Water Chemistry

[svirid]

Good day guys,

 

I have a couple of questions, and would really appreciate if u can help me with that.

 

My water paramaters:

pH: 8.2

Ca: 480ppm

Mg: 1350

Alkalinity: 3.5meq/l

Nitrate: 5

Salinity: 1.025

Temp: 78F

Tank: 28gal

 

My first problem is Nitrate I noticed the algoe grow tested phosphate 0, and only later noticed my nitrates. For the phosphate I use Rowa, yesterday I added Chemi-Pure to remove nitrates. Tested today still 5. Not sure if I am doing it right. Any help?

 

Second: For the last couple of month I was using ESV Bionic Calcium Buffer System that I have to add 1ml per for 4gal per day of each component to keep Ca and Alkl stable. Looking at my parameters I end up now adding 10ml of Alklinity component and only 2.5 Ca. Its recommended to use 1ml per for 4gal. Not sure if I am doing a right thing. Prevously I was adding only Alk part and my Ca dropped so I had to start dosing it too.

The reason I am doing it is that the LFS guys told me to keep Alk above 4 I had 2.5 before and Ca 478.

Anybody had any experience with the Bionic?

 

My fish stock is 2 clowns and flame hawkfish.

 

Any help with my problems? Thank you very much.

[lakshwadeep]

It's really hard to get the nitrates down to zero, and 5 ppm should be fine for hardy corals.

[The Propagator]

Good day guys,

 

I have a couple of questions, and would really appreciate if u can help me with that.

 

My water paramaters:

pH: 8.2

Ca: 480ppm

Mg: 1350

Alkalinity: 3.5meq/l

Nitrate: 5

Salinity: 1.025

Temp: 78F

Tank: 28gal

 

My first problem is Nitrate I noticed the algoe grow tested phosphate 0, and only later noticed my nitrates. For the phosphate I use Rowa, yesterday I added Chemi-Pure to remove nitrates. Tested today still 5. Not sure if I am doing it right. Any help?

 

Second: For the last couple of month I was using ESV Bionic Calcium Buffer System that I have to add 1ml per for 4gal per day of each component to keep Ca and Alkl stable. Looking at my parameters I end up now adding 10ml of Alklinity component and only 2.5 Ca. Its recommended to use 1ml per for 4gal. Not sure if I am doing a right thing. Prevously I was adding only Alk part and my Ca dropped so I had to start dosing it too.

The reason I am doing it is that the LFS guys told me to keep Alk above 4 I had 2.5 before and Ca 478.

Anybody had any experience with the Bionic?

 

My fish stock is 2 clowns and flame hawkfish.

 

Any help with my problems? Thank you very much.

 

I would keep your alkalinity more in the range of 9-10 DKH If it were me not 11 DKH like the LFS recommended . It doesn't sound like that big of a deal but I falsely believed that my alkalinity being on the higher side was helping me once as well. After a while it fade colors pretty good from what they once were. I dropped my alk to 9.5 - 10 DKH and saw an improvement in coloration.

 

Bionic is good but the alkalinity part will massively raise your PH directly after usage.

For this reason most peeps now use baking soda which only mildly raises your PH and drops it back to normal with in 8-10 hours ( EST ) and very safely and effectively buffers your Alkalinity. Most continue on with the calcium part or other store bought calcium.

 

 

Your parameters seem fine actually.

Some test kits will read 5 ppm even if there is zilch in the water column at the time.

Its just the quality of the kit and the reagents used to detect it. API usually always read a small degree like that, as well as red sea and the cheaper kits.

Unless you have a high calcium demand bio-load ( such as a lot of lps or sps ) I wouldn't think you would need your calcium any higher then 420 though. That would be a better balanced number for your current alkalinity as well.

 

If you havent seen this yet .. it is worth its weight in GOLD !!!!

 

REEF CHEMISTRY CALCULATOR

[svirid]

I would keep your alkalinity more in the range of 9-10 DKH If it were me not 11 DKH like the LFS recommended . It doesn't sound like that big of a deal but I falsely believed that my alkalinity being on the higher side was helping me once as well. After a while it fade colors pretty good from what they once were. I dropped my alk to 9.5 - 10 DKH and saw an improvement in coloration.

 

Bionic is good but the alkalinity part will massively raise your PH directly after usage.

For this reason most peeps now use baking soda which only mildly raises your PH and drops it back to normal with in 8-10 hours ( EST ) and very safely and effectively buffers your Alkalinity. Most continue on with the calcium part or other store bought calcium.

 

 

Your parameters seem fine actually.

Some test kits will read 5 ppm even if there is zilch in the water column at the time.

Its just the quality of the kit and the reagents used to detect it. API usually always read a small degree like that, as well as red sea and the cheaper kits.

Unless you have a high calcium demand bio-load ( such as a lot of lps or sps ) I would think you would need your calcium any higher then 420 though. That would be a better balanced number for your current alkalinity as well.

 

If you havent seen this yet .. it is worth its weight in GOLD !!!!

 

REEF CHEMISTRY CALCULATOR

 

Thanks for your reply, I am thinking to stop dosing Ca part to drop Ca a little to 400-420. I dont really have any corals that requires it that way, I would say only Buble Coral, I was thinking to get more SPS but its still on hold.

 

SO u are saying instead of the Alkl part I should use Baking soda? can u tell me how can I start doing it.

I have 28 gal tank and 12 litter canister with the top-off water. How much should I start dosing it and what can be the side effects, how dagerous is that? As I remember before I was using Bi-Ionic my ALkl were 2.5 I bet it will drop to it as soon as I stop using it.

Thank you very much for your help.

[The Propagator]

Use this calculator to calculate how much you need to dose after your alkalinity has dropped below acceptable levels. Use your best guess estimate on actual water volume being sure to include the volume of a wet dry or a refugium if you have one.

REEF CHEMISTRY CALCULATOR

 

All you do is input your guesstimated volume of water ( being sure to account for wet dry filters and or refugiums and volume displaced by rock and sand) then in put your current alkalinity, the target alkalinity, and chose baking soda in the drop down box. Easy peezy !

 

Its a very simple task to use baking soda.

You use unscented pure arm & Hammer baking soda found at your local grocery store.

Mix the amount the calculator tells you to use to raise your alkalinity up to the desired amount in RO water or what ever your using to top off with and drip it in your tank over the course of about 6-8 hours 4 at the fastest. You can use an old empty b-ionic bottle. Just poke a small hole near the bottom. buy a plastic t-valve and some silicone air line. cut and place a small section of the air line over one end of the valve and shove it in the hole you made. Connect your air line and cut the tank end at an angle ( helps it come out better )

Leave the lid off while your dosing and you wont have any problems at all.

 

You can buy an 8lb bag of baking Soda from Sam's Club for around $5.95 that will last you a GOOD LONG TIME using it on a 28 gallon tank. Now compare that to what it would take in equal volume of b-ionics alkalinity part in $$. Un-comparable and its safer to use.

[bdare]

Here is an article to backup with Prop was telling you:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php

 

You can buy supplies for these solutions from www.bulkreefsupply.com.

 

If you prefer you can also just mix 1 or 2 cups (depending on the recipie) in a gallon of RO / DI and dose using the ml or oz measurement on the calculator.

 

I've been using these since I setup my tank without problems.

 

I agree with the others. Your params look fine.

[merfin70]

As a side note beware of long term (more than a single correction) dosing of B-Ionic in unequal amounts as it was engineered to be done together in equal amounts. For me, I've had no luck using B-Ionic unequally for a one time correction to achieve my desired levels but love it for maintenance of my levels once I've gotten them where I want. As suggested, use Baking Soda and calcium chloride to get CA & Alk where you want, then a two part for maintenance thereafter.

[bdare]

As a side note beware of long term (more than a single correction) dosing of B-Ionic in unequal amounts as it was engineered to be done together in equal amounts. For me, I've had no luck using B-Ionic unequally for a one time correction to achieve my desired levels but love it for maintenance of my levels once I've gotten them where I want. As suggested, use Baking Soda and calcium chloride to get CA & Alk where you want, then a two part for maintenance thereafter.

CaCl and Baking soda are a two part and can also be used for maintenance at a low cost.

[svirid]

Thank you guys for a good explanation.

 

My problem is that I have no space and was wondering lets say I stop dosing bionic as far as I remember without it my Ca was 420 ppm just from my Seachem Salt.

Can I start adding baking soda to my top off water. It is really hard for me to create dosing sysem even if I do it wont look nice in or out of my tank. No place to hide it.

 

If I can add to top-off can u please recomment how much I can slowly start.

My tank 28 gal and my top-off canister 12 litters, I usually fill it up every 5-7 days.

 

Also If I use only baking soda to raise my alk will my Ca drop?

 

Thank you very much.

[bdare]

Thank you guys for a good explanation.

 

My problem is that I have no space and was wondering lets say I stop dosing bionic as far as I remember without it my Ca was 420 ppm just from my Seachem Salt.

Can I start adding baking soda to my top off water. It is really hard for me to create dosing sysem even if I do it wont look nice in or out of my tank. No place to hide it.

 

If I can add to top-off can u please recomment how much I can slowly start.

My tank 28 gal and my top-off canister 12 litters, I usually fill it up every 5-7 days.

 

Also If I use only baking soda to raise my alk will my Ca drop?

 

Thank you very much.

Yes, you can add the baking soda to your top off. If you Ca levels are maintained by your salt you can CERTAINLY just add the alk portion, but you can't mix the 2 (alk and Ca).

 

I would just calculate how much you dose in a day and multiply that times ~6 (5-7 day refill). Then add that much supplement to your top off container. Just dosing Alk will NOT make your Ca drop. Your corals consuming Ca will make it drop .

 

Ben

[svirid]

Yes, you can add the baking soda to your top off. If you Ca levels are maintained by your salt you can CERTAINLY just add the alk portion, but you can't mix the 2 (alk and Ca).

 

I would just calculate how much you dose in a day and multiply that times ~6 (5-7 day refill). Then add that much supplement to your top off container. Just dosing Alk will NOT make your Ca drop. Your corals consuming Ca will make it drop .

 

Ben

 

Ok please help me here if you can.

I have 25 gal every day I add 8 ml of alk. 1ml per gal raises alkl 0.74meq/l

I have calculated so apx I raise my alk 0.24 meq/L every day

My question is lets say I have 10 litters of top of for 7 days, so I have to add alkl stuff to raise 0.24x7=1.68meq/L sso how much baking soda is that and should I add baked soda or regular?

 

Thank you very much for your help.

[bdare]

Just use the reef chemistry calculator:

http://reef.diesyst.com/flashcalc/flashcalc.html

[The Propagator]

/\

It really is that simple gang. Just input your numbers, select your product and hit calculate.

BAM ! It instantly tells you the correct amount to dose.

[svirid]

/\

It really is that simple gang. Just input your numbers, select your product and hit calculate.

BAM ! It instantly tells you the correct amount to dose.

 

I did basically it gave me 1.1 gr of baked b soda, I multiply by 5 and added into my 10 litters of top-off water that I use apx within the 5 days. Basically I had to add only one tea spoon. Does it sounds right?

[The Propagator]

Not at all.

You need to first add that amount to your tank to bring it up to what it is supposed to be.

Then test over the following days to see how much it drops each day. Then calculate an average per day usage and input that in to the calculator and you will have your daily dose needed to maintain if you chose to dose daily. But be sure to test regularly for alkalinity.

Doing it like you described above could possibly overdose your alkalinity.

I test twice a week ( because I have a few heavily stock systems ) and dose twice a week for alkalinity alone.

I do this because I never know what the rate of usage will be from week to week or even day to day.

At any time your corals could just start growing ( provided they are happy ) and use twice as much in one week then they did before, or even 2 days before.

[svirid]

Not at all.

You need to first add that amount to your tank to bring it up to what it is supposed to be.

Then test over the following days to see how much it drops each day. Then calculate an average per day usage and input that in to the calculator and you will have your daily dose needed to maintain if you chose to dose daily. But be sure to test regularly for alkalinity.

Doing it like you described above could possibly overdose your alkalinity.

I test twice a week ( because I have a few heavily stock systems ) and dose twice a week for alkalinity alone.

I do this because I never know what the rate of usage will be from week to week or even day to day.

At any time your corals could just start growing ( provided they are happy ) and use twice as much in one week then they did before, or even 2 days before.

 

I started yesterday, test showed 0,42 - 3.2 meq/l, today I checked it showed 0,44, let see what will I have tomorrow. Thank you for your help.

[The Propagator]

No problem