Main Menu
| |
Get on the Map!
| |
Forum Menu
| | 
11-15-2007, 04:59 PM
|
#1 (permalink)
| | Corkscrew Tentacle Anemone
Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Denver, Colorado Age: 24
Posts: 706
  |  dKH going down too quick?
OK so I got my dKH up to around 12 or 13 as of Sunday. I tested my water just now, and it's back down to 7 or 8 already!  Wtf? Is that normal? 
I used Baking Soda to raise it. _________ 125 Gal Reef. Born March 2002 FISH: Ocellaris Clown, Yellow Tang, Fairy Wrasse, Sand Star, Fuzzy Dwarf Lion, Mandarin Dragonette, Hippo Tang CORALS: Green Striped/Red/Purple Mushrooms, Green Star Polyps, Yellow Toadstool Leather, Bubble, Frogspawn, 2 Hammers, Yellow Polyps, Open Brain, Ridge Leather, Various Zoas, Button Polyps, Kenya Tree, Colt, Elephant Ear Mushroom, Clove Polyps, Torch, Purple Clam, Rose BTA  | 
|  | | Reef Links |  | |
11-15-2007, 06:21 PM
|
#2 (permalink)
| | Giant Squid
Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Miami Age: 39
Posts: 4,059
 
|
What are your other levels at? Like cal, ph, mag, alk? _________ 9YR OLD 90G 30G w/d Mag18 150G skimmer 692w MH,yel&kole tang,foxface,midas&convict blenny,B&G chromies,Blk/yel fin chromie blackcap,nemo,neon goby,6line; Blastomussa Merleti,Acan ,BUBBLE,Torch,LTA, Goniopora(2), Acropora(2),Brain, Moon, assort zoas, yel& G star polyps, R&G open brain, P&B ricordia, montiporas, cup&candy corals, enias,B/G mush,flower ane(2), cherry red mussa, dusters,cleaning crew  | |
| | |
11-15-2007, 06:32 PM
|
#3 (permalink)
| | Corkscrew Tentacle Anemone
Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Denver, Colorado Age: 24
Posts: 706
|
Doesn't alk = dkh? Aren't they one and the same?
My calcium is at 300 (low I know)
Phosphate at 0
Nitrate 20
I don't actually have a test kit for the rest, and I know that's bad but my tank is in "rehab" right now. I have a pH additive that says it boosts it to 8.3 and keeps it there even if I overdose. And I've used it once so far. So I'm assuming it's 8.3.
Also I know my Nitrate is high, but I've been over feeding in an attempt to fatten up my Tang. I'm doing weekly water changes - 6 gallons. I also just setup a refugium/sump almost 2 weeks ago. Right now the light over my fuge is on 24/7, and I have Feather Culerpa (sp?) and Red Grape macro algae in there and I'm hoping those will govern my nitrates as well. | |
| | |
11-15-2007, 06:49 PM
|
#4 (permalink)
| | Giant Squid
Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Miami Age: 39
Posts: 4,059
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brandon1023  Doesn't alk = dkh? Aren't they one and the same?
My calcium is at 300 (low I know)
Phosphate at 0
Nitrate 20
I don't actually have a test kit for the rest, and I know that's bad but my tank is in "rehab" right now. I have a pH additive that says it boosts it to 8.3 and keeps it there even if I overdose. And I've used it once so far. So I'm assuming it's 8.3.
Also I know my Nitrate is high, but I've been over feeding in an attempt to fatten up my Tang. I'm doing weekly water changes - 6 gallons. I also just setup a refugium/sump almost 2 weeks ago. Right now the light over my fuge is on 24/7, and I have Feather Culerpa (sp?) and Red Grape macro algae in there and I'm hoping those will govern my nitrates as well. | Yes DKh and Alk are one in the same, but so is PH. If your alk/dkh is low, your ph just might be too. I also have that seachem ph booster and everytime I used it it raises not only my ph but the alk as well. You need to test for mag as well. Try to raise your cal to 400-420, mag to 1200-1300 and dkh at 8-12. Some ppl like those numbers to be much higher, but thats the way I have my tank. Hope this Helps, Luna | |
| | |
11-15-2007, 06:52 PM
|
#5 (permalink)
| | Torch Coral
Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Baltimore, MD Age: 47
Posts: 1,158
 |
What do you do to maintain those parameters,Lunatik? _________ 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" | |
| | |
11-15-2007, 06:53 PM
|
#6 (permalink)
| | Corkscrew Tentacle Anemone
Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Denver, Colorado Age: 24
Posts: 706
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by lunatik_69 Yes DKh and Alk are one in the same, but so is PH. If your alk/dkh is low, your ph just might be too. I also have that seachem ph booster and everytime I used it it raises not only my ph but the alk as well. You need to test for mag as well. Try to raise your cal to 400-420, mag to 1200-1300 and dkh at 8-12. Some ppl like those numbers to be much higher, but thats the way I have my tank. Hope this Helps, Luna | It does help, and thank you very much!
I do feel kind of naked without the other tests, like pH and ammonia and nitrite (oh my!!). Guess that will be my excuse for visiting the LFS this weekend. | |
| | |
11-15-2007, 06:59 PM
|
#7 (permalink)
| | Giant Squid
Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Miami Age: 39
Posts: 4,059
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by BaxterS80 What do you do to maintain those parameters,Lunatik? | I do 20gals water changes every week, I pour some Kent Marine Liquid calcuim and some mag liquid in the containers. I use natural sea water. During the week when evaporation occurs, I use r/o make up water with Kent Marine R/O right. Once a day I pour some reef solution for trace elements and thats about it. Oh, if my PH falls, I prepare some baking soda. What about you? | |
| | |
11-15-2007, 07:04 PM
|
#8 (permalink)
| | Torch Coral
Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Baltimore, MD Age: 47
Posts: 1,158
|
At this point I am doing a weekly 10% water change, daily top offs with RO/DI, and daily dosing with B-ionic two part Calcium/Alk buffer...I was concerned earlier this week that my Alk was below 6 until I found out that the test I was using was not giving me an accurate reading.... | |
| | |
11-15-2007, 07:13 PM
|
#9 (permalink)
| | Giant Squid
Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Miami Age: 39
Posts: 4,059
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by BaxterS80 At this point I am doing a weekly 10% water change, daily top offs with RO/DI, and daily dosing with B-ionic two part Calcium/Alk buffer...I was concerned earlier this week that my Alk was below 6 until I found out that the test I was using was not giving me an accurate reading.... | Becareful with the B-ionic! I use to use that myself until I was over dosing it. I almost killed alot of stuff in my tank. Dont get me wrong, its a good product, just dont over do it like I did. I dont use it anymore b/c all I need is the cal part and not the alk. Ever since I over dosed, I never have a problem with my DKH and my ALK. Thats why Im buying the Kent Marine's liquid calcuim now. The cal part of that two part system is actually pretty good, look at the ingredients. It has alot of the trace elements that you need anyways. | |
| | |
11-15-2007, 09:01 PM
|
#10 (permalink)
| | Peppermint Shrimp
Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: 630, IL Age: 23
Posts: 424
 |
for you guys using the liquid dosing you should really try out the two part solution. for like 17 bucks shipped you get 1 gallon of calcium 1 gallon of alkalinity and enough mag to balance it out and the receipe and dosing are all on the the twopartsolution.com site there even is a video to make it, super simple. | |
| | | Reef Links |  | 
Posting Rules
| You may not post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off | | | All times are GMT -7. The time now is 02:15 AM. |
