Right have been dosing manually for awhile now and must say i am enjoying the control i have over my parameters. With the CArx i was running at a Dkh of about 6, CA at 360 and ph at about 8. My dkh is now at 8, CA still at 390 and Ph at 8.3, my corals have all reacted very positively to the higher parameters. The parameter that i can control is Ph when adding the buffer if i add Sodium bicarb the ph dips slightly and flattens out if i use Sodium carbonate the ph lifts again. So i use a mixture of 4 tsp bicarb and one tsp carbonate and has very little effect on the Ph. Very happy with all results so far.
Maintaining Calcium and Alkalinity
- Thread starter Alan
- Start date
Viper going very nicely, i got a recipe from Gali on mixing the calcium hydroxide with vinegar so it doesn't spike the PH too high and works like a charm. Calcium is very stable at the 400 mark. The mixture i use is 2tsp kalk, 15ml vinegar mixed in water and added to the system as a slurry. Guys a word of caution you have to start this very slowly remember i have 2000+ litres in the system and it picks up the ph by 2/10ths of a point ie 8.2 - 8.4, anymore than this and it starts to stress the corals.
Hi I need some help here. I have never tested for "Total Alkalinity".
I bought a HTH pool test kit to test for Chloramine in tap water. But after reading this thread I decided to test using the HTH kit. I got a reading of 110 ppm. (Eleven drops.)
Please comment on that reading, tell me what it means? Anybody?
I bought a HTH pool test kit to test for Chloramine in tap water. But after reading this thread I decided to test using the HTH kit. I got a reading of 110 ppm. (Eleven drops.)
Please comment on that reading, tell me what it means? Anybody?
Gali there is no connection. I had to buy the kit to test for Chloramine in our tap water. This is a problem for mainly fresh water fish when doing water changes.
The use of Chloramine to "sterilise" our drinking water is becoming common. In the past the water purification works would use Chlorine in gas form. A cheaper way of doing the same is to use Ammonia and Chlorine forming Chloramine.
The problem lies in the fact that your common anti-chlor mixes one buys are usually ineffective in removing Chloramine.
So because I have the entire kit, and no swimming pool, why not use it to test for Kh.
If you tested you tank water (and assuming a kit designed to test fresh water will give similar results for salt water) then a reading of 110ppm will equate to 6.2 dKH - on the low side of acceptable. Would aim for 7-10 dKH (125-180 ppm as CaCO3). To check the accuracy of the HTH test kit I would recommend you test in conjunction with a decent marine kit (borrow one), and then apply any correction factors as necessary.
Thanks Palmerc. There is a ratio between ppm and dKH? 17.74?
So Sodium Carbonate/Sodium Bi Carb is the way to go?
To Midas::cry: I told you I dont have pool, if I did it would be the biggest coral reef in Gauteng.
Ok..... then donate the kit to someone who has.
Which is why you should run it in parrallel to a marine test kit and see what the correction factor is.
Right finally got this down to a "T". My alk and Ca additions without my CArx running are the following:
3tsp sodium bicarb + 1tsp sodium carbonate [mixed together] per day gives me 8dkh
8tsp ca chloride + 2tsp kalk slurry[added separately] per day gives me a ca of 390
For Mg i use Epsom salts as needed, about 200g pm, readings at 1200ppm
PH is stable at a min of 8.25 and a max of 8.30, my sg is 1.025 with a refractometer.
Total cost of additives per month is about R120.00
3tsp sodium bicarb + 1tsp sodium carbonate [mixed together] per day gives me 8dkh
8tsp ca chloride + 2tsp kalk slurry[added separately] per day gives me a ca of 390
For Mg i use Epsom salts as needed, about 200g pm, readings at 1200ppm
PH is stable at a min of 8.25 and a max of 8.30, my sg is 1.025 with a refractometer.
Total cost of additives per month is about R120.00
Mekaeel
Moderator
damn that worked out cheap maintaining all these parameters