Why is my alk such out of wack?

[ZoaFan08]

3 weeks ago I put a calcium reactor online after getting my parameters at 450 calcium, 9.5 alk, and 1350 magnesium. After 2 weeks of fiddling with the reactor I took it offline since it kept making my alk jump up as high as 14.5. So I took the reactor offline and have been adjusting my parameters, my alk has gone from 12.5 to 8.8 and I dosed to get it to 9.0, the next day it is 8.3 and i dose it to get it to 9.0 and the next day it is 8.6 and I dose it to get it to 9.0 and then today it dropped down to 6.4! Why did it make such a sudden drop? My calcium has been consistent at around 420-430 and my magnesium is 1360 as well.

I cannot figure out why my alk keeps jumping all over the place....

 

[NVTE]

My guess is auto top off a lot. or your livestock consume it.
With calcium reactor, I think your effuent rate is high, they produce more ALK than Calcium.

 

[ZoaFan08]

My guess is auto top off a lot. or your livestock consume it.
With calcium reactor, I think your effuent rate is high, they produce more ALK than Calcium.

I do evap around 1-3g a day.

THe calcium reactor has been offline and therefor is not affecting my parameters.

 

[EyeReef]

bad test kit? Have you compared it to another test kit?

 

[ZoaFan08]

No I have not, but it s the same test kit I used for the past 3 weeks.

 

[coral diver]

raise your mag to 1450

 

[Nick_kun]

It takes a long time to fully calibrate a calcium reactor. It took me a couple of weeks to get the efluent rate dialed in. First tell us how many drips per minute, your efluent ph and what kind of media you are using?

 

[JOSE CASAS]

Yea it takes me a week to tune the carx every time the tank consumpution increase Hth

 

[johnwin84]

if you need to borrow my test kits ill be home this weekend and ill even drop it off...lol

 

[ZoaFan08]

Right now my CAX is not even online, I am trying to get my parameters in check before bringing it back online

 

[ZoaFan08]

Thanks John but I got all new test today and they are exactly what my old test show..

 

[OCReefMadness]

Which brand kalkwasser did you dose to bring up the kalk? Did you dose anything in your tank beside kalkwasser or running denitrator?

 

[ZoaFan08]

Which brand kalkwasser did you dose to bring up the kalk? Did you dose anything in your tank beside kalkwasser or running denitrator?

I do not dose kalk, I dosed 2 part. I do not have a denitrator.

 

[Reefer08]

Right now my CAX is not even online, I am trying to get my parameters in check before bringing it back online

Raise your alkalinity and calcium with 2 part first to 8dkh. Then set up your calcium reactor and make it drip very slowly and have its effluent pH around 6.70 (depends on your ca-rx but thats what I started with and slowly lowered the pH). Then you can fine tune it to increase the amount of alk/ca it releases. Remember that a TINY increase in drip rate makes a big difference. The goal is to have the calcium reactor maintain your current alkalinity level, if its not enough then make tiny adjustments and test again in 24 hours.



If your going to stick to dosing 2 part and no more calcium reactor:
Start off with 1ml per 8g of aquarium water. If alkalinity keeps dropping them raise the amount of 2 part that you dose per day. Dose everyday.

 

[Reefer08]

My guess is auto top off a lot. or your livestock consume it.
With calcium reactor, I think your effuent rate is high, they produce more ALK than Calcium.

I thought a calcium reactor releases calcium and alkalinity in equal proportions regardless of what the drip rate for effluent is or its pH??????