Dosing - can't find the right levels.

[doch]

I'm stumped. Big time.

I recently upgraded and up until this point, had no trouble at all finding the right amount to dose in order to maintain proper levels (Ca ~400, dkh ~7-8, and Mg ~1350). Since the upgrade, everything is FUBAR.

My Mg skyrocketed to 1900! I turned off the Mg pump, did a water change, it came down to 1700... kept the pump off. 3 days later, did another water change, tested again - 1850. WTF!? No Mg coming in, and it raised. Does new glass and or silicon leach Mg into a tank?? (J/K. I think)

My Ca has been all over the place, but within semi decent levels, so I'm sure that it will settle in with time.

Alkalinity.... again... WTF? Had my pump set for 30 minutes, tested, it was at about 5dKH. Added some Reefbuilder or whatever it's called (the raise alk one), and upped my dosing time to 35 mintutes. Waited 3 days, tested again, 5dKh. F. Did a water change, tested, 5. Added some more reef builder... time will tell with the result.

I'm getting... wait, I AM frustrated. Is there a step that I'm missing? Are my test kits shot? Am I on some serious drugs? I'm lost... please help.

[Myka]

Testing can be frustrating because the kit is only as accurate as the user. Be very careful when measuring water, measuring powders, and make sure the drops are even. Do it the same way every time. Use a knife back to level off the powders, hold bottles "perfectly" vertical (not on 45 degrees), and get air bubble out of the syringe when measuring water. Sometimes the first drop out of a bottle isn't a "perfect" drop and shouldn't be used. If you just fill to a line on the test tube, get a syringe and measure water instead. Test, dose, wait an hour, test again. This way you know how much a certain amount of dosing affects the tank. Knowing this can also help when adjusting dosers as you should be able to figure out mL per minute and how much is dosed per mL. Finally, test at the same time everyday...preferably in the morning before the lights come on. Testing in the evening after lights go out is a good time too. Also, when I adjust dosers I only adjust by a couple minutes at a time. If I adjust a doser I always test that parameter as the end of the dosing cycle (I dose calcium during the day and alkalinity at night).

Provided the testing is accurate...

What salt mix are you using?

Alkalinity can be a giant PITA to keep steady. I would say get the Mg down to normal levels, and then forget about it for now. Concentrate on one parameter at once because adjusting one will impact another, this is why you're seeing really wacky numbers. Once Mg is in a relatively good place (say somewhere between 1250-1400 ppm), concentrate on calcium (somewhere between 380-440 ppm), then look at alkalinity (6-10 will be fine for now).

[fishytime]

What brand of test kits are you using and how old are they?

[Parker]

I agree with the above. A while ago I had a test kit refrencing very little No3 in my tank, I bought a new test kit and the actual levels were close to 15.

[Maverick00]

sry alittle off topic, Does the "hanna checker" offer more than just phosphate and alkalinity at the moment? Im personally alittle sick of guessing where the approx the color value is.

[fishytime]

Originally Posted by Maverick00

sry alittle off topic, Does the "hanna checker" offer more than just phosphate and alkalinity at the moment? Im personally alittle sick of guessing where the approx the color value is.

the calcium checker has been in stores for a few weeks