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Creetin
09/11/2006, 09:45 AM
Now i have been battling alk dropping fast, Ca is steady, and MG drops fast as well.
I have my ca/rx online to the new tank now. As of last night as was dosing prior limewater and vinegar, cal clhoride,kents Tech M and some baking soda. Now i didnt use them together or the add them the same day, It was usually one or the other each night.
Now my alk drops 2 dkh per day, and i lose 50 ppm of MG per day, Ca is not as bad mayby 10-15 ppm per day.
I did notice in my overflow i have a snot clear slime.
Is this from dosing the limewater and vinigar and getting a bacteria of some sort?
TIA
I am just alarmed on how much MG and alk i am losing. I first thought it was percipitating, But heaters and pumps are clean.
Randy Holmes-Farley
09/12/2006, 05:05 AM
50 ppm magnesium per day is a testing error/noise. It cannot and will not drop that fast in any aquarium. What kit? I'd watch it over a long period of time. What is the level?

What type of calcifying organisms are in this tank?
Creetin
09/12/2006, 06:09 AM
about 60 or so sps colonys and a dozen lps.
I am using a sailferts kit. MG dropped for 3 consecutive days 50ppm. I am a stickler for doing every test the exact same from one day to the next. I added 2 handfulls of dolomite to my ca rx, and it looks like mg has stabilized. 1270ppm
Someone told me that using kalk could dispose of some MG when added.
I didnt think Mg could drop that much, I used 1 bottle of kents tech M and could not keep up with the demand.
I was after seeing the slime thinking i was getting some kind of reaction.
I did change my rowa, and 2 cups of carbon about 4 or 5 days ago.
Also any idea what that translucent slime is? It happens in low flow environment. Feels like snot.:eek1:
Creetin
09/12/2006, 01:18 PM
No one has any thoughts on the slime?
Randy Holmes-Farley
09/13/2006, 05:02 AM
I'd keep watching magnesium longer (a week or two). It won't (cannot) keep dropping 50 ppm per day, even without the dolomite. Even when using only additives that do not contain magnesium (like limewater/kalkwasser).

The slime might be dinoflagellates.