opinions on maintenance Please

[goulding.c]

Well after much greatly appreciated from all of you my new attack stradegy is this:

1. 14 day %30 water changes "Instead of weekly
2. one tablespoon of baking soda per night "Instead of weekly"
3. an auto float switch for top off hooked direclty to ro unit
4. one fish feeding per day instead of 2
3. cyclops feedings once a week to corals that eat it
4. weekly coral vite doses
5. riased heaters to 79 to avoid 75 80 swings with lights
6. slowly switching from oceanic to instant ocean salt to lower calcium.

My current conditions are:
ph 8.1
calcium 550 "Off the chart"
alk 1.86 meq litre
trates trites amonia all 0

My lfs wants me to drip kalk. they say it will help the alk and calcium problem.

Does anyone think I should start using the 2 part ab buffer too?

Thanks for all your help!!!!

cg

[dr_d02]

Don't dose more calcium (one of the two parts) until the level is where you want it since the high Ca level contributes to your low Alk. You can use just the Alk portion.

I would avoid using either part of the two-part buffer until my akalinity and calcium levels were both in an acceptable range. Otherwise you are not taking advantage of the buffer's convenience.

[goulding.c]

dr d02,

How exactly do you lower calcium? I still have one bucket of oceanic salt left before totally switching over to instant ocean which I am told will lower it.

Thanks