM
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#7 (permalink)
| | Vlamingii Tang
Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: joliet,il Age: 41
Posts: 1,888
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if your not sure its the only way to know, test Mg, Ca, dKH in 48 hrs to get an idea what the consumption rates are, and go from there. | |
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