?? re: Alk/Hardness tests

[Jan]

Hmmm...I hate to think that I could be screwing up my tank by lowering the alkalkinity.

At this time per the API test my alkalinity has dropped to 11 dhk. My calcium was really low at 290 so I dosed with some calcium chloride. The other thing is that my skimmer has been skimming very wet lately and my salinity's down to 1.023 so that will have an effect on the relative alkalinity values I would think.

 

[roblou]

Yes, that's correct. Alk and Ca are both relative to your salinity level.

 

[DonW]

Hmmm...I hate to think that I could be screwing up my tank by lowering the alkalkinity.

At this time per the API test my alkalinity has dropped to 11 dhk. My calcium was really low at 290 so I dosed with some calcium chloride. The other thing is that my skimmer has been skimming very wet lately and my salinity's down to 1.023 so that will have an effect on the relative alkalinity values I would think.

Your in a sort of teter toter from high to low. SPS can not take this they just need stability of all the parameters. The only way to get this is to get it in one place and then track it and keep it there. Youve shifted more than one parameter out of wack its time for some BIG water changes with a balanced mix. This is going to stabilize the tank without balancing act.

Don

 

[Jan]

Well, everyone's advice was to get the alkalinity down to NWS levels by turning off the calc reactor so that is what I did. Now are you saying that the process of gradually bringing down the alk is more harmful than leaving it at 16 dhk???? I wish you had said something to this effect earlier if that is the case.

Of course my plan to to keep the alk stable at an appropriate level but it has not even reached the level of NSW at this point.

 

[DonW]

Well, everyone's advice was to get the alkalinity down to NWS levels by turning off the calc reactor so that is what I did. Now are you saying that the process of gradually bringing down the alk is more harmful than leaving it at 16 dhk???? I wish you had said something to this effect earlier if that is the case.

Of course my plan to to keep the alk stable at an appropriate level but it has not even reached the level of NSW at this point.

What I'm saying is that when you shut down your ca reactor, you said your ca fell to "290" Also your SG fell to 1.023 due to wet skimming. Thats three parameters swinging and you can pretty much count on the fact that Mg is out of line also. All of this is more than enough to kill off your sps.
Shutting down the reactor is a good thing but you have to maintain everything else in the process of bringing down the alk. Since you sort of all out of wack the quickest safest way to fix it is big water changes, not those little 10 or 20%. Do a 50% or two. The system will start looking better almost immediatly.

Don

 

[Jan]

You're right my mg was low also when I tested the other day and I dosed a conservative amt. of that as well. I have been testing params daily and although alk has been falling one dhk point per day, the calcium has been dropping a lot more than that. It was 330 on one day and I dosed calc chorlide, then I dosed half that amount the next day, then on the third day the Calc reading was down to 290 before I dosed again.

A 50% water change would expose my rocks and SPS, so not sure how to go about that. I will try smaller more frequent WC's until I can get the alk at the point where I can turn the Calc reactor back on.

 

[DonW]

A 50% water change would expose my rocks and SPS, so not sure how to go about that.

Its not going to hurt them. Turn the lights off and have the water ready to go. I do it all the time and have done so for a long time.

Don