I need some help with dosing

#1
So I'm dosing brs two part and I can't get them to goo up 2 months ago everything was doing good my sps were growing then I bought two brs dosing pumps and set them up and I left for 4 days when I came back calcium was low 320 alkalinity 7.2 I tested dose by hand but wouldn't goo up I use to dose 60 mil each and I went up to 100 but won't goo up mag is 1400 I'm dosing right now 120 mil each and when I test 2 hours after dosing it goes up to 8.7 alk cal 360 but I'm dosing way more then what I use to all my sps died so I don't know why I'm dosing more but I don't have sps in the tank . Tank is 72. Bow front does anyone know what's going on can someone help ..


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

TheRealChrisBrown

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
ex-officio
#2
My thought would be the magnesium. Often when the magnesium is low people have troubles with the Cal and Alk going all over the place, the common response is to raise the Mag to 1400 which helps stabilize everything. So what I'm wondering if you locked down your Mag at 1400 then the Cal and Alk are locked in at their relative positions. If you truly don't have any SPS left, then I might try to drop your Mag, then adjust your Cal and Alk to the point you want them to be at....then raise your Mag back and lock everything together.

Randy Holmes Farley is the king of aquarium chemistry. Half of what he says goes over my head, but if I sit down and read through it I sort of understand it a little better. Although I admit I'll never be as knowledgeable as he is. He states "Preventing magnesium depletion is especially important in maintaining appropriate calcium and alkalinity in aquaria." That's what led me to my thought above. Here is one of his articles where I got that from: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2004/4/chemistry and here is another that I've found super useful when it comes to making corrections in the Mag, Alk, and Cal: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/11/chemistry

That second article should help a lot.

Do you test at the same time of day each time you test? Toward the end of your description there you say you tested 2 hours after dosing, just wondering if you test at the same time every time? The numbers you got from that test 2 hours after dosing are actually pretty close, 360, 8.7, and 1400....but I understand you are doing a large dose to get there. I really think that second article I attached should help a lot. Good luck, hope you get it back under control!
 
#5
Ok so dosing pumps dose in the am 120mil and 120mil at night each I test mag with read sea test kit I bough new it says it's 1400 ??


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Andrew_bram

Tiger Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#6
Retest mag as it can be a high error test. Are you toasting each alkalinity calcium at the same time or different times
 
#11
I also do 20 gallon water change every 2 weeks I was using salinity salt now I'm using Red Sea coral pro


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

TheRealChrisBrown

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
ex-officio
#13


Using this chart from BRS, even a heavily stocked SPS tank at 75 gallons would be 22.5 mL of Alk and Cal per day. You take your total water volume and multiply by the number above.
 
#15
Balz3352;658361 said:
Were you mixing up the salinity before mixing it into the water? The salt itself I mean. It is notorious for settling. I noticed that when I used it too
No I don't mix the salt before adding it to water


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Top