BRS - Not raising alkalinity!

[Waterproof]

I'm trying the 2-part kit from BRS, and it's not raising my alk like it should. In the past I have used ESV B-ionic and most recently was using the brightwell 2-part kit. I'm dosing roughly the same volume as before. However, my alk is crazy low (~6.5-7.0) and my pH is really low as well. Any idea what is going on? When I add the alk component to my tank, it looks like it coagulates rather than quickly dispersing into the water. Instead, it forms lots of very tiny chunks that eventually mix with the water or get swept out of view. I need to get this solved quickly.

 

Can anybody lend some advice?

 

PS - magnesium is about 1350 and calcium is around 450.

 

PPS - I looked at the BRS dosing calculator and it looks like I need to dose about 2.5 times the volume of the other products. That's crazy. BRS doesn't look like such a good deal anymore. In any event, I dumped plenty in the tank yesterday and the alk never got above 7.5. I hit the tank with baking soda today to get the alk back up.

[MikeTR]

taggin along.. cuz when my b-ionic runs out.. i'm switchin. How much are you adding and how fast? I've seen the B-Ionic do that the first time I added it. Just dumped all 2.5ml in. So now I have to go a wee bit slower. Also need to add to area of high flow..

 

edit: did you get recipe 1 or 2?

[jpluttme]

I'm trying the 2-part kit from BRS, and it's not raising my alk like it should. In the past I have used ESV B-ionic and most recently was using the brightwell 2-part kit. I'm dosing roughly the same volume as before. However, my alk is crazy low (~6.5-7.0) and my pH is really low as well. Any idea what is going on? When I add the alk component to my tank, it looks like it coagulates rather than quickly dispersing into the water. Instead, it forms lots of very tiny chunks that eventually mix with the water or get swept out of view. I need to get this solved quickly.

 

Can anybody lend some advice?

 

PS - magnesium is about 1350 and calcium is around 450.

 

One thought would be that the kit you're using is the one that lowers pH, rather than raises it. Maybe a mix up in the ordering/shipping- you never know. Best bet is to call them and explain the problem. They've been helpful in the past when I had questions.

[Waterproof]

I'm using kit #1 - which should slightly raise the pH. Like you said, perhaps it was a mixup at the warehouse. I typically would add about 18mL of each part of the b-ionic and brightwell products. According to the BRS dosing calculator, I would need close to 50mL of each daily. That's quite a bit of dosing. I have dosing pumps, so the added volume is not a big deal.

 

 

I'm still concerned about its appearance when it enters the water. B-ionic and brightwell would cloud up, but never get clumpy.

[burtbollinger]

Use the calculator and dose what it tells you too....2.5x more isnt crazy...it is what it is....for 40 dollars with BRS, you get about 4 gallons of Alk and 4 gallons of CA....even dosing double or triple, trust me, youre coming out ahead....

 

my brs alk gets a little clumpy as well...nothing to worry about....I dose the alk. in a sump area of my tank. No problems maintaining my ALk at @ 9 adding @ 20 ml of ALK & CA daily.

 

highly recommend the BRS 2-part starter kit.

 

agreed that you should call and talk to someone...they can ease your concerns a bit I'm sure....or help you if needed.

[fayzane]

One thought would be that the kit you're using is the one that lowers pH, rather than raises it. Maybe a mix up in the ordering/shipping- you never know. Best bet is to call them and explain the problem. They've been helpful in the past when I had questions.

^...this!

[pisces4u]

Are you using quality test kits?

 

How big is your tank and how many stony corals do you have?

 

Do you top off with kalk or an aragamite supplement?

 

I have a 65g system with about 40 SPS and LPS frags and colonies and I dose 35ml of the BRS 2-part daily and maintain 9.6 alk and 440 cal. Yes, you will have to use more when using the BRS 2-part, but the kit comes with enough to make 4 gallons of alk and 4 gallons of cal supplement for $50.

 

I've found their product and calculator maintain my chemistry better than b-ionic. I've been using it for a month on my 65g display system and 15g frag system and have used half a gallon of each. That's about 1/8 of the kit so a cost of about $6.25.

[Mr. Fosi]

I'm trying the 2-part kit from BRS, and it's not raising my alk like it should.

 

"Should" based on what? Your experience with other kits? Not all kits are the same. Use a good reef chem calculator to help you dertermine dose. Choose "Randy's Recipe #1" if you use the link I provided.

 

When I add the alk component to my tank, it looks like it coagulates rather than quickly dispersing into the water. Instead, it forms lots of very tiny chunks that eventually mix with the water or get swept out of view... Any idea what is going on?

 

Yes, you are doing two things wrong:

 

1) You are adding it too quickly and not into an are where it will be efficiently and quickly mixed.

2) You are probably adding it at the wrong time of day.

 

You should add pH-increasing alk additives in the morning before your lights come on. That way, your pH won't shoot too high and cause precipitation and because the pH of the system is lower, you can add it faster as well.

 

PPS - I looked at the BRS dosing calculator and it looks like I need to dose about 2.5 times the volume of the other products. That's crazy. BRS doesn't look like such a good deal anymore.

 

It's a great deal if you do the rest of the calculation. In my system, I have gotten hundreds of doses out of my BRS pack... A pack that cost me less than $10. I'll take that over $30 of ESV any day.

 

In any event, I dumped plenty in the tank yesterday and the alk never got above 7.5. I hit the tank with baking soda today to get the alk back up.

 

It never got above 7.5 dKH because you were dumping it in so fast that it was precipitating right out rather than going into solution. You need to slow your addition down, do it in a higher-flow area and do it when your lights have been off all night.

[burtbollinger]

I always appreciate your posts, btw Fosi...you got 100% credibility with me.

[Waterproof]

Thanks for all the replies. Here's a little more info...I have a BC-14 with a couple trumpet corals (40 heads on one, maybe 20 on the other), a torch coral, a couple millie frags, an acan, a chunk of pipe organ, and a couple monti frags. The rest are softies. I normally don't have to top off. My evap is really minor, so I just adjust my weekly water change water to balance the SG (1.024). I dose with 2 dosing pumps that deliver the daily flow over 6 periods throughout the day. I recently decided to give Oceanic salt another try, which was probably a bad idea. The alk is just way too low! I just can't find a salt that I really like. I normally keep my alk at 8.5-9. A couple days ago, I noticed my alk delivery hose was pinched in the hood, which was limiting the flow to the tank. I think this caused my decrease in alk down to around 6-6.5. At the same time, my BRS order arrived, and I switched to those products. It seems you need a lot more flow and slow delivery to get the BRS alk component to mix well. Even after dumping about 20mL into the tank, I couldn't get the alk back up above about 7.5. As some of you pointed out, it might have been precipitating out. I moved my delivery hoses so they drop directly above high-flow areas.

 

Yesterday, I added baking soda to give the tank a kick. This brought the alk back up to my typical desired level. I spoke to the people at BRS and they explained that their 2-part kits are about 75% as potent as ESV B-ionic. I've increase my dosing by about 25% to compensate. The tank seems to be getting back in gear. Perhaps BRS is better at maintaining levels, rather than raising levels.

 

Thanks again for the help.

 

PS - My Brightwell 2-part kit initially worked well, but over the period of about 1 month, the solutions began to precipitate out. The calcium and alk jugs became very cloudy. They still seemed to perform fine, by I was worried the precipitate would clog my pumps.