Calcium and alkalinity - dosing

[Arun]

Am using instant ocean salt and my salinity always 1.024-1.025. My calcium-380 ppm and alkalinity 125 ppm. There may be 10-20 ppm variations. I do have corals sps and soft. 
since the levels are same always am not dosing calcium or alkalinity, but I do have b iconic two parts. Dosing it will increase the levels? Or dosing in not related to calcium and alkalinity parameters. 
 

[Clown79]

You should be dosing to replenish what corals use up between waterchanges.

 

If you want higher parameters, changing salt to one that provides higher parameters is far better way to go.

Or you end up dosing all week to get to where you want to end back to the original numbers after a waterchange- causing fluctuations.

 

Or to prevent the above you will have to dose your new saltwater mix and test before every waterchange. Then test the tank after waterchange.

 

A lot less cost and work using a salt that provides what you want.

[seabass]

You'll find that most salt mixes (regardless of parameters) will work.  Stability is the key.  Like Clown79 said, you want to replenish consumed elements and not elevate levels through dosing (using a newly mixed batch of saltwater as your target numbers).

[mcarroll]

21 hours ago, Arun said:

My calcium-380 ppm and alkalinity 125 ppm. There may be 10-20 ppm variations. I do have corals sps and soft. 
since the levels are same always am not dosing calcium or alkalinity, but I do have b iconic two parts. Dosing it will increase the levels? Or dosing in not related to calcium and alkalinity parameters. 
 

Yes, Bionic will raise calcium, alkalinity and magnesium levels.  Maybe the best product for that.  👍

 

But 10-20 ppm variation is not "same".  

 

For example, 125 ppm of alkalinity is 7 dKH, which is the low end of OK.  

 

However, 105 ppm is < 6 dKH...considered to be a problem for many stony corals, and possibly enough of a dip to allow harmful pH swings from day to night.

 

I would start testing and dosing to reduce that variation as much as possible....close to zero variation in alkalinity is ideal.  (Levels of calcium and magnesium are far less crucial.)

 

Eventually you'll need to dose daily.  Testing daily might be required to figure out the tank's consumption rate, but after that you should be able to test much less frequently.

 

What test kits are you using to get the numbers you posted?

[Arun]

I was using apI test kit.
 

does dosing daily will increase the calcium and alkalinity ? What is the calcium and alkalinity levels to be ? On what basis do I need to dose?

 

i have ordered slavery test kit for calcium and alkalinity.

[seabass]

42 minutes ago, Arun said:

does dosing daily will increase the calcium and alkalinity ?

That depends on how much is consumed, and how much is dosed.  It's certainly possible to increase either or both through dosing.

 

43 minutes ago, Arun said:

What is the calcium and alkalinity levels to be ?

 

I try to target what a newly mixed batch of saltwater mixes to as a target for parameters.  That way a large water change maintains stability.

 

46 minutes ago, Arun said:

On what basis do I need to dose?

If consumption of elements (namely alkalinity, but also calcium, and magnesium) drops these parameters.  Then dosing is used to replenish the consumed elements.  These elements are utilized by stony corals and coralline algae (a soft coral tank with little or no coralline won't put a demand on these elements.