BRS two part dosing

Scubajoe1 · 09/17/2015, 06:38 PM

So I am dosing BRS two part system for Ca and Alkalinity. My Ca was about 450 so I dropped it to about 75 ml/day while my alkalinity was still at 90 ml/day. Over a few days my alkalinity is staying at 152 ppm (8.5 dKh) while I want to get it to about 165 ppm (9,25 dKh). I increased by 5 mls each day and still does not seem to want to move from 152 ppm. Only a few days so far but I am dosing equally throughout the day. My Ca today was 433 so that is getting used up as well but left it at 75 because I did not want it to get higher than 450 ppm. Is the reason my Alkalinity is not increasing because I am not using a 1:1 ratio of the two? Read an article that inferred that but not clear how that is working. My Mg is fine at about 1350 ppm.

My Ca and Alk are far from each other in the sump so don't think I am really getting precipitation on dosing.

Suggestions?

Docdiggy · 09/17/2015, 07:40 PM

I'm not sure how much your stocked, but you have a much larger tank than me and I'm dosing about 50ml a day of alk. I have a 75 gallon. Maybe you're not dosing enough. My alk is roughly 9.

bertoni · 09/17/2015, 07:49 PM

Dosing more of the alkalinity in order to raise the level is fine, and it'll work if enough is added, and the tank doesn't go through a precipitation event. One issue, though, is that corals grow more rapidly as the alkalinity increases, in most cases, so that increased consumption acts as a damper. I might try raising the alkalinity dose a bit, but I'd also watch for signs of abiotic precipitation.

Scubajoe1 · 09/17/2015, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Docdiggy

I'm not sure how much your stocked, but you have a much larger tank than me and I'm dosing about 50ml a day of alk. I have a 75 gallon. Maybe you're not dosing enough. My alk is roughly 9.

I was dosing about 125 mls a day and alkalinity was higher but that was when I was dosing all my alk with doses between 12 midnight and 7 am. I moved away from that so I could dose all through the day at 1 ml each dose to prevent alkalinity swings. Maybe I will go back to 120 each and monitor it for a few days and see what happens. The reason I was dosing between 12 at night and 7 in the morning was to counter the pH drop but it does not drop that much now either that the alk is dosed throughout the day…maybe from 8.3 to 8.1 but I think a more stable alk is more beneficial than a more stable pH.

Scubajoe1 · 09/17/2015, 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bertoni

Dosing more of the alkalinity in order to raise the level is fine, and it'll work if enough is added, and the tank doesn't go through a precipitation event. One issue, though, is that corals grow more rapidly as the alkalinity increases, in most cases, so that increased consumption acts as a damper. I might try raising the alkalinity dose a bit, but I'd also watch for signs of abiotic precipitation.

If I raise the Alk would you suggest raising the Ca dose to match it?

bertoni · 09/17/2015, 08:04 PM

No, 430 ppm is fine. I would leave the calcium level as is, personally.

Scubajoe1 · 09/17/2015, 08:23 PM

I also need to check that actual speed of my two pumps on the doser again and make sure nothing has changed since I calibrated them a couple months ago.

bertoni · 09/17/2015, 09:19 PM

Yes, dosing pumps seem to have accuracy issues over time.

oscarinw · 09/18/2015, 07:59 AM

Id suggest using the reef calculator, adjusting once and trying to maintain levels rather than trying to reach correct levels via dosing. Why? Because you ultimately want to know how much is consumed in order to dose only that and no more.
If you try to reach levels via dosing, once you do it, you have to adjust again to maintain and the headache is back all over

tmz · 09/18/2015, 09:17 AM

Sometimes, it's much harder to get 9.25 dkh as a constant value without a biotic precipitation and variations than it is to keep a tank in the 8's . FWIW, I run mine in the mid 8 range these days and it stays very constant.

bdehlin · 09/19/2015, 12:40 AM

I always ran my reefs at 8.5 dkh because any higher and it felt like I was dosing way too much.

09/17/2015, 06:38 PM	#1
Scubajoe1 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 409	BRS two part dosing So I am dosing BRS two part system for Ca and Alkalinity. My Ca was about 450 so I dropped it to about 75 ml/day while my alkalinity was still at 90 ml/day. Over a few days my alkalinity is staying at 152 ppm (8.5 dKh) while I want to get it to about 165 ppm (9,25 dKh). I increased by 5 mls each day and still does not seem to want to move from 152 ppm. Only a few days so far but I am dosing equally throughout the day. My Ca today was 433 so that is getting used up as well but left it at 75 because I did not want it to get higher than 450 ppm. Is the reason my Alkalinity is not increasing because I am not using a 1:1 ratio of the two? Read an article that inferred that but not clear how that is working. My Mg is fine at about 1350 ppm. My Ca and Alk are far from each other in the sump so don't think I am really getting precipitation on dosing. Suggestions? __________________ Scubajoe 180 Gallon reef tank with coast to coast Herbie overflow. 60 Gallon sump with 9" filter sock. 36" lifereef skimmer, activated carbon filter. Emperor Aquatics 40W UV Sterilizer Current Tank Info: 180 gallon reed tank, coast to coast overflow, herbie overflow. Life reef sump and 36" life reef skimmer, GHL Doser 2, Neptune Apex reef controller, Auto topoff, Spectrapure RO system with a Tunze RO controller. activated carbon and no more GFO.

09/17/2015, 07:49 PM	#3
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	Dosing more of the alkalinity in order to raise the level is fine, and it'll work if enough is added, and the tank doesn't go through a precipitation event. One issue, though, is that corals grow more rapidly as the alkalinity increases, in most cases, so that increased consumption acts as a damper. I might try raising the alkalinity dose a bit, but I'd also watch for signs of abiotic precipitation. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

09/17/2015, 08:04 PM	#6
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	No, 430 ppm is fine. I would leave the calcium level as is, personally. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

09/17/2015, 08:23 PM	#7
Scubajoe1 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 409	I also need to check that actual speed of my two pumps on the doser again and make sure nothing has changed since I calibrated them a couple months ago. __________________ Scubajoe 180 Gallon reef tank with coast to coast Herbie overflow. 60 Gallon sump with 9" filter sock. 36" lifereef skimmer, activated carbon filter. Emperor Aquatics 40W UV Sterilizer Current Tank Info: 180 gallon reed tank, coast to coast overflow, herbie overflow. Life reef sump and 36" life reef skimmer, GHL Doser 2, Neptune Apex reef controller, Auto topoff, Spectrapure RO system with a Tunze RO controller. activated carbon and no more GFO.

09/17/2015, 09:19 PM	#8
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	Yes, dosing pumps seem to have accuracy issues over time. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

09/17/2015, 07:40 PM	#2
Docdiggy Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Worcester MA Posts: 645	I'm not sure how much your stocked, but you have a much larger tank than me and I'm dosing about 50ml a day of alk. I have a 75 gallon. Maybe you're not dosing enough. My alk is roughly 9.

09/18/2015, 07:59 AM	#9
oscarinw Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Western Massachusetts Posts: 1,091	Id suggest using the reef calculator, adjusting once and trying to maintain levels rather than trying to reach correct levels via dosing. Why? Because you ultimately want to know how much is consumed in order to dose only that and no more. If you try to reach levels via dosing, once you do it, you have to adjust again to maintain and the headache is back all over

09/18/2015, 09:17 AM	#10
tmz ReefKeeping Mag staff Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: West Seneca NY Posts: 27,691	Sometimes, it's much harder to get 9.25 dkh as a constant value without a biotic precipitation and variations than it is to keep a tank in the 8's . FWIW, I run mine in the mid 8 range these days and it stays very constant. __________________ Tom Current Tank Info: Tank of the Month , November 2011 : 600gal integrated system: 3 display tanks (120 g, 90g, 89g),several frag/grow out tanks, macroalgae refugia, cryptic zones. 40+ fish, seahorses, sps,lps,leathers, zoanthidae and non photosynthetic corals.

09/19/2015, 12:40 AM	#11
bdehlin Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 51	I always ran my reefs at 8.5 dkh because any higher and it felt like I was dosing way too much.