How Do You Know When Trace Elements Are Low?

[RayWhisperer]

Don't bother with the Hanna checker. Unless they've really improved everything in the last 4 years. There was nothing consistent or accurate the last time I used one.

 

as for the article, I have yet to find it. I'll keep looking though.

[Thrassian Atoll]

I know the Hanna calcium checker is garbage but the alkalinity is pretty accurate.  

 

I was able to find time to do a large water change tonight.  I did about 9 gallons which is close to 50% I would say.  I use DD H2Ocean salt.  I turned my DOS off.  My numbers are below.  I will do the same tests tomorrow at this time.  

 

Salinity 1.026 Temp 78

 

Alkalinity:

    Hanna Checker - 8.2 DKH

    Red Sea - 8.4 DKH

 

Calcium: 

    Red Sea - 400 PPM

 

Magnesium:

    Red Sea - 1320

[pal]

Hanna alk checker works nice for me also. I had a similar problem where i had to keep upping ml of 2 part to keep stable alk.. turns out my doser was dosing way less than it was prorammed for. Maybe calibrate doser?

[Thrassian Atoll]

1 minute ago, pal said:

Hanna alk checker works nice for me also. I had a similar problem where i had to keep upping ml of 2 part to keep stable alk.. turns out my doser was dosing way less than it was prorammed for. Maybe calibrate doser?

 

Thanks for the suggestion.  I'll do that tomorrow depending on my numbers.  I wonder how often I should recalibrate it?  I think it's so many mililiters but I should probably do it every month or so.

[seabass]

My dosing pumps pump a lot less over time, as their tubes get compressed.  As pal stated, that could be affecting how much you actually dose (versus how much you think that you dose).  If you replace the tubes, you'll have to reprogram how long they run.

[Thrassian Atoll]

Results are in!  After 24 hours of not dosing and after a large water change, here are the numbers.  

 

Alkalinity:

 

Start - Hanna 8.2 / Red Sea 8.4

End -             6.7   /   7.0

 

Calcium:

 

Start - Red Sea 400

End -         390

 

Magnesium:

 

Start - Red Sea 1320

End -          1300

 

Alkalinity dropped an average of 1.45 DKH, Calcium dropped 10 ppm and Magnesium dropped 10 ppm.   The drop in alkalinity and calcium coincides pretty well to what it's suppose to be.  Here is how much I should be dosing according to the calculator.  I need to raise my calcium up as well to 420~ to balance the alk at around 8.2 ish.  According to the calculator my dosing is not too far off.  Here is the chart.  I don't dose magnesium, but that's a ton to just raise it 20ppm with the ESV magnesium.