Alkalinity

[Dean]

I need some guidence. My 65 has gotten to the point that dosing kalkwasser via ATO can't keep up with the alkalinity uptake of all my sps and lps. So where do i go next. Kalkwasser has been forgiving enough to dose with the ATO but I wouldn't think other buffers are so forgiving and are more concentrated.

[polarbear]

Do you have a doser? If so you can does kalk in you ATO and alk via a doser.

[Dean]

Don't have a doser yet.

[Dkray944]

Dean, I have a pretty mixed tank with a fair amount of sps and use kalkwasser in my ATO and also dose 2 part. This keeps things pretty in line for me. Also if you're looking for a doser I would check out the Bubble Magus controlled setup. I've been using mine for a little over a month now and it's been great. For me it was kind of like when I implemented an ATO unit. Once you make the plunge you will never go back. It's made my tank so much user to maintain.

David

[Dean]

Hey David thanks for the input. I will definitely look into a BM doser. Is your system on a controller? Mine is not. I was hoping to keep it as low tech as possible.

[CoryDude]

If your calcium levels are fine, I would add a teaspoon or two of baking soda per gallon to your ato reservoir. If your ph is fine, be sure to bake the baking soda at 300 degrees for about an hour. It drives off the excess co2 and keeps the baking soda from lowering your ph in the tank.

Just be ge sure to monitor your ph and alk levels to get an idea of your depletion rate so you don't overdose.

[Dean]

Hey Cory, thanks for the reply. Through dosing kalkwasser in my ato and biweekly water changes my calcium levels stay pretty constant so if I discontinue the kalk I would also need to dose calcium. Can baking soda be mixed with kalk in the same container?

[Dkray944]

Dean,

Mine is the one with 3 dosers and controller as one unit. It's very easy to set up and use.

David

[CoryDude]

I never mixed them. You still want to use kalk as normal, just start adding the baking soda separately to boost your alk. You can even add it directly to the tank.

i used to drip kalk at night and then add baking soda to my ato water or just add it directly to the sump. I had to test every other day for a week or two before I found my correct dosing amounts. Here's a chart I use to figure out correct calcium and alkalinity levels:




Ca---total-alk


390 / 1.5


400 / 2.0


410 / 2.5 (seawater)


420 / 3.0


430 / 3.5


440 / 4.0


450 / 4.5


460 / 5.0

[Dean]

That's awesome. Thank you Cory.