• Why not take a moment to introduce yourself to our members?

MikeC

Advanced Reefer
Rating - 100%
213   0   0
I'm currently dosing Ca for 12 hours and Alk for 12 hours with BRS 1.1mil dosers at 15min intervals Equaling 198mils each.

Ca from 6am-6pm
Alk from 6pm-6am

My Alk drops 1 DKH over the 12 hours the Ca is dosing.

My question is would it be beneficial/more stable to dose both over a 24 hour period instead.

Or is this on the verg of being anal:bigeyes2:
 

Boomer

Bomb Technician (EOD)
Vendor
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Mike how much does the calcium drop over that 12 hrs ?

If your calcium drops 20 ppm the dKH should drop at least 2.8 dKH but usually drops more than that 2.8 due to other reactions that use Alk.
 

Boomer

Bomb Technician (EOD)
Vendor
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
In 12hrs, can't happen or should not happen. That is 50 ppm Ca / day. You say a drop in the Alk of 1 dKH in 12hrs or 2 dKH / 24hrs or / day.

20 / 2.8 = 7.15

2 x 7.15 = 14.3 ppm Ca not 50 ppm

Full blown SPS tanks are a few ppm / day for Calcium and nowhere near 50 ppm / day. Drops like this can only be from dumping to much buffer and Calcium at once, causing it to leave solution as a precip., be it on the bottom, glass, heaters or pumps.
 
Last edited:

Boomer

Bomb Technician (EOD)
Vendor
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Mike, it must have been stupid day for me the other day and I was stuck in a time warp. I just saw the link to your build of a 120. And my head was set at a 50 gal or so. A full blown quickly growing SPS tank of that size could have a daily requirment of 20 ppm Calcium / day and 3 dKH / day or higher.


You need to pick a time, measure the Alk and Calcium both. After the test do NOT add any sup's what so ever, wait 24 hrs and do the same tests again.

Why ? Your last two posts do not say if you are adding anything but I assume you are. That really does not help me. You are using a doser at a set vol and time and said may not always be exactly the same each time it doses. Look at your last two posts, the Calcium dropped 10 ppm from 410 to 400 and the Alk went UP* 1.2 dKH, from 7.8 dKH to 9 dKH. How did that happen ? And the Calcium and Alk uptake are not the same at night as they are during the day, just like pH.


Lastly, you really need a Calcium reactor for that tank, as in the long run you will be saving money. Right now, as is, I would advise your current 12 hr scheme. It is not anal...lol.

You need to read this by Jose, who knows this subject matter better than anybody in this hobby...PERIOD.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/joomla/i...ctors-in-out-and-everything-in-between-part-1
 

MikeC

Advanced Reefer
Rating - 100%
213   0   0
Thank you Boomer! For your help.

I'm currently dosing Ca for 12 hours and Alk for 12 hours with BRS 1.1mil dosers at 15min intervals Equaling 198mils each per day.

Ca from 6am-6pm
Alk from 6pm-6am


With all do respect my original post was to see if I can extend my dosing times from 12 hours each (Ca&Alk), to 24 each and if so would it in turn make my Alk & Ca fluctuate less?

I am currently very happy with my BRS 1.1 mill dosers and the two part b-ionic dosing, as far as great coral color and growth.
I'm not in the reactor camp yet and for me dosing works.
Im not trying to fix something that I don't feel is broke, but in the never ending want to to the very best for my coral I wanted to know if this fluctuation was something normal and has no ill effect on my coral or is it something that could be improved upon.

Now if your telling me it can and my Alk & Ca will not fluctuate ( ie ) be better for my corals by using a calcium reactor, well then that's a different story and something for me to look into.

Thank you again.
 

Boomer

Bomb Technician (EOD)
Vendor
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
No Mike it has nothing to do with it, if it is not broke do not fix it. It has to do with steady state levels 24/7, not messing around with 2-parts, which require more frequent water changes or larger water changes. This is due to the continuos increase of the components of the 2-part that just accumulate over time, that have little use, namely the Sodium from the buffer/ Alk sup and the chloride from the calcium sup. One needs to due at least a net gal WC of 30% / m to keep these in check. You do not get this from reactor media, as it is aragonite, CaCO3, no sodium or chloride.

Changing from a 12hr cycle to a 24hr will surely creat greater fluctuations as the Alk and Calcium will drop more in 24hrs than 12 hrs. In your calcium, for example, if you had say 420 ppm and 24 hrs later it drop to 400 ppm, that is 20 ppm drop the corals would see vs. 10 ppm drop in a 12 hr cycle. The calcium drop would have little effect but the Alk would have a greater impact, not only on coral growth but buffer tank water pH. On reefs you see pH and O2 sifts day to night but about zero on Alk none on calcium.

In short two parts are fine for smaller tanks or even larger tanks if they are not SPS dominated. Did you look at the cost effectiveness in the article of 2-parts vs reactor. If you are happy with you current set up that is fine. Your stated flucuations given 12hrs or if you went 24hrs are not going to be any big issue or should not be if you stay on top of things. It is basically just a choice for you, less costly better stability with a reactor or stay where you are at.
 

Sponsor Reefs

We're a FREE website, and we exist because of hobbyists like YOU who help us run this community.

Click here to sponsor $10:


Top