firerock
10/27/2006, 09:36 AM
I have been using Randy's homemade recipe since April and have been very happy with the results. I have never encountered any problems until recently some odd events have been happening.
First, since the beginning of this month, impellers of all 4 powerheads in my tank has been clogged up one after another with what looks like Calcium buildup, I had to soak them in vinegar for days in order to get them to work again.
Then, day after a 30% water 2 weeks ago, I started getting this cloudy white deposits on the glass, mostly on the back panel, started with areas I have scrapped during the WC then spread to others. The deposits are smooth to the touch, and are a pain to scrap off. As soon I scrapped them off, it will soon be covered again in even larger areas.
http://www.photodump.com/direct/firerock/problem02.jpg
http://www.photodump.com/direct/firerock/problem01.jpg
http://www.photodump.com/direct/firerock/problem03.jpg
http://www.photodump.com/direct/firerock/problem04.jpg
Finally, I have noticed that the last batch of ALK I have made with Baking soda seemed to be dissolved completely, the bottle looked clear and no visible deposits, however, when I dose it into the tank, they looked "flaky", but quickly got blown away by the powerhead.
I checked the parameters of my water, although some seems to be on the lower side, they seem to be within range. Calcium 400, ALk 2.5 meg/L, borate Alk 0.1 meg/L, Magnesium 1300, PH 8.15, no detectable phosphate and silicate. All checked with Seachem testkits, and all testkits were checked against reference for accuracy. Temperature are kept between 78 - 80 degress.
In the past 2 month, I have been dosing the tank with 180ml of each part of the homemade recipe, does this seem a lot for a 46 gallon mixed reef tank? Corals has shown some growth, and there's no visible signs of stress, except for a toadstool that has not been opening up for 3-4 days.
What can be the cause of this problem? I have posted the question on Randy's forum, but thought maybe I'll get more responses here. This problem is really getting VERY annoying. Thanks for any help anyone can provide.
First, since the beginning of this month, impellers of all 4 powerheads in my tank has been clogged up one after another with what looks like Calcium buildup, I had to soak them in vinegar for days in order to get them to work again.
Then, day after a 30% water 2 weeks ago, I started getting this cloudy white deposits on the glass, mostly on the back panel, started with areas I have scrapped during the WC then spread to others. The deposits are smooth to the touch, and are a pain to scrap off. As soon I scrapped them off, it will soon be covered again in even larger areas.
http://www.photodump.com/direct/firerock/problem02.jpg
http://www.photodump.com/direct/firerock/problem01.jpg
http://www.photodump.com/direct/firerock/problem03.jpg
http://www.photodump.com/direct/firerock/problem04.jpg
Finally, I have noticed that the last batch of ALK I have made with Baking soda seemed to be dissolved completely, the bottle looked clear and no visible deposits, however, when I dose it into the tank, they looked "flaky", but quickly got blown away by the powerhead.
I checked the parameters of my water, although some seems to be on the lower side, they seem to be within range. Calcium 400, ALk 2.5 meg/L, borate Alk 0.1 meg/L, Magnesium 1300, PH 8.15, no detectable phosphate and silicate. All checked with Seachem testkits, and all testkits were checked against reference for accuracy. Temperature are kept between 78 - 80 degress.
In the past 2 month, I have been dosing the tank with 180ml of each part of the homemade recipe, does this seem a lot for a 46 gallon mixed reef tank? Corals has shown some growth, and there's no visible signs of stress, except for a toadstool that has not been opening up for 3-4 days.
What can be the cause of this problem? I have posted the question on Randy's forum, but thought maybe I'll get more responses here. This problem is really getting VERY annoying. Thanks for any help anyone can provide.