ALK and Calcium will not go up!!!

[fattyratrat]

Hey guys...
I have a custom acrylic tank, 4ft L x 2ft D x 1ft H, with a 40 gallon fuge attached. The tank has been running for about 5 months now, and i have several fish and corals all prospering (including acros). I have two 150w MH's , and four 110w VHO's running on it. I have not once had a spec of Nitrate or Phosphate. I dose B-Ionic two part calcium about every two or three days, Seachem's Iodine supplement once a week, and Kent Marine Strontium and Magnesium supplement about twice a week.

My problem lies in my ALK and Calcium... My ALK has ALWAYS been 7 degrees, and my calcium has ALWAYS been about 340. What do I do?? I would like my ALK at 11 or 12, and my calcium at about 400. I have no clue why the B-Ionic isn't working for me. Any ideas would be appreciated...

[mbbuna]

dont use the directions on the bottle. the bottle has no way of knowing how much your tank go's through

use this http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chem_calc3.html

[Myrddraal]

What is your magnesium?

[halcyon_diver]

ditto on the mag question, alk,calc and mag all work together

[rbursek]

If Mg is low it is very hard to Ca up and keep it up, no need to add Iodine with regular water changes. I would find out what the Mg is, raise it if need be, use Kent Turbo Ca to raise Ca, and baking soda to raise Alk. B ionic is a very weak solution and is better for maintaining then raiseing levels.

[DeAtHtOpOoPiE]

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/alkalinity.htm

[jallen100]

I dose with the B-Ionic Calc and Alk every day and it keeps my numbers up. I have followed the directions on the bottle and my numbers have been steady since I started dosing.

[fattyratrat]

thanks for the help. Jallen i second that.. my numbers have been almost the exact same since day one with B-Ionic, but that is working against me in this case. What is a good Magnesium supp to be using?

[bertoni]

Kent Tech-M worked well for me. ESV, Warner, and Salifert also make good supplements. I avoid the SeaChem, since it's basically just epsom salts. There's a DIY formula, as well.

[spleify]

I am not super familiar with the b ionic stuff, but like stated above, most of the time these types of supplements are use to MAINTAIN a certain level, not necessarily used to raise a level.
Baking soda=alkalinity
Epsom salt=magnesium
Heat driveway salt=calcium

This link was dropped earlier, but it is a great tool, be sure to use it.

http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chemcalc.html

You need to get you're levels where you want them, then dose for maintenance, always test you're new salt water and bolster that before adding, and you should be good to go.

HTH
Spleify