Review my Test Results please & suggestions on how to dose?

[Jonnywhoop]

Hi everyone, I currently have two tanks going. My main focus is my 20g long which I want to make SPS attainable. I have a Vertex Auto Doser ready to go, but I need to understand how I should set it up and how many ML of BIONIC CA and ALK I should add daily. I also don't understand why my test goes all over the place, sometimes CA goes up instead of down etc. I don't have many corals in the 20L, just a few acans and such.

 

All testing took place between 9pm - 12midnight

 

20L

Photoperiod, DIY LED: 3pm - 11pm

Dosing FUEL amino acids, after WC and on weds

WC once a week on sundays

SG 1.025

ATO

 

Biocube 8g

Photoperiod, DIY LED: 7am-3pm

Dosing FUEL amino acids, after WC and on weds

WC once a week on sundays

SG 1.025, but can vary because whenever i take water out the ATO goes off, making it unstable..

ATO

 

 

How much ML should I dose of BIONIC daily?

Do I need to add CA at all?

Is it normal for my CA to go up?

 

Help a noob please

 

[CronicReefer]

Your calcium is maintained fine by your water changes but you need to start dosing alkalinity daily. You should maintain between 8-12 kh (I keep mine at 10 but many different opinions exist on optimal levels). Start at 0.5 grams of sodium carbonate per day in the 20gal and 0.2 grams per day in the 8gal and adjust up or down accordingly. You should see better growth if you maintain a stable kh.

[Deleted User 8]

"SG 1.025, but can vary because whenever i take water out the ATO goes off, making it unstable.."

 

Uhhhmmm...

 

You can't turn off your ATO before you do the water change?

 

Buzz

[Jonnywhoop]

Your calcium is maintained fine by your water changes but you need to start dosing alkalinity daily. You should maintain between 8-12 kh (I keep mine at 10 but many different opinions exist on optimal levels). Start at 0.5 grams of sodium carbonate per day in the 20gal and 0.2 grams per day in the 8gal and adjust up or down accordingly. You should see better growth if you maintain a stable kh.

Sodium carbonate being the Bionic Alk? Forgive my lack of science intelligence. I graduated with a communication degree. I just talk a lot. Is there a specific sodium carbonate dose I should be looking for?

 

"SG 1.025, but can vary because whenever i take water out the ATO goes off, making it unstable.."

 

Uhhhmmm...

 

You can't turn off your ATO before you do the water change?

 

Buzz

hah. Yeah, I actually figured that out later. The tank has been running for more than a month and I started picking up on the water changes a lot recently to more consistent time frames. I also just hooked up the ATO as of last week for the small tank. Whenever i dip my hands in, take a rock out, or put a bag in the tank to acclimate; the water level goes crazy and fires off the ATO. So now I learned to turn it off each time I do something in my tank.

 

I only said that because I started out at 1.025, but after moving a lot of rock work around and acclimating new coral and fish, my SG shot down to 1.020. This tank is just a learning curve for me because of its smaller footprint, but Its getting more consistent.

[Deleted User 8]

I like to make a mark on the tank somewhere at the normal water line. That way when I do water changes or monkey with things in the tank I know where my level should be +/-. I can then add SW or remove some tank water as needed.

 

Buzz

[CronicReefer]

Sodium carbonate being the Bionic Alk? Forgive my lack of science intelligence. I graduated with a communication degree. I just talk a lot. Is there a specific sodium carbonate dose I should be looking for?

 

100% pure sodium carbonate. I just buy it at Wal-Mart where they sell pool supplies. It's the ph up pool product. It's what API uses for there ph up that is outrageously overpriced. Just dissolve it completely in your top off water before adding it.

[NorthGaHillbilly]

What pump do you have on your ato?

[CronicReefer]

You should extend your photoperiod as well. You should try to keep it the same length of time as the natural sunrise and sunset for your coral.

[Jonnywhoop]

I like to make a mark on the tank somewhere at the normal water line. That way when I do water changes or monkey with things in the tank I know where my level should be +/-. I can then add SW or remove some tank water as needed. Buzz

 

I use my bucket as a marking point. Whatever I fill up, I make sure to replace it evenly in. My water changes are pretty consistent. Besides that I use the black brim as my usual top off point.

 

100% pure sodium carbonate. I just buy it at Wal-Mart where they sell pool supplies. It's the ph up pool product. It's what API uses for there ph up that is outrageously overpriced. Just dissolve it completely in your top off water before adding it.

What will adjusting my ph accomplish? I'm pretty sure I'm around the 8.4 mark anyways.

 

What pump do you have on your ato?

You should extend your photoperiod as well. You should try to keep it the same length of time as the natural sunrise and sunset for your coral.

 

I used to have hair algae before my skimmer. Should I extend both tanks out to around 12 hours slowly?

 

 

 

Thanks for the replies guys! Every piece of advice helps

[Jonnywhoop]

Oh and for the ATO pump on the 20 is a MJ1200, little overpowered but it was free. The 8g has an MJ600

[Deleted User 8]

Oh and for the ATO pump on the 20 is a MJ1200, little overpowered but it was free. The 8g has an MJ600

 

Yikes, that would drain my 5g ATO in one minute! I like something slow for the top off pump. I am going to try the Aqua Lifter pump with with an IV tubing flow regulator to be able to set it to drip into the tank for top off. I dose Kalk with my top off and to fast of a flow is no bueno.

 

I have used an air pump in the past to pressurize the top off water container that would then drip into the tank. It worked well but it was noisy.

 

 

Buzz

[CronicReefer]

 

What will adjusting my ph accomplish? I'm pretty sure I'm around the 8.4 mark anyways.

It's sold as a ph up because raising alkalinty raises ph. However we are not using it just for raising ph. Using sodium carbonate is an accurate and easy way of adjusting only the alkalinity (kh) of your water. Also if your ph is at 8.4 you will not gain any higher ph by increasing alkalinity due to a relationship in chemistry between calcium, alkalinity, and water CO2 levels.

[Jonnywhoop]

 

Yikes, that would drain my 5g ATO in one minute! I like something slow for the top off pump. I am going to try the Aqua Lifter pump with with an IV tubing flow regulator to be able to set it to drip into the tank for top off. I dose Kalk with my top off and to fast of a flow is no bueno.

 

I have used an air pump in the past to pressurize the top off water container that would then drip into the tank. It worked well but it was noisy.

 

 

Buzz

It's really not bad at all. It fires up for less than 5 seconds and I am all topped off. Perfectly quiet too. I'm not sure how kalk works etc, but that's something else I need to read up on! I heard the Aqua lifter is too slow and might not be able to pump he water quick enough before it shuts off after its auto shutoff system.

 

It's sold as a ph up because raising alkalinty raises ph. However we are not using it just for raising ph. Using sodium carbonate is an accurate and easy way of adjusting only the alkalinity (kh) of your water. Also if your ph is at 8.4 you will not gain any higher ph by increasing alkalinity due to a relationship in chemistry between calcium, alkalinity, and water CO2 levels.

Ok so dose sodium carbonate instead of bionic alk up? Any specific brand I should use? Something more descriptive then Walmart? Hah

 

Thanks again for the advice.

[CronicReefer]

Feel free to use the bionic alk up if you prefer just keep track of how dosing changes your alkalinity so you can figure out how much to add daily to maintain a stable kh (between 8 and 12)

[Deleted User 8]

IMO the potential for disaster with using a pump for your ATO that can drain a 5 gal freshwater reservoir into your tank in less than a minute is too great for me. YMMV I guess. I also don't use any fancy automagic shut off, etc. Just dual float switches. One for the water level and another a high water shut off.

 

Buzz

[Jonnywhoop]

 

 

IMO the potential for disaster with using a pump for your ATO that can drain a 5 gal freshwater reservoir into your tank in less than a minute is too great for me. YMMV I guess. I also don't use any fancy automagic shut off, etc. Just dual float switches. One for the water level and another a high water shut off.

 

Buzz

Yeah, that's what I mean, the extra float sensor. I have it half way in my reservoir. I've been using the 1200 for a few months now without a problem. I just have to double check that the siphon never gets close to the water line to start a reverse suction. We know how that plays out... But once I had the line permanently fixed. No problems whatsoever!

 

Feel free to use the bionic alk up if you prefer just keep track of how dosing changes your alkalinity so you can figure out how much to add daily to maintain a stable kh (between 8 and 12)

Noted. I'll start dosing after next Sunday's water change and I'll do a quick update of how much I end up doing and it's effects. Also, there's nothing like having some chronic reefer and sitting in front of the tank for hours on end.

[NorthGaHillbilly]

Oh and for the ATO pump on the 20 is a MJ1200, little overpowered but it was free. The 8g has an MJ600

I would seriously consider spending the $12 for an aqua lifter.

 

As far as your photo period goes, if it's working for you then keep it going. I run my "blues" for 11 hours and the full light only 4 hours. There was once a school of thought that at extremely short photoperiods were the bees knees.

[CronicReefer]

 

Noted. I'll start dosing after next Sunday's water change and I'll do a quick update of how much I end up doing and it's effects. Also, there's nothing like having some chronic reefer and sitting in front of the tank for hours on end.

At least one person gets it lol. And feel free to start now. I'm sure you are lower than 8kh so it would be a good idea to start bringing it up. You don't want to raise the kh more than one point per day to avoid stressing the coral.

[tibbsy07]

One thing you may consider, especially as it seems you new to this hobby, is to take the 8g biocube down for now if you want the 20L to be SPS-ready. Focus on THAT tank, get it stable, steady, mature, happy, etc. Make it the best tank you can, learning the whole way. THEN put the 8g back up and get it running anew. It seems like you may have spread your skills a bit too thin here.

 

That, or wait on the SPS, use the 8g cube to learn the basics of reef-keeping, putting a couple of hardy SPS corals in it and learn how to take care of THOSE in a smaller AIO system. Then move up to the 20L set up.

 

Just some ideas.

[Jonnywhoop]

The 20L has been up and running for more than half a year. I can handle the basics, It's just now I'm trying to step into the major leagues. As for the 8g, it's already pretty stocked.. I just acquired all of the equipment for it, it's now forming that consistency of maintenance which is a bit different from the 20. Yeah I know it's a little spread thin, but the build part is always the most fun. Nonetheless, the 8g is booming in terms of coral health. My LPS and softies in both tanks are doing well which is why I'm itching for the challenge of SPS.