Hmm.. very cool tip Tim, I will try this.
I have found the precipitation from sodium bicarb too and i just don't use the bottom tiny bit of the container.
But i will definitely try this!

Gah. Dkh fell another 0.89 in the last 24 hours. I don't think I'm being aggressive enough enough with my rate of increase. I jumped the rate by 120 mL/day and readjusted the level manually. It took nearly 2 full cups to brink alk back to where it was yesterday, which is like 470 mL, but I'm too chicken to increase my dosing rate that much in a single day. I'll be upping the rate again every day this week until it stops falling.

Those dinner plate sized monti-caps are beasts.

When corals start growing quickly, especially monti's they can consume a lot of alk.

A few things to check.
Make sure your heater and the magnets on pumps are not encrusting calcium. Also check to make sure any sand is not doing it either.
Check your Magnesium, should be 3x calcium or 1350 to 1450. To low of a magnesium will cause calcium to bind to heaters, magnets, glass etc.

Cheers,
Tim

I (very) briefly considered switching to dosing today. I read this thread, changed my mind :)

You, with a calcium reactor ?
Why would you switch back ? If I'd started with a reactor it would have saved me SO much grief

I'm regretting choosing dosing, but was told to start with it and switch later if I need to :surprise:

More just a logistics thing with equipment placement, and fighting high alk at the moment :) I have to build a second cabinet to house my reactor out of kid's reach, and had a lazy moment lol. Dosing would fit under my stand. No real good reason other than that.

As well Coraline algae will use up a large demand if there is enough of it in the system and is often a major consumer :)

Most people are shocked by the dry weight they need to add daily with Alk , more often than not people are afraid to add the amounts they should and end up slowly watching it drop and then play catch up slowly to bring it back with a doser :)

Good luck Adam you'll get it :)

I had an experience with high co2 consumption with my reactor before I shut it down. Turned out the pressure regulator was leaking CO2. A large 5' bottle only lasted 2 months. LoL. Glad it was in the shop and not my house.

Tim, I emptied a 20# bottle in 24 hours in my livingroom. Nobody died :)

I didn't have space for a calcium reactor when I set up the tank, but if this is headed where it seems like, I'll be going through an entire $24 box of both tropic Marin's part A and B every 8 days. I'll probably go back to bulk chems before I get a calcium reactor, but I got rid of my external return pump a while back and have a big empty space next to my sump...