Snow Storm

[mmkeeper]

A few weeks ago I had a major snow storm after adding my alk buffer, now when I add more buffer the snow reappears on my glass in the same place after being scraped clean. How long will this go on? How can I stop it?

 

[jezzeaepi]

How quickly are you adding it? Alk supplement is generally something that mut be added very slowly through the course of the day.

 

[mmkeeper]

i have added it quickly. thru the overflow. i never had any issues till the first snow strom which turn everything white. since then I have been more careful, however I get the white prec on the glass in the same plce it was scrapped from. Only the glass nowhere else

 

[jezzeaepi]

percipitate is only going to form on bare surfaces so thats why it keeps forming on your glass. I would double check your calcium level.

it is my understanding that you only get percipitate when your calcium is over 450 or if you add the alkaline supplement to quickly

 

[nasher8860]

Do you add your calcium supplement prior to adding your alk supp? If so you should wait at least 15-20 minutes before adding the alk supp. or vice versa. This might be causing the white prec. on your glass. Just a thought:|

 

[mmkeeper]

you know I understand these things, what is getting me is that I scrap the glass clean. i don't get cloudy water when I am the stuff but over a couple of hour I get the prec, on the glass exactly where it was again.

 

[nasher8860]

What kind of supplements do you use?

 

[mmkeeper]

b-ionic a&b

 

[jezzeaepi]

Then maybe your calcium is too high?
"you only get percipitate when your calcium is over 450 or if you add the alkaline supplement to quickly"

 

[Snowboarda42]

yeah how about some tank parameters?

 

[mmkeeper]

today it was alk 7.2 ca 360 ph 7.9 temp 78

 

[jezzeaepi]

Whats your magnesium at? I know that low levels of magnesium will make maintaining proper calcium level impossible. I would imagine that it does this by percipitating calcium out untill it is at equilbrium with the magnesium. Raise the magnesium level, and youll be able to keep more calcium in the water before it starts percipitating out. Im no scientist though so im not sure =P


Also, how much are you adding of the esv? How quickly are you adding it? how far apart from one another are they added(parts a & b)?

Peace

 

[NaH2O]

*moved to the chemistry forum*

 

[mmkeeper]

My MG is between 1260 and 1350. Let me restate the problem. Several weeks ago I had a snow storm due to adding my buffer to fast. Everything was white and the water was cloudy. Since then I have scrapped the front glass clean and most of the other stuff has clean its self. Three times since the snow storm I have had to scrap my glass of the hard white prec., nothing else got covered no cloudy water. The white stuff only built up on the glass in the same spot, no new areas.

 

[jezzeaepi]

If you are getting percipitate on your surfaces and your levels are fine, then the only explanation is that you are adding it too quickly. As stated before percipitate is going to form on bare surfaces first, thats why you see it on your glass. Scrape it, then it becomes bare again, and more will form there next time theres a percip event. There wont neccisarily be a cloudy water event every time there is percip event.

 

[plack]

I agree add buffer in smaller amounts more often or set up a calcium reactor wich will help with that by adding it all the time slowly !

 

[mmkeeper]

Ok I went two days with only adding a little Kalk. alk 5.1 ca 410 mg 1440 ph 7.9 temp 78. Three days ago I scrapped the glass clean. Each a little more white prec. built up on the glass. It built up slowly just like an algae film, but harder to clean.

 

[Boomer]

Before we go any further what do you mean "Alk" 5.1, as in 5.1 meq/ l or 5.1 dKH, there is a big difference. If those readings are meq / l you are way overdosed

 

[mmkeeper]

Sorry 5.1 dhk

 

[Boomer]

1 .Then what is happening should not be happening /say. The are rare occurences where I have seen this happen without adding anything. This can happen if there is a CO2 build up in the water and then it is suddenly released. I would suggest doing a couple of large water changes.

2. You have or are getting bad Alk readings form the kit. As in you are using it wrong or it is a Red Sea kit and you are getting false low readings which are actually reallly high.