Results after 50% Water Change - 24g Nano

[mstrofdisaster]

Looks like another w/c is on the agenda. Aaron, thanks for your advice. Maybe I could bribe you to come over and help me out one day...? And when I say help me out, I mean give me a sanity check on my test results...

 

[aaron23]

next week spring break starts i can stop by one day if you'd want, this weeks no go, i got so much on my plate many exams..

 

[mstrofdisaster]

Thanks man. I'm in grad school & I work - I feel the pain too...

I'll do my next biggie w/c over the weekend and take it
from there.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[mstrofdisaster]

Things are on the mend...

Well things are getting better after another w/c last night.

Prior to 50% W/C -------------------After 50% W/C (24 hours later)
SG: 1.025 ------------------------------same
pH: 8.6----------------------------------8.3
Ca: 200 ppm ---------------------------350ppm
Mg: 1200 ppm------------------------- 1320ppm
NO3: <.01 -----------------------------<0.1
Amm: <.05 ----------------------------must recheck
PO4: 0 ppm ----------------------------0ppm
Alk: 8.6 meq/L ------------------------6.4meq/L [18dKH]

After 2nd 50% w/c:

pH: 8.2
Ca: 375ppm
Alk: 12.2 dKH/4.34 meq/L
Amm: 0
NO3: 0
PO4: 0
mg: 1360

Getting closer. Thanks for the advice and support.

 

[aaron23]

:fish:getting there thats more like it...

 

[KathyC]

How did your alk get so out of range? Were you dosing the tank? If so, with what & how much?

 

[mstrofdisaster]

How did your alk get so out of range? Were you dosing the tank? If so, with what & how much?

Short answer: lousy Alk test kit (Red Sea) and inexperience on my part by dosing parts A & B of Two Little Fishies C-Balance to get the calcium up.

After the two big water changes in the last week things are stable now.

So I guess my next question is how to keep calcium up and alk down...

 

[bigbris1]

I've found that I usually have to dose a little more Calcium than Alkalinity, probably due to the demand of the tanks inhabitants & the concentration of those values in the salt mix.

 

[mstrofdisaster]

I've found that I usually have to dose a little more Calcium than Alkalinity, probably due to the demand of the tanks inhabitants & the concentration of those values in the salt mix.

Yep - in my case that would be dosing Ca and no Alk, for now.

 

[mstrofdisaster]

If I were you, aside from making adjustment with ESV, do another large water change in a few days... that should sqaure you off a little more.

That was a good thing to do - it really squared up after the 2nd change. Thank you.