Tank Journal Archive

Jacques Pels

Member
Feb 4, 2017
287
112
Gold Coast, QLD
Hi All,
time for an update.
I have been dosing for about 3 weeks now.
Started with NSW collected at the Seaway, with 350 SG and 6.2 dKH.
Initially dosed only Calcium, at 100 ml a day.
It had little effect in increasing the Ca towards the 400 ~ 440 mark.
I After a week, I increased to 150 then 200 ml day.
Noted 2 weeks ago, with my new ( reliable) Weipro pH meter, that my pH was increasing from a steady 8.10~8.12 to 8.15, then up to 8.17 so it was time to start with the Alk dosing.
My dKH was only raisig slightly, from 6.2, then a few days later it got to 6.7, and remained there.
Mixed a batch of Randy's recipe Alk, and started to add 50 ml a day. It did little to counter my pH increase.
For the last 1 week, I have tried to find the happy middle ground and what the right ratio is for my tank, at this stage of its cycle and introduction of corals.
On Sunday I increased the Ca to 250 ml a day, with 150 ml Alk.
Tested yesterday and Ca is up to 380 and dKH at 7.2, while my pH was at 8.24
Changed the dosing yesterday to 300 ml Ca and 250 ml Alk.
This morning i tested, and Ca is at 385/390, dKH at 7.7 and pH at 8.24
I dont plan to make any changes, and allow a few days for this to set and see where we stand, before making more changes, unless anyone points out something i have overlooked ?
I was discussing this with a friend, who has a good working knowledge of water chemistry. He got curious and did some reading, and called me this morning with something interesting. Let me share it with you, and get your opinions.

Our famous Randy's receipe, hails from the USA.Clearly he knows his stuff and it works.
For the Alk recipe, he specifies Bicarbonate of Soda, and that it should be roasted/heated at 180 deg C for an hour.
It seems the heating process does more than just remove the moisture, but has a chemical effect also, in that it alters the Bi Carb to Soda Ash.
It seems he suggests this, as obtaining Soda Ash in the US is difficult.
However, they hve a different effect on the pH - if i understood him correctly, the baked BiCarb will increase the dKH but raise the pH also, whereas the unbaked BiCarb will not raise the pH , or a lot less.

I am just putting this out there, and invite your opinions, and knowledge to contribute towards a better understanding of something most of us use.
I will also try to call my friend, and make sure i got the facts straight.
At the end of the day, I think we all want to get our Alk in that 8~9 range, our Ca 400 ~440, while keeping our pH around 8,20 - so how best to achieve that. ?

Jac
 

Jacques Pels

Member
Feb 4, 2017
287
112
Gold Coast, QLD
Sam,
I have just been concerned to watch the pH inch up daily since I started dosing. My dKH is still only low 7, so a way to go to get it to 8~9, and was wondering if my pH will continue to rise as the dKH rises ? Is there a way to lower the pH if it does get over 8.30, while still trying to get the dKH up ?

Jac
 

Sam Parker

Moderator
May 6, 2013
4,802
2,397
Geelong
low 7 is where I run my dkh, wouldn't bother pushing it much further. But should you do so, ph will stabilise eventually :)
 

Jacques Pels

Member
Feb 4, 2017
287
112
Gold Coast, QLD
Sam,
tested this evening. My Ca is at 410 !! :dead
pH at 8.26
dKH at 8.0 !!
Since it looks like I have reached the target levels, I reduced the Ca and Alk doing a bit, ad will check the results tomorrow.
I am assuming it will take less doing to maintain than to raise to a desired level.
Update you tomorrow.
Jac
 

Jacques Pels

Member
Feb 4, 2017
287
112
Gold Coast, QLD
Sam,
tweaked the dosing levels the last few days, so I am dosing 270 ml Ca, 170 Alk.
Reading this morning was Ca 390, Alk 8.3, pH 8.24
I have not been even testing for Mg at this stage - yet another variable.
I will be happy if it progresses this way.
Fish corals all look happy, except the bloody white spot re-emerged on the Powder Brown, but he has improved, but seems he infected my little Bi Color Blenny, who died yesterday.
Got a nice healthy Sailfin 2 weks ago, had him in Q... saw that he got it bad yesterday and is not a heppy camper today.
Wish it was as easy as freshwater, and we can add some Methyline Blue. !!!
Is there a preventative I could do, while the fish is still in Q - dip or treatment ???

Jac
 

Jacques Pels

Member
Feb 4, 2017
287
112
Gold Coast, QLD
Hi All,
it has not been a lot of fun the last weeks. The slimy algae seems to be Dino. It has covered the rocks in a jelly-like coating. I have used a brush to try to remove it, but it very hard to remove.

Dosing - Horror story. I started dosing Ca and Alk about 8 weeks ago. I have used the RedSea test kit I was given - Ca, DkH and Mg. My Ca rose and seemed to plateau at 410 the last 2 weeks. Alk was at 8.6 ~ 9.0 and pH slowly rose from 8 to 8.28` 8.31
All along I have not trusted the RedSea kit, so I bought new Salifert Kits last week, for Ca, DKH, Mg and Na.
The test result I got, were very different to the RedSea.
When I did another Ca test last Sunday, I could not get the color change to blue with the 1 ml reagent, so I added more and eventually got the color change at 1.15 ml, so a reading of ca. 510 Calcium !! Thought there may be something wrong with the kit, so I stopped all osing Sunday evening.
On Tuesday I took a water sample from my sump, and went to the store.
Asked them to test, with my new kit, and they got the same off the chart 500 +. Then we tested their water with my kit, and it was 450 which is what they expected. Used their kit to test my water, and also over 500.
Bottom line - I have bee dosing Ca and Alk, but got it far too high. The fish seem happy, and the corals also, even if they are being smothered around their edges by the algae.
I am not sure if this high Ca has also led to the Dino algae ????

Yesterday I did a 240 Ltr water change. It seems to have helped a bit by this morning, with my pH down from 8.30 to 8,23, but this will only be a measure of the available Ca. I am sure that over the last 8 weeks, the high Ca dosing, has resulted in ca depositing on rocks, so to reduce this, i will have to lower my pH , gradually, to around 7.75.
I have researched all over, and seems the use of plain white vinegar is the way to go.
I did an experiment this morning ;_
Took 10 liters from the sump water. reading was pH 8.23
Add 4 ml only of vinegar, and got an immediate reduction of the pH to 7.50 on the nose.
This means for approx. 3500 liters system water, I will need 1400 ml ( 1,4 Ltrs) of vinegar to reduce it to 7.5
This would be too big a hit all in one go, and I want to prove the theory, so all I did for today is use the 10 ltrs of water, at 7.50 Ph, and drip feed it into the sump, and will see the overall effect on the pH by this evening.

I would appreciate any inputs or advice on the Dinoflag algae and/or the Ca/pH from those who have more experience than I.

Jac
 

Sam Parker

Moderator
May 6, 2013
4,802
2,397
Geelong
I'd be really careful adding much vinegar to your tank. It is a carbon source and will spur a bacterial bloom which will consume a lot of oxygen in your tank and could cause more issues. Turn off the dosing pump as I'm sure it is not needed just yet anyway and just keep the water changes coming