What would you do? Again with the x@#^*! Dosing

[StirCrazy]

ok so lets see if I got this right. at 4ml/gal you were causing percipitation and now your down to 1.67/gal and tyour finding you Ca is dropping.

seams pretty simple.. the number you want is between 1.67 and 4.

so try bump up your Ca additive a bit, say 2.0/gal reduce testing to every second day while you dial it in. once a week is how often a known stable tank can wait.

I personaly don't like the home made dosing as I find the consistancy of it isn't the best, but some people like it and have good luck.

Steve

[spawn]

Originally Posted by StirCrazy

ok so lets see if I got this right. at 4ml/gal you were causing percipitation and now your down to 1.67/gal and tyour finding you Ca is dropping.

seams pretty simple.. the number you want is between 1.67 and 4.

so try bump up your Ca additive a bit, say 2.0/gal reduce testing to every second day while you dial it in. once a week is how often a known stable tank can wait.

I personaly don't like the home made dosing as I find the consistancy of it isn't the best, but some people like it and have good luck.

Steve

Yes that's it! percipitation? How many people do you know doing much more than 1.5ml per gal? Correct. Do you mean increase testing to every 2 days? Home made dosing?

[spawn]

Originally Posted by shrimpchips

Try testing the pH at the end of lights on - at the end of lights out, the pH gets depressed because everything in your tank isn't photosynthesizing, it's respiring through the night adding more CO2 to the tank depressing the pH.

Also, I'd switch your Alk supplement to sodium bicarbonate right away and see if that makes the difference for you. I suspect it will.

I will likely do this Thx.

[mark]

Did you actually measure the new SW batch before adding?

Again as others said, dosing is to maintain what your tank consumes. After a WC supplement back up to your target levels and once you have matched your dosing to coral uptake, leave the dose settings alone.

[spawn]

Originally Posted by mark

Did you actually measure the new SW batch before adding?

Again as others said, dosing is to maintain what your tank consumes. After a WC supplement back up to your target levels and once you have matched your dosing to coral uptake, leave the dose settings alone.

Yes

[spawn]

Originally Posted by shrimpchips

Try testing the pH at the end of lights on - at the end of lights out, the pH gets depressed because everything in your tank isn't photosynthesizing, it's respiring through the night adding more CO2 to the tank depressing the pH.

Also, I'd switch your Alk supplement to sodium bicarbonate right away and see if that makes the difference for you. I suspect it will.

just retested PH @ end of main lights out & it's at 8.4 so not much of a swing... maybe like .2-.3

[shrimpchips]

So not so high, but on the higher end nonetheless.

Out of curiosity, do you have precipitate forming anywhere in your tank? Or was it just that the dosing solutions would precipitate when added to the tank?

[spawn]

Originally Posted by shrimpchips

So not so high, but on the higher end nonetheless.

Out of curiosity, do you have precipitate forming anywhere in your tank? Or was it just that the dosing solutions would precipitate when added to the tank?

Yes there is calcification in part of the sb. No visible precip of the solutions though.. Do you think switching to the sodium bicarbonate is really the answer? & if so why?

[shrimpchips]

Just wondering, how stable is your Mg?

A combination of high pH, Ca and Alk causes even higher supersaturation of Ca and Co3 in the water making it more likely to precipitate. Mg interferes with the process, so keeping a high Mg can assist in staving off precipitation.

The change in Alk buffers I'm suggesting is for two reasons: 1, to lessen the impact on your salinity (by adding half the sodium during dosing), and 2, to lower your pH.

Also, see what boosting your Mg to 1400 - 1500 does for you. Might be just as frustrating getting Mg up (and to stay up!), but it'll help keep your CaCO3 from precipitating.

[shrimpchips]

Try dosing less frequently, but more at each time to get around this double dosing that's going on.

BTW, I'm dosing over 2 ml/gallon of Ca and Alk. I think 3 ml of Mg/gal too