So....I started dosing all for reef last week and noticed my alkalinity had slowly been declining. The directions say to only up the dosage once per week. For those of you that use it, did you dose 2 part at the beginning to keep the alk up? It seems if I do that then I won't know how much all for reef I need to dose.
Help with all for reef
- Thread starter Dmac
- Start date
I have never used 2 part in my two aquariums and mine stays exactly where it needs to be. I am usually at 8.4 with my target to 8.5. How much are you dosing and what volume is your aquarium? I am dosing 25ml per day for a water volume of about 160 gallons. I would not worry to much about incrementing 5ml per day just keep on testing ALK until it gets to where you want it.
What test kit are you using?
Is the Calcium dropping at the same rate? You don't want to keep upping the dosage if the two aren't in balance. There can be many reasons why the Alk drops faster than the Cal. But the largest factor in that is bacterial consumption. The calcium should drop at a rate of 6-7 per 1dKH of Alk to be in balance, you're looking for the general range over time as the tests for Cal have an accuracy of +/- 3 for Red Sea to 25ish for Hanna with the Trident in the middle.
If the Calcium is dropping along with or a little slower than the Alk it's ok to continue raising the All for Reef dose, or whichever combo product you use. But if the Calcium is going up you need to cut back on the AFR dose and supplement Alk along with it. Soda Ash, Baking Soda or several of the other products. This type issue is very common it reef tanks under 2yrs old and if dosed unchecked can lead to Cal levels of 500 or more.
You also want to keep an eye on the Magnesium. While it does drop at a slower rate it's something that shouldn't be taken for granted. 1350-1450 is where I like to keep mine at.
This is good reading.
If the Calcium is dropping along with or a little slower than the Alk it's ok to continue raising the All for Reef dose, or whichever combo product you use. But if the Calcium is going up you need to cut back on the AFR dose and supplement Alk along with it. Soda Ash, Baking Soda or several of the other products. This type issue is very common it reef tanks under 2yrs old and if dosed unchecked can lead to Cal levels of 500 or more.
You also want to keep an eye on the Magnesium. While it does drop at a slower rate it's something that shouldn't be taken for granted. 1350-1450 is where I like to keep mine at.
This is good reading.
Did you check the TM calculator to make sure you started at the correct dosage? 5 ml to 25 gallons and then measure until dK gets between 8-9 slowly overtime. All for reef works off of bacteria. Do you have a good healthy bacterial population on the tank? Occasionally , for all for reef I also use KZ zeofood and dose bacteria. Also, make sure your tester is calibrated and measuring correctly.
Yes that is a concern. It's just real important to understand the relationship of the big 3 and pH. I highly recommend reading and rereading the article I linked above.
I did check the calculator. According to the calculator I'm actually dosing a little more than I should be. I have over 100 pounds of rock and other than a tank swap last year, it's been running for over two years now so bacteria should be good. As far as the tester, it's been spot on so far. I'm aware of the basics of how the chemicals work in conjunction. My issue is strictly about why the all for reef isn't maintaining my alkalinity. I did read that it doesn't work quickly but I thought two weeks would be sufficient.
Two weeks might not be sufficient for all for reef to be balanced and maintain your reef. Are your corals healthy? Does everything still look good in your tank? Slow means over multiple weeks to balance and get your maintenance dose correct. If everything looks good, start to raise your All for reef dosage slightly every day and measure your parameters multiple times a day until you hit the sweet spot. Your dK might drop slightly initially but it should swing back to where you want it to maintain eventually. You might need a higher initial dose if your tank is sucking down alk.
Thank you. That was my concern. Whether I could raise my dosing outside of the weekly amount they recommended. I have a lot of coral and so far they all still seem to be doing well. I'll just start to raise it a little bit more and keep monitoring daily.
Before dosing more, I would grab another test kit. I like to have two different brands to make sure what I am getting is correct. What is your reagent date on the Hanna bottle, how long has it been opened, and how much is left? I've found their ALK reagent doesn't have a great shelf life after opening and I have gotten some bad readings. I acted on it and I was acting on bad data. So when I see something out of the ordinary I test with another kit.
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IMHO your Cal was 25-30ppm high at 450 & 8.5dKH. So if it's higher now you will have more problems coming soon. If it's still within 10ppm of your starting point you know it's not rising much.
Austin's point is a good one too. It's also a good idea to test with more than one kit before making any dosing changes. If you react with a dose change and it was a bad test you're making a change on bad data. Best to confirm 1st.
Austin's point is a good one too. It's also a good idea to test with more than one kit before making any dosing changes. If you react with a dose change and it was a bad test you're making a change on bad data. Best to confirm 1st.
Reagent is only about 3 months old and I probably have another 10-15 ml left
known acid, accurate ph probe, syringe to measure acid with, beaker to measure proper amount of tank water to test. Relies solely on amount of acid to reach PH4.5 - no colors to think about, compare or consider etc.
By far the best and most accurate way to test alk - if I find myself not trusting a test kit - this method has never failed me.
PH probe calibration is really the only unknown - and we're all pretty decent at calibrating those.
By far the best and most accurate way to test alk - if I find myself not trusting a test kit - this method has never failed me.
PH probe calibration is really the only unknown - and we're all pretty decent at calibrating those.
I had pretty rocky start to it myself. If your calcium and other things are where you want them, and they should be prior to using AFR, you can use baking soda to up the Alk. Don't change your GFO if the middle of this process either, that just causes more headache.
