purple up enough for calcium?

[Oscar]

Originally Posted by Myka

Is that all you test for? You don't test pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, Phosphate, Alkalinity, etc?

Your magnesium should be around 1350. Think of Mg as the fulcrum on a teeter totter. You can't keep alkalinity and calcium up if your magnesium is very low. In your case, it is very low. Try to aim for Calcium 400-430, Alk 8-10, Mg 1350-1400. pH should be 8.0-8.4, and Am, nitrite, nitrate, and phos all 0. Not close to zero, but AT zero.

I am testing for all of these too. As some others have reported there was a batch of Kent that had some weird parameters. Calcium is continuously high, while Mg is low. So I have recently been dosing to get the Mg up.

My Alk has been too low. So before dosing for alk I think I am going to hold off on the purple for a few weeks to see what happens.

[Pan]

Originally Posted by Oscar

I am testing for all of these too. As some others have reported there was a batch of Kent that had some weird parameters. Calcium is continuously high, while Mg is low. So I have recently been dosing to get the Mg up.

My Alk has been too low. So before dosing for alk I think I am going to hold off on the purple for a few weeks to see what happens.

Honestly i find it easier to mix new water and adjust to what i want it to be, then add to tank. I realize you need to get wats in there already up to snuff so to speak, but make the water what you want before you put it in. Yes there have been a few instances with bad salt from kent...as well as seachem, instant ocean..i'm sure others which is why ...in my opinion test every batch of water before it goes in. Albiet contaiments we cannot test for can harm...but err on the side of caution

[Oscar]

Originally Posted by 'Ol Nobodaddy

Honestly i find it easier to mix new water and adjust to what i want it to be, then add to tank. I realize you need to get wats in there already up to snuff so to speak, but make the water what you want before you put it in. Yes there have been a few instances with bad salt from kent...as well as seachem, instant ocean..i'm sure others which is why ...in my opinion test every batch of water before it goes in. Albiet contaiments we cannot test for can harm...but err on the side of caution

I had not thought of that technique, preping your SW before adding to the tank. That's no different than getting the replacement water to the correct empearature and salinity before adding to the tank. That would work once I get the tank parameters to the range they should be at.

[Pan]

Originally Posted by Oscar

I had not thought of that technique, preping your SW before adding to the tank. That's no different than getting the replacement water to the correct empearature and salinity before adding to the tank. That would work once I get the tank parameters to the range they should be at.

Saves you from dosing a tank...with a high load of sps you would need to dose, unless of course you did regular water changes....which i prefer anyways. some dosing will likely be required but not as much...to very little. I'm still dialing the new tank in on everythiing, but the last one needed no dosing at all...20 gallon weekly changes did it for me. From the start though i made sure all my water had levels i wanted...then it was easy to add/change as the system used more or less or what have you.