Chapter 3: 150g SCA Tank

Pretty much. I’ve got cyano so I use a turkey baster to blow it off the rocks and long chopsticks to stir the sand. I’m not sure if it helps with the cyano at all…it just makes me feel better.

No notable chunks in the sandbed
 
Rainblood said:
Its done. Numbers match the calibration solution.
Next reading will be at noon...
Click to expand...
Did you purge the feed line with calibration fluid before calibrating? I usually purge it 2 times and then calibrate and then when done I put the feed line back into the sump and purge it 2 mores times.
 
Billldg said:
Did you purge the feed line with calibration fluid before calibrating? I usually purge it 2 times and then calibrate and then when done I put the feed line back into the sump and purge it 2 mores times.
Click to expand...
Damn, I may need to buy you lunch with a few beers and a cigar to go over all my crap when I'm ready.
 
Billldg said:
Did you purge the feed line with calibration fluid before calibrating? I usually purge it 2 times and then calibrate and then when done I put the feed line back into the sump and purge it 2 mores times.
Click to expand...

I saw a video on that but there’s a task set up on the Trident that says calibrate. I figured that the video was outdated and/or that the line purge was built into the calibration setting.
 
Rainblood said:
I saw a video on that but there’s a task set up on the Trident that says calibrate. I figured that the video was outdated and/or that the line purge was built into the calibration setting.
Click to expand...
I purge because I have seen some funky readings after calibration. I make sure that only the calibration fluid is in the supply line to keep the calibration as accurate as possible.
 
I'd verify the Alk & Cal with another test to be sure they're inline with the Trident. Then I'd dump all the water in the ATO out, clean container & pump refill the ATO. Then I'd work on the Alk by finding your consumption rate per day. Once you know how much dKH the tank uses in 24hrs you can replace it with the DOS slowly and spread out over 24hrs. This keeps the amount dosed low and will help to keep the system from precipitating the ALK.

Once the Cal has dropped to the 400-415 range you can start dosing an equal amount of the Cal 2-part. It will likely start rising at which point you slowly dial back the dose till the cal starts falling again and from there you dial it in. Depending on the coral biomass in the system this may take a month or more till you actually need to dose the Cal and then a couple weeks to dial it in fully. If you do any water changes they may help some as well, so long as the salt mix isn't high in calcium to begin with.

Don't go out of your way knee jerking trying to fix it. As long as everything seems to be doing well just do what you normally do for maintenance minus the Kalk and it will fall back in line.
Do you do any testing and know where your NO3 and PO4 are?
 
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Now the question is, do you want your Ph to be effected my dosing? If you wan to raise is then Soda Ash is the way to go, if not then Sodium Bicarbonate.
 
I'll let Hai respond officially. But my guess would be yes due to the Kalk in the ATO keeping the pH in a pretty sweet spot from his graphs. To which I would say, if the soda ash doesn't maintain it near the levels he currently has then sodium hydroxide might be an option.

I thought I read recently that sodium carbonate was easier than bicarb for the coral to process. For some reason that is sticking out on my mind.

And knowing Hai he's reading these two posts going 🤯 wtf did I get myself into! 🤣🤣🤣
 
First attempt at growing some phyto. I did order F2 from Amazon whichhas been in transit for a few days…I got impatient and went out to get miracle grow.

We’ll see how it does

9EAFF6B2-30BF-4FC3-BDE3-B4419B4F0F92.jpeg
 
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