Alk Problem

[matthew660]

Sorry for the dumb question but I'm fairly new to reef keeping. I did a 10% water change two days ago and my alk was at 2meq/l before and 4meq/l after. It has only been 2 days now and my alk is back down at 2meq/l. I've talked to my lfs an they recommended Seachem Reef Builder but I'm lost, I've been battling this for 2 months now and can't get it to stabalize. Any ideas?

 

[matthew660]

My ca is 420ppm and mg is unknown as the test kit I bought today is showing 2000ppm an the lfs said they may have sold me a bad/expired kit. I am returning it tomorrow and will hopefully find another kit tomorrow.

 

[matthew660]

Quick update my Mg is at 2000ppm and I have never added any to the tank. Could it be high because of the reef salt I'm using?

 

[fener103]

What Mg test kit are you using?

 

[matthew660]

Rea Sea Marine Aquariums Test Lab

 

[rdnelson]

Going to watch this thread. I need to purchase a mag test kit and want to know what is worth buying and what is a waste of money.

 

[smallblock]

Elos is good.

 

[fener103]

About 6 weeks ago I bought the Red Sea Master Kit (Alk, Mg, Ca). My mag reading was showing 1700+ when using this kit and like you was not adding anything. Elos and Salifert tested at 1350. This portion of the kit did not work for me and I suspect you dont have high Mg.

 

[matthew660]

fener103;693959 wrote: About 6 weeks ago I bought the Red Sea Master Kit (Alk, Mg, Ca). My mag reading was showing 1700+ when using this kit and like you was not adding anything. Elos and Salifert tested at 1350. This portion of the kit did not work for me and I suspect you dont have high Mg.

Ok well I'll assume that is the same thing going on with my test kit. But I'm still having a alk problem, it is dropping so fast I can't keep up with it even though I'm dosing it everyday. Any ideas? alk 2meq ca 430ppm

 

[umbrellacorp]

really? mine went down so i just bought some seachem reef builder - raises carbonate alkalinity.. dosed once and ive been good ever since. *knock on wood* Maybe dont add so much RODI at once.. thats what dragged mine down.

 

[ralph atl]

try this calculator:

http://reef.diesyst.com/flashcalc/flashcalc.html">http://reef.diesyst.com/flashcalc/flashcalc.html</a>

[IMG]http://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chem_calc3.html">http://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chem_calc3.html</a>

realtionship alk, cal, mag
[IMG]http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-06/rhf/index.php">http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-06/rhf/index.php</a>

 

[rdnelson]

alcatoe;694567 wrote: Same here.... mine always shows 1400. Was thinking this was not the case since my coraline was not growing at rapid rate. I started to dose 100ml every 3 days and the coraline started to showup everywhere.

I will not purchase Red Sea Mg test kits any more. Waste of $25 IMO.

So am I safe in assuming that mg couldn't be too low if coraline is growing well?

 

[schwaggs]

rdnelson99;694569 wrote: So am I safe in assuming that mg couldn't be too low if coraline is growing well?

Nope, not a safe assumption. Coraline will grow in water with less than optimal mg.

I have great luck with the Salifert and Seachem test kits. The Seachem Mg kit is a bit of a pain to use but includes an alk test too!

 

[rdnelson]

alcatoe;694581 wrote: Tanks r like your kids. You see them every day and u can start to tell if something is off.

With three daughters, something is off everyday.

 

[schwaggs]

I don't dose anything I don't measure. That is like adding more water to the bath tub without knowing how full it is. Sooner or later, if you are adding too much water, the tub will overflow (bad) or if you are not adding enough, it will be empty (bad).

If you are adding too much mag, you are truly wasting money as an excess of mag serves no benefit to the tank (neither does excessive Alk or CA) and can actually be a detriment to your system. Mag is a fairly benign element, others can be more destructive if overdosed (iodine, kalk, etc).