parameters going crazy

[AquaAddict]

Thanks for all the help. The advice about the Mg and Alk might have been the problem with the salinity. I guess I will also have do a lot more manual testing than I had been.

I have an ATO which does work very well. Also a Vertex Omega 130 Skimmer (left over from my 100 gal tank)

I had been using Brightwell's KH Buffer Powder, had manually dosed kh to 8 and watched the Bubble Magus doser carefully to make sure kH was staying at 8 for a few days and then thought I was OK to leave it alone.

I have a Vertex Refractometer just recently calibrated. I tested a few times to make sure the reading was really almost 1.030.

Parameters are near normal now that I turned off the doser two weeks ago (with alk steadily dropping) and then doing a 60 gal water change. kH is now 8.6 and salinity is 1.025/1.026. I meant to leave the salinity near the same level and drop it slowly but I somehow took out too much water and had to add extra RO water - this was the first water change on my new tank.

I should tell you the whole system is 240 gallons: 150 ds tank, 75 gal refugium/50 gal of water, 40 gallon sump.

I bought a new alk powder - Reef Crest - just a 1 gallon mix to try it out.

I use Seachem's Reef Calcium and still dosing manually but will be adding it to the Bubble Magus. I am not sure I want to add the Mg to the BMag since I don't usually need to dose Mg very often.

Intend to check my salinity a lot more often!

AquaAddict