B-Ionic Calcium dosing

[wnlandfo]

Hi MR!

I've just started to add the B-Ionic parts 1 + 2 to my 14g tank. Calcium levels are high! To those who have a similar tank or can give me any advice, how can I go about in lowering the calcium level and how much do those with 14g tanks dose. 3ml of each part everyday? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!


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[KathyC]

To lower the levels - water changes

Before you start to dose a tank, you need to know how much Ca and/or Alk the tank is using up on a daily basis or what levels are low in your new batch of SW so you can compensate for that.
You cannot do this now as you know your levels are already off, but once you get them back to a stable level (after many water changes) what you want to do it test your water and write down the results, then 3 days later test again and see how much (if any) they have dropped.

Do this a couple of times to get a good baseline of what your parameters are.
If your Ca levels are dropping due to your corals using up the Ca, then you can figure out how much you need to dose based upon that info.

There is no 'set' amount to dose on a daily basis based on gallons in a tank. It all depends on what is IN the tank using up those additives

I'd suggest the first thing you do is test your next batch of SW before you add it to the tank to see what the levels are. You may not need to dose.

 

[jadakiss]

Well u have to first test ur tank to know at what level ur calcium is at and ph, second try to add the least at possible and then test like 1hr later to c how much it went up, let's say ur ph is at 8.0 and u want to raise it up to 8.2 just put like 2ml and c where it raises it to.


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[wnlandfo]

Perfect! Thanks. I'm due for a water change today. So you're sayin to water changes until I get to a 425ppm range right? If I do my water change today and the calcium level is fine would waiting a few days affect the corals I have in the tank before I add calcium again in three days? Thanks for the advice btw.

To lower the levels - water changes

Before you start to dose a tank, you need to know how much Ca and/or Alk the tank is using up on a daily basis or what levels are low in your new batch of SW so you can compensate for that.
You cannot do this now as you know your levels are already off, but once you get them back to a stable level (after many water changes) what you want to do it test your water and write down the results, then 3 days later test again and see how much (if any) they have dropped.

Do this a couple of times to get a good baseline of what your parameters are.
If your Ca levels are dropping due to your corals using up the Ca, then you can figure out how much you need to dose based upon that info.

There is no 'set' amount to dose on a daily basis based on gallons in a tank. It all depends on what is IN the tank using up those additives

I'd suggest the first thing you do is test your next batch of SW before you add it to the tank to see what the levels are. You may not need to dose.

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[wnlandfo]

Would you say test with every 2mls to get to the pH I want or every 1ml?

Well u have to first test ur tank to know at what level ur calcium is at and ph, second try to add the least at possible and then test like 1hr later to c how much it went up, let's say ur ph is at 8.0 and u want to raise it up to 8.2 just put like 2ml and c where it raises it to.


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[Josh]

Stop adding Ca. You should continue to add Alk (part 1) as directed as long as you are testing your Alk regularly. If you continue dosing Alk without adding Part 2, you will see Ca gradually decrease as calcium is deposited.

 

[prattreef]

You say your Ca. is high. What does that mean exactly, and what is your Alkalinity reading? I agree that a water change is the best way to bring things in line, but if your Ca is high and your Alk is low, you can just continue to ad part 1 ( Alk) to bring that up and you will at the same time bring the Ca down by doing so-- they work like a see-saw-- until you reach a balance. Once the system is balanced you need to figure out how much you need to add daily or otherwise to maintain these levels and that can only be done slowly, overtime with regular testing of both parameters. As things mature in your system, the demand for Ca and Alk will increase, so you'll need to periodically check them and adjust accordingly.

 

[wnlandfo]

So I did my water change last night and nitrates, nitrites, ammonia levels are all fine. pH is 8.3. 460ppm calcium. KH 161.1 ppm. So with these levels I should probably wait two days before adding calcium?



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[duke62]

no...test first.

 

[wnlandfo]

So test calcium again today? 425 is where I want calcium levels to be, right?

no...test first.

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[FaviaFreak]

your ca should be anywhere from 350-425ppm..alk should be 8-10 dkh...magnesium should be 1300-1400 ppm...the thing to remember is to find a sweet spot within these ranges and strive to keep them there. Right now your ca demands aren't high because the tank is new is there is not many corals in there...keep testing to get the numbers where you want to maintain them and adjust 2pt accordingly until you are adding equal parts daily