Dosing question for Randy

shirley386 · 11/30/2009, 10:03 AM

I have a 45 gallon frag tank with about a 35 gallon sump, no skimmer. 2 yellow damsels, a pair of ocellaris clowns, and 6 line wrasse. Weekly 5 gallon water changes with Reef Crystals. Lighting is 2 175W 10K MH and 2 T5 ATI Blue+. I've been having trouble keeping blue and purple acros colored up. They either turn yellow/brown or fade to a light pastel blue. Just yesterday I checked the Mg (I had not checked it before).

pH: 8.3
Ca: 325
Alk: 9.6
Mg: 930

I have been using your recipe #1 using Kent's Turbo Calcium and baked baking soda. I dose 9 capfuls of each per day. When I realized the Mg was so low I got some Epsom Salts and mixed it up 4 cups to 1/2 gallon RO/DI water and plan to dose 1 capful per day and keep checking with the idea to adjust the rate up or down until it levels off about 1250.

Now my question: What would be the difference if instead of making up a concentrated solution of all three, how about just dosing the dry material in the sump starting out with very small quantities and adjusting the dose until I reach the desired levels?

Randy Holmes-Farley · 11/30/2009, 12:48 PM

If those values are accurate, calcium and magnesium are very low and I'd raise them. Stick with dosing the liquids as suggested, but dose more.

Use this calculator to see how much you need to dose (it is a lot!) and limit the rise to 50 ppm per day or so:

Reef chemicals calculator
http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chem_calc3.html

guitar8222 · 11/30/2009, 02:30 PM

Once you get everything back up if you still have issues you may want to try dosing potassium.

shirley386 · 11/30/2009, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by guitar8222

Once you get everything back up if you still have issues you may want to try dosing potassium.

Thanx. What's a good source of potassium?

bertoni · 11/30/2009, 07:15 PM

There isn't any data on the value of potassium dosing, nor are there particularly good kits for measuring the potassium level in a tank, so I'd stick to water changes for handling that element.

11/30/2009, 12:48 PM	#2
Randy Holmes-Farley Reef Chemist Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Arlington, Massachusetts Posts: 86,233	If those values are accurate, calcium and magnesium are very low and I'd raise them. Stick with dosing the liquids as suggested, but dose more. Use this calculator to see how much you need to dose (it is a lot!) and limit the rise to 50 ppm per day or so: Reef chemicals calculator http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chem_calc3.html __________________ Randy Holmes-Farley Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef

11/30/2009, 07:15 PM	#5
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	There isn't any data on the value of potassium dosing, nor are there particularly good kits for measuring the potassium level in a tank, so I'd stick to water changes for handling that element. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

11/30/2009, 10:03 AM	#1
shirley386 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 338	Dosing question for Randy I have a 45 gallon frag tank with about a 35 gallon sump, no skimmer. 2 yellow damsels, a pair of ocellaris clowns, and 6 line wrasse. Weekly 5 gallon water changes with Reef Crystals. Lighting is 2 175W 10K MH and 2 T5 ATI Blue+. I've been having trouble keeping blue and purple acros colored up. They either turn yellow/brown or fade to a light pastel blue. Just yesterday I checked the Mg (I had not checked it before). pH: 8.3 Ca: 325 Alk: 9.6 Mg: 930 I have been using your recipe #1 using Kent's Turbo Calcium and baked baking soda. I dose 9 capfuls of each per day. When I realized the Mg was so low I got some Epsom Salts and mixed it up 4 cups to 1/2 gallon RO/DI water and plan to dose 1 capful per day and keep checking with the idea to adjust the rate up or down until it levels off about 1250. Now my question: What would be the difference if instead of making up a concentrated solution of all three, how about just dosing the dry material in the sump starting out with very small quantities and adjusting the dose until I reach the desired levels?

11/30/2009, 02:30 PM	#3
guitar8222 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 137	Once you get everything back up if you still have issues you may want to try dosing potassium.