High Calcium and High Alk?
- Thread starter Jayuh
- Start date
Are you only using Alk, Ca, and Mag to dose the tank? Are you also using a pH buffer? Using both Alkalinity and a pH buffer will shoot your Alk up.
Small water changes wont do much to lower the levels since new saltwater typically has elevated levels of Alk, Ca, and Mag. I would do a 20% water change and just let the tank drop down on its own. If you cause too big of a swing (up or down) with any of those, it could stress the corals even more. Make sure
Hope this helps.
Small water changes wont do much to lower the levels since new saltwater typically has elevated levels of Alk, Ca, and Mag. I would do a 20% water change and just let the tank drop down on its own. If you cause too big of a swing (up or down) with any of those, it could stress the corals even more. Make sure
Hope this helps.
See the odd thing is that I hadn't been dosing my tank with either calcium, alk or mag before all of this - I dosed my tank with mag today for the first time and that's pretty much it. I'm really baffled by what caused all my levels to skyrocket/plummet so dramatically
I'm slowly realizing that this isn't a quick fix... I'm even considering doing a 100% water change and partially starting over. Considering it's a 10G, that wouldn't be too hard.
I'm slowly realizing that this isn't a quick fix... I'm even considering doing a 100% water change and partially starting over. Considering it's a 10G, that wouldn't be too hard.
Jae Glad you went to Aaron's shop to get your water tested.
I didn't realize you had a nano tank. You really need get the levels up but the down side with these small tanks you need to do frequent water changes. depending on how much corals you have in there more or less, certain ones can suck up most of the nutrients. Best of luck
I didn't realize you had a nano tank. You really need get the levels up but the down side with these small tanks you need to do frequent water changes. depending on how much corals you have in there more or less, certain ones can suck up most of the nutrients. Best of luck
Each test kit is different. I know with Salifert the color will go from a pink to a blueish grey color when you slowly add the solution you are checking it with. You can go on youtube and someone should have a video sample of them doing a test for magnesium or instructions of the test kit what the end result should be.
Update-
So after dosing my tank with magnesium and getting ahold of a mag test kit, my readings are:
Temp 80
Salinity 1.026/35
Ammonia/nitrites 0
Nitrates >0-5
Ph 8.0
Calcium 440
Alk 13
Mag 1305
Are those levels more where of where I want it to be at?
In terms of my corals, in guessing one of the hermits got to one of my acans and picked it clean, it's pretty much hollowed out
That one and the one right behind it are the corals that are taking the hardest hits...
So after dosing my tank with magnesium and getting ahold of a mag test kit, my readings are:
Temp 80
Salinity 1.026/35
Ammonia/nitrites 0
Nitrates >0-5
Ph 8.0
Calcium 440
Alk 13
Mag 1305
Are those levels more where of where I want it to be at?
In terms of my corals, in guessing one of the hermits got to one of my acans and picked it clean, it's pretty much hollowed out
That one and the one right behind it are the corals that are taking the hardest hits...
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How's the tank coming along, Did you buy an ATO yet? I was dealing with the same issues on my 10gal vizio,
And I found out that an ato makes things so much more stable for a small system. I'm not even running a skimmer on it, just doing weekly 10% water changes and dose mag, alk, and ca on different hours.
And I found out that an ato makes things so much more stable for a small system. I'm not even running a skimmer on it, just doing weekly 10% water changes and dose mag, alk, and ca on different hours.
It's actually doing better now!
Once I figured out it was a mag problem and picked up a testing kit of my own, it was a lot easier to keep everything under control. I figured out that my tank, at least at its worst shape, was using up upwards from 50ppm a day of magnesium, how's that for a water quality swing between water changes! I've been daily dosing with mag, so thing have been bouncing back
As for an ATO, I had one before this all happened.
Once I figured out it was a mag problem and picked up a testing kit of my own, it was a lot easier to keep everything under control. I figured out that my tank, at least at its worst shape, was using up upwards from 50ppm a day of magnesium, how's that for a water quality swing between water changes! I've been daily dosing with mag, so thing have been bouncing back
As for an ATO, I had one before this all happened.
