One quick Q!

Getting my epson salt & seachem reef carbomnate just wanderin as i have to add such a lareg amount......29.2 oz epson salt or 1200 ml kent tect M and 11 caps of seachem reef carbonate how much is safe to add in each day? I Know i dont want to add it all at once as it will raise the ph & shock the fish.....................what would you suggest

 

Hi Kiarah

dont do them both at the same time- you can end up with lots of precipitation

raise your mag to target level 1st - I believe calculator will tell you to add this over 2 or 3 days
Mag is not so much as a worry as DKH and I know some people raise by as much as 100ppm in 1 go.

alk is different as you know because it can spike your PH
once your mag is where you want it- then start increasing the DKH
You should stay below raising it 1 degree per day
so if the 11.2 caps are to increase it by 3 degrees for example - spread them over 4 days IMO
the levels have got where they are slowly
there is no reason to take them back where you want them to quickly

Steve

 

Are you testing your water parameters - dKh, calcium, magnesium, ph? It is not safe to dose anything without knowing the current level. When you know the current level and your target level, you will know how much you should add per day to be the safest.

 

HI steve................Had some problems getting the additives i wanted so ended up with a product called Reef Evolution , Reef Tonic 1 .....PH & KH stabilizer and Reef evolutions , reef tonic 2 calcium stabilizer................I got the reef 2 as it said it works as a 2 part treatment?! I have no idea how to dose this type as the make dosent come up on the calculaters.................Do you have any exsperiance with this make?

Thanks Kiarah

I ment to say i got boths parts 1 & 2!

 

This isn't an answer to your question, just wanted to share...
I used this Reef Chemistry Calculator
to get to level. Then I recorded drop in levels over the next week. At day 7 I added up the drop results and divided by 7 giving me the average daily drop which in turn let me use the calculator to figuire my daily dose to keep my levels at my desired target.
Also this article An Improved Do-it-Yourself Two-Part Calcium and Alkalinity Supplement System by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com is a good read on DIY 2 Part additive systems and can save you some money in the long run over commercial systems. It also touches base on sulfate build-up when using Epsom salts and the dangers associated.

 

Are there no directions? DKH should only be raised 1 DKH per day. Mag as stated earlier can be raised 100 ppm per day but keep checking the Cal as the ratio is; Mag is 3X what Cal is. So as the Mag comes up keep the ratio.

 

HI Jed there are only instructions for if you want to maintain the levels which it states one 5 ml capful a day.
It says you can use it to raise the alkalinity if it drops below 7.8 ( i think mines 3-4? it 80ppm so should be at least 120ppm) but it dose not give the instructions as to how to use it in that way...................?

 

Hi Kiarah

Ive never used that product, and Google has been less than helpful to me today
only 2 hits on it and they are both E bay selling this item

hopefully someone with experience of it will chime in here

but
under these circumstances what I would do is err on the side of caution
more harm can be done raising your DKH to quickly than to slowly

I imagine to maintain levels it states "add 1 capfull per X amount of litres or X amount of UK/US gallons"

under those conditions I would suggest starting with the stated dosage, leave 24 hours and then test again
and I would also consider doing it in a bucket of tank water outside the main tank

if you use a 2 gallon bucket and a power head, add stated dose per 2 gallons then test
- if DKH has increased by less than 1 degree - OK to use stated dose each day until it reaches target

or in same bucket, continue to add solution whilst measuring/ recording QTY until you do have the 1 degree increase
that will then tell you how many mils you need for each 2 gallons in order to increase your DKH by 1 degree

Steve

 

Yes steve it states 5 ml per 100 ltrs & my tank is 317ltrs so i make it 15mls a day.
Thanks for all your help!

I have tried to give you karma+ but it will not work for me!

Thanks again K