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Nualgi additive review and testing...


Islandoftiki

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Animals and algae can use carbonate in place of carbon dioxide if they need to, possibly the diatom growth has caused this to happen.

That's also what I suspected to be the cause too.

 

I contacted Nualgi, and they say no one else has had this issue :/

 

EDIT:

 

LOL DON'T DO A 50% WATER CHANGE IF YOUR WC ALK IS 5dKH HIGHER THAN YOUR TANK.

 

#Pissedcorals #woops

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Animals and algae can use carbonate in place of carbon dioxide if they need to, possibly the diatom growth has caused this to happen.

Say what? Stuck in a hotel this week so I could use some readin material.

 

No alk issues here. Its a steady 10-11 throught the week. My pH however has been ridiculously low at 7.2.

My tank is looking much clearer of algae as of the last two days and the birds of paradise is really fluffy. Still no diatom bloom though from dosing 1.3ml weekly.

I guess it`s working?

 

7.2? I don't believe it. Your probe or test kit is off.

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jedimasterben

Say what? Stuck in a hotel this week so I could use some readin material.

I've only recently gotten into the habit of bookmarking (and properly naming) my data links, I'll have to search around. Google should turn up a bunch of stuff, though. :)

 

7.2? I don't believe it. Your probe or test kit is off.

This.

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Islandoftiki

Ok, so I was supposed to do a water change yesterday, and again today, but that didn't happen. So, I'm mildly tardy in my next nualgi dose, but things remain stable an unchanged visually. Water change tomorrow for sure. The saltwater is mixed, ready to go and replacement filter pads on hand.

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I got off of a conference call from 3 Nualgi specialists.

 

They suspect that my chemical filtration (ChemiPure, Purigen, and Phosguard) is causing my alkalinity issues. More specifically, Norm (from NormalAquariums) thinks my Purigen is the main culprit.

 

They recommend that I take out Purigen and ChemiPure and just run Nualgi.

 

What do you guys think?

 

EDIT: I can't seem to find any sources/reports of purigen affecting alk though.

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dontdoit.gif

 

 

Process of elimination says that if x changed only after adding y, then y is the culprit...

That's exactly how I feel.

 

I also suspect that my alkalinity issue is from precipitation. My alk has dropped 1dKH in 24 hours; wtf, there's no way my livestock should be utilizing THAT much alk.

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Islandoftiki

That's exactly how I feel.

 

I also suspect that my alkalinity issue is from precipitation. My alk has dropped 1dKH in 24 hours; wtf, there's no way my livestock should be utilizing THAT much alk.

 

How much SPS do you have in that tank? Lol, that's more like what my 30 gallon tank uses in 2 or three days. What is your calc and mag?

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How much SPS do you have in that tank? Lol, that's more like what my 30 gallon tank uses in 2 or three days. What is your calc and mag?

I have no sps. LOL

 

My cal is at 440ppm, but I don't have a mag test kit. :(

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Islandoftiki

I have no sps. LOL

 

My cal is at 440ppm, but I don't have a mag test kit. :(

 

Get one now! That might be your problem. Low mag will muck up your calc/alk balance. Both of my tanks run higher than average mag; 1700 in the 30 gallon and 1400 in my 25 gallon (the nualgi test tank).

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Get one now! That might be your problem. Low mag will muck up your calc/alk balance. Both of my tanks run higher than average mag; 1700 in the 30 gallon and 1400 in my 25 gallon (the nualgi test tank).

I'm ordering one right now off of amazon. Any recommendations as to which one to get?

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Islandoftiki

I'm ordering one right now off of amazon. Any recommendations as to which one to get?

 

Red Sea Coral Pro. If you can, get the trio of Calc, Alk and Mag. They're great kits and refillable. They'll save you money over time.

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Islandoftiki

Ok, guys, as I mentioned yesterday, I did my water change today. 20% give or take.

 

First, prior to the water change, I did a full panel of tests.

 

Alk: 6.7 Pretty low in my estimation. I didn't re-test to see if there was an error in my testing though. Since the Nualgi should have "bioavailable" stuff-n-junk, I won't stress it for now, but I will re-test every couple days and slowly bring it up to at least 7 if necessary.

Calc: 500 This one has me a little stumped. Why is it so high?

Mag: 1400 Ok, so this isn't the reason my Calc/Alk balance is off...

Phos: .02

Nitrates: 5 ppm.

 

So, this is interesting. What hair algae is in there siphoned off of the rocks really easily. Much easier than ever before. I'd have to use a toothbrush before. The algae is definitely weaker than it was before. I managed to remove about half of it with siphoning.

 

Beyond that, not much else is new. The cyano is still there, but under control.

 

I'll take pictures tomorrow after the water clears.

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Process of elimination says that if x changed only after adding y, then y is the culprit...

 

+1

 

Also, they weren't affecting those parameters before. Why on earth would they suddenly start now?

 

And on another point, when I was having my turf/GHA issues, I also had trouble keeping alk up. I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that GHA can cause it to drop. I'd imagine a diatom bloom could have a similar effect?

 

I got off of a conference call from 3 Nualgi specialists.

 

They suspect that my chemical filtration (ChemiPure, Purigen, and Phosguard) is causing my alkalinity issues. More specifically, Norm (from NormalAquariums) thinks my Purigen is the main culprit.

 

They recommend that I take out Purigen and ChemiPure and just run Nualgi.

 

What do you guys think?

 

EDIT: I can't seem to find any sources/reports of purigen affecting alk though.

 

No offense, but it sounds like they are lying to your face lol

 

 

So, this is interesting. What hair algae is in there siphoned off of the rocks really easily. Much easier than ever before. I'd have to use a toothbrush before. The algae is definitely weaker than it was before. I managed to remove about half of it with siphoning.

 

I had a similar experience when I started using GFO. Before I had to use those metal bristle brushes for cleaning grills (wimpy toothbrush wouldn't cut it). A little while after using the GFO I could easily peel it manually.

 

I guess the diatoms eating up all the nutrients in the water is weakening the GHA

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Islandoftiki

I had a similar experience when I started using GFO. Before I had to use those metal bristle brushes for cleaning grills (wimpy toothbrush wouldn't cut it). A little while after using the GFO I could easily peel it manually.

 

I guess the diatoms eating up all the nutrients in the water is weakening the GHA

 

Or... lowering the phosphate with fresh RowaPhos. It's possible that my new-ish Hanna phosphate tester might be more responsible for this change.

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Alk: 6.7 Pretty low in my estimation. I didn't re-test to see if there was an error in my testing though. Since the Nualgi should have "bioavailable" stuff-n-junk, I won't stress it for now, but I will re-test every couple days and slowly bring it up to at least 7 if necessary.

Calc: 500 This one has me a little stumped. Why is it so high?

Mag: 1400 Ok, so this isn't the reason my Calc/Alk balance is off...

Phos: .02

Nitrates: 5 ppm.

Lol you too?

 

I'll post what my is tomorrow.

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So I made put in my second dose over the weekend after about 5 days, and will be spreading them out now to 7 days. One observation I have made is that my bryopsis and hair algae are starting to turn white. I can't credit nualgi directly for it though, because I also upgraded from old stock t5 or pc lighting to a Nanobox mini tide. It may be a combo of both or it may be just one or the other. Either way, I am happy to see it weakening.

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Ok, jury is in:

Mg - 1420 ppm.

Ca - 420 ppm

Alk - 6-7dKH <- Almost 1 dkH lower than Wednesday.

 

Wtf is dropping my alk so fast.

How are you dosing the alk? Needs to be done slowly and in high flow or you'll just cause precipitate. 1dkh /day is not atypical tho your tank is a little young. If you've got decent coralline growth, that will use it up.

 

Anxious to see what my tank looks like after my week away. Hopefully my wife remembered to dose the calc solution Wednesday or things won't be happy. 4th dose will go in Sunday providing things aren't all wack.

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How are you dosing the alk? Needs to be done slowly and in high flow or you'll just cause precipitate. 1dkh /day is not atypical tho your tank is a little young. If you've got decent coralline growth, that will use it up.

 

Anxious to see what my tank looks like after my week away. Hopefully my wife remembered to dose the calc solution Wednesday or things won't be happy. 4th dose will go in Sunday providing things aren't all wack.

I'm doing water changes to replenish my alk. :/

 

I have almost no coraline in my system. That's why I'm so perplexed.

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I'm doing water changes to replenish my alk. :/

 

I have almost no coraline in my system. That's why I'm so perplexed.

 

Not to threadjack, but I've been having much the same issue (but w/o Nualgi dosing). What I've found is happening in my case is likely a veritable combo platter of fail. How many fish (and how much do you feed) and what's the alkalinity reading on your change water prior to addition? Those coupled with wintertime (excessive CO2 in the air) can make alkalinity management a real headache.

 

One thing recently, forcibly pointed out to me is that more than one thing can be wrong at a time.

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Islandoftiki

Not to threadjack, but I've been having much the same issue (but w/o Nualgi dosing). What I've found is happening in my case is likely a veritable combo platter of fail. How many fish (and how much do you feed) and what's the alkalinity reading on your change water prior to addition? Those coupled with wintertime (excessive CO2 in the air) can make alkalinity management a real headache.

 

One thing recently, forcibly pointed out to me is that more than one thing can be wrong at a time.

 

My suggestion: Kalkwasser. I started running it in my ATO during the fall because my pH drops a bit low in the winter due to the CO2 effect. Kalk brought my pH up to around 8.0 and does a darn good job of keeping my alk and calc up to par. Not 100%, but close. I still have to run a dosing pump for alk. If you don't have too much SPS, kalk can probably keep your levels up. You want to see lots of coraline, get your levels really stable and keep your nitrates and phosphates under control. Before you start using kalk, research it heavily. Bulk Reef Supply has some good videos of how to dose it in your ATO. I strongly recommend having a digital pH probe when you start dosing it so you don't cause excessive pH swings. Hands down this was the biggest improvement I've made to my tank in terms of coral growth and coloration.

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