Kahuna
10/30/2011, 08:41 PM
I just stopped dosing 2-part and made the move to a calcium reactor. I'm really struggling with concepts and ways to maintain stability.
Here's what I know, or think I know:
It isn't really a calcium reactor, it's an alklinity generator. The calcium follows the alkalinity.
My alkalinity of the effluent is about 21.6 DKh. According to the online calculator, I started with an alk of 9.9 DKh in the system, and have to maintain a 22 ml/min flow at this alk to maintain. OK, I'm doing that and it's working. I'm maintaining 9.9 DKh.
In the last 72 hours, my Ca levels in the tank have taken a nosedive from around 440ppm starting out to 360ppm. How do I fix this without changing the alk level in my tank? I don't want to hear "add 2-part", I started out with the right levels and the ca reactor should maintain what's already there, right? Where am I not understanding this?
My pH in the tank started out at 8.2. Now during the day, it starts at 8.04, and at night, it drops to 7.8. I have an all-SPS and LPS system. This is bothering me. I'm already running a reverse lighting cycle on the tank to keep pH stable. If I run the effluent through a NextReef media chamber full of calcerous media, will it raise the effluent pH back up? What else will it do?
How do I keep Mg up?
TIA
Kev
Here's what I know, or think I know:
It isn't really a calcium reactor, it's an alklinity generator. The calcium follows the alkalinity.
My alkalinity of the effluent is about 21.6 DKh. According to the online calculator, I started with an alk of 9.9 DKh in the system, and have to maintain a 22 ml/min flow at this alk to maintain. OK, I'm doing that and it's working. I'm maintaining 9.9 DKh.
In the last 72 hours, my Ca levels in the tank have taken a nosedive from around 440ppm starting out to 360ppm. How do I fix this without changing the alk level in my tank? I don't want to hear "add 2-part", I started out with the right levels and the ca reactor should maintain what's already there, right? Where am I not understanding this?
My pH in the tank started out at 8.2. Now during the day, it starts at 8.04, and at night, it drops to 7.8. I have an all-SPS and LPS system. This is bothering me. I'm already running a reverse lighting cycle on the tank to keep pH stable. If I run the effluent through a NextReef media chamber full of calcerous media, will it raise the effluent pH back up? What else will it do?
How do I keep Mg up?
TIA
Kev