Alk trouble with 2 part (advice please)

[Reefer87]

Hi guys, I know there's a whole bunch of SPS experts out there and a fellow reefer needs a little help on increasing alkalinity.

I'm in need of some help with randy's 2 part. Currently using dowflake, baking soda, and epsom salt.

I've been dosing with my Aquamedic reef doser and have got the following dripping 4 times per day.

Currently I'm dosing:
~155ml Ca per day
~154ml Alk

I've raised the dosing a few days ago and have once again checked the parameters with salifert's kits:

Current parameters:

Ca - 450
Alk - 6.1-6.4 (range i did 3 tests)

I've been trying to balance the amount of each part. I'd like to keep the Ca at 155 ml per day since its keeping up my levels to 450.

The ALK im having trouble with so my questions are as follows:
1) How many ml more per day to keep it at 8.0-8.2 Alk or so
2) What is the Alk you guys usually keep the tank at, and Is there anything else I should know?
3) Any suggestions while increasing the dosing besides take it slow and dont do too much in one shot?

Any advice is welcome, and thank you all for your help.

[Reefer87]

ALSO I forgot to mention, I'm using RANDYS Part 1 dosing.

I've used the http://reef.diesyst.com/ - reef calculator

Its telling me to dose 211.4 ml; 7.1 fl oz or 42.2tsp of randy part 1 to get to 8.2 DKH.

I know to add however much as shown above of randys part 1, but my real problem is how much do I increase the dosing to daily for the reefdoser?

[toothman]

That depends on the demand of your tank, the calculator is just a guide line to start as sps get bigger they need more ca etc. Personal observation my sps grow and look the best at 8 when it gets to 9 or 10 the monti tend to stress out, caps, digi. acros do not seem to mind.

So just increase your baking soda by 20% and see what happens.

[Reefer87]

So you think increasing the dosing of Alk by 20% will be safe at first and then increasing it as I monitor the parameters?

[dvanacker]

Also think about the salt water your doing water changes with. I know I use IO and do 10% water changes a week. Since IO is high in ALK and low in calcium I know I have to dose more of the calcium two part and less of the ALK to keep my params were I want them. Im also using an aquamedic twin doser.

It is not absolutely necassary to dose them in equal amounts. Especially when your salt water that you water changes may not be in the same balance that you wish the tank.

It is safe to slowly increase the alkalinity to acheive the result you want.

[dvanacker]

but remember the amount of alkalinity that you use to raise the value is not going to be the same as the maintenance value.

[Reefer87]

Im currently using Tropic Marin, What exactly do you mean dvanacker about the raising the value being not the same as maintenance value?

thanks for all of your replys/help so far.

[ObscurityKnocks]

Measure your alk at a set time, do not dose after this point. The next day measure your alk at the same time. That will give you your daily alk usage.

Dose once to get your alk at the level you want to maintain and then set your automatic doser to the rate that will maintain your daily usage. That is what dvanacker meant by the difference between raising your alk and the maintenance level.

[jackson6745]

Reefer87 is there baking soda settled on the bottom of your container?

[Reefer87]

i've shaken the gallon poland spring bottle of randy's part alk 1 for 2 hours until every little micro piece of clump dissolved

[dots]

As a restatment of the above:

You may be adding only the daily replacement and the Alk and Ca levels need to be already at the needed levels.

Before starting a 2-part schedule, I "set" my levels using a buffer and a liquid Ca such as Turbo Ca.

Only then, will you be able to know how much your daily uptake is so you can replace it with your doseage schedule.

You can either: add more of the Alk part than the Ca part......say 25% more to slowly bring it up.

Or keep adding the same amount and add some buffer powder to the tank, a little goes a long way, this will have the same effect as the first, just does not require you to mess with your initial routine.

Slowly is the key in raising it, over the course of a week being that depressed as SPS are very sensitive to alk and salinity shifts.
I forgot to add topoff once just getting into SPS and added 5gals of fresh water into my 75g and RTNd 2 colonies.......

Over time, because biological systems are not constant and vary a little day to day, you may find your current doseage to be a little too much or too little than what is needed by the system. You will notice the alk to begin to slowly rise or fall. Due to the resolution of our tests, the Ca will be behaving the same way, but is harder to see, I test Ca once a month just to check I am still in balance with the alk for this very reason, its hard to see day to day Ca changes.

Adjust your dose to slow this creep and keep as static as possible. When I dosed by hand, I tested my Alk daily and adjusted the values as needed per above suggestion also.

If an out of balance of the two occurs vary the ratio to bring it back up slowly as described above and the situation you are currently in. One of the easiest out of balance scenario to correct.

In addition, check your Mg because it has an effect in all of this too......

All of this remindes me to check my Ca and Mg as well.....Thanks!!

[dots]

Rereading your original post, how large is your tank and how stocked with SPS, clams?

155ml is a lot to be adding daily, unless your Randys mix is not as concentrated as B-ionic is. Which is exactly why I don't mix my own, I don't trust myself to make consistent batches in small quanities and will have my levels all over the place.

Did you just start adding this and have you be trying to up your Alk and Ca by using this only? If so, what were your values initially before starting the 2-part.

I ask only because I was adding 60mls per in my 75g that was light-medium stocked before going BB and less now.

[Reefer87]

Im using Randys-2-part 1, Total gallons are well, 120 gal tank, 30gal sump, 5 or so gal CPR HOB fuge.

Im going to up the dose to about 210ml per day and see where this takes me. Thank you all for your help and understanding, its greatly appreciated.

[Jeffie]

Do as stated above and use another product to raise your alk to your desired level. Once there, don't dose for a day and test at the same time the next day and you will now your consumption rate over a 24 hr period. For me my dosing is all based on my alk. How ever much alk I need to add is how much calcium I add also. My ca will usually be a little bit lower then i would like it but it follows along nicely with my Alk and I get very good growth so it is not a big concern for me. The biggest concern for me is keeping my alk nice and stable. If you are not adding equal amounts of each you are going to end up with the sea saw affect of one working against the other(i.e you add more alk and it drops our calcium or vise versa). Maybe every coupl of weeks I will test my ca and adjust it back up to the 420-460 range. With adding equal amounts it usually sits around the 380-400ppm range

[kirstenk]

Im going to up the dose to about 210ml per day and see where this takes me.

This will raise your ALK to an acceptable range but it will also continue to raise it past that range so you will have to adjust it again.

Or keep adding the same amount and add some buffer powder to the tank, a little goes a long way, this will have the same effect as the first, just does not require you to mess with your initial routine.

This is what I would do. Seems to me your initial dosage is the correct amount to keep your ALK steady. I would add a little extra baking soda daily until you hit your target and leave the doser alone.