fixing tank parameters: line chart of changes

[rebar]

Hey Folks, I've been trying to fix my water parameters b/c my corals have not been healthy. My zooz melted away and my torch coral recently the same.

I could never keep my Ph up so I decided to raise my alk which was quite low: 1.4 (see blue line) on sept 6 when i begain this project. You'll also note that my Calc was quite high at that point (470: see green line). I had never dosed or tested for Mg, but i started to add at that point (yellow line).

I suspect the low Alk and low Mg were responsible for my unstable Ph. Correct? As i dosed to increase the Alk, it went up up so did the Ph. and they are both at pretty good levels (Alk still needs to go up).

At the same time, the Calc went down considerably (350), so i guess i need to begin dosing. And i need to dose more with Mg, as it is still low (1080 as of Oct 17).

Does this seem the correct way to go about this? Appreciate your help.

Rebar

 

[Deanos]

Solving calcium and alkalinity problems

 

[rebar]

yes, i read that and it was helpful. my questions have to do with whether i'm reading the data correctly. Is the drop in calc due to the increase in Alk. Also, how do the last set or readings look? Alk is still a bit low. is that ok? An additional question: is calc and Mg important for softies and zoos?

 

[ming]

In one of the articles Dean posted about solving alk/ca, is that the alk and ca has an inverse relationship ONLY at saturation point. From your data, it is not at saturation point so in short, the answer is: No. Alk should be raised. As long as you don't have any SPS or LPS, CA isn't that essential. Keep in mind coraline also uses CA if you like that kinda stuff.

 

[rebar]

ok, dumb question, but are zooz lps? how about torch coral?

 

[Deanos]

An additional question: is calc and Mg important for softies and zoos?

They are not important for growth, but they contribute to stable water parameters when they approach natural saltwater levels which is essential to growth.

 

[rebar]

sorry, i meant to ask if zoos and torch corals are either sps or lps? what i'm trying to figure out is, both of these did not do well in my tank, and i'm trying to figure out why. could my very low alk level led to their deterioration?

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Torch = LPS
Zoanthids = softies.

 

[rebar]

thanks for the clarification