2 Q's...pink Sea Cucumber And Plumping Up My Torch And Frogspawn C

[rabbut]

They are different. Baking powder is Calsium Carbonate, Baking soda is Sodium Carbonate (I think, not 100% on the latter...)

1tsp per gal raises KH in FW by about 2 degrees. I'm not shure how this will transfer to marine, but it should be close

HTH
Rabbut

 

[craigybaby37]

Got myslef a magnesium test kit over the weekend and the results are my tank has 1080ppm of magnesium which according to the test kit is low its says between 1300 and 1500ppm is ideal levels

Anyone got anymore advice on the baking soda question i raised in my last few posts???

corals are looking a bit better not as ive changed the flow of the tank a little
Heres the torch looking much bigger just not so plump as it has been

 

[rabbut]

Yes, the Magnesium is low, and the kits roughly correct on the levels you want. I'd consider a magnesium suppliment to raise it a bit. Bring it up little by little, raising fast can shock your livestock....

Alkalinity should be raised by both Baking powder and Baking soda, I've used both in FW with success, but I'd await confirmation...

Whats your calsium on? If Mag and Alk are low, I'd put good money on that being depleated also...

I'd up the mag and Calc first, than Alk, as many alkalinity suppliments will *apparently* react badly with magnesium and Calsium ones if added directly after each other. Leave 1/2 an hour minimum between dosing Alkalinity and the other suppliments as required

All the best
Rabbut

 

[craigybaby37]

well ive been out today and brought a magnesium supliment and some reef success calk which says on the front of the tub " The ultimate calcium and bicarbonate supplement for superior reef growth" Been reading through the leaflet supplied and its says the uptake of bicarbonate can be tested with the supplied alkalinity test kit supplied which lead me to believe this one powder will dose both calcium and alkalinity and get them to the correct levels by following the dosage instructions on the packet.

can anyone confirm that ime right on what the reef success calk does and your views on it???

Ive dosed the tank with enough mag to raise it by 25ppm as its says that should be the daily limit so ime sticking with that to achieve a goal of about 1400ppm of magnesium

 

[rabbut]

You are correct, bicrabonate is a sharthand for most carbonate salts that will up the KH (alkalinity). Never used the "reef success calk" so can't comment on that, but sounds like it will do the job

All the best
Rabbut

 

[craigybaby37]

Well ive given my first 2 gram dose of the reef success calk and now gotta monitor my calcium and KH levels to desire the daily dosage ill have to do.

 

[SkiFletch]

Well ive given my first 2 gram dose of the reef success calk and now gotta monitor my calcium and KH levels to desire the daily dosage ill have to do.

Quick Chemistry lesson time. Alkalinity can be boosted with baking SODA. Baking powder will do nothing to help your tank. However you can raise calcium and alkalinity to desired levels all you want but you'll still have big swings in each/both until you get your magnesium under control. 1300-1500ppm magnesium levels chemically reduce the likelyhood that calcium ions and carbonate ions will spontaneously form calcium carbonate salt which is insoluble in seawater. At low levels of magnesium clacium, carbonate, and bicarbonate ions fluctuate rapidly and it's really hard to get a handle on your chemistry. So if I were you I'd go get myself some magnesium chloride and/or magnesium sulphate (aka Epsom Salts from the drug store) and start dosing magnesium to get it up to 1300ppm at least.

THEN you can start worrying about calcium and alkalinity, using whichever additives you choose to raise either.

Make sense?

 

[craigybaby37]

Thanks ski top advice there yet again.

Ive got myself some magnesium made my red sea which ime now using as of last night to bring the levels up to about 1400ppm i hope. According to the dosage and how much you can add each day ime looking at 13 more doses roughly to get it upto around 1400ppm.

 

[SkiFletch]

You can go bigger than that with magnesium. IME quickly raising magnesium does not affect coral health. Calcium and alkalinity are different and shouldn't be dosed as fast. With magnesium, if you've got a nice high-flow area you can dump it into, go ahead and raise it the whole way in 2 doses then re-test afterwards.

 

[craigybaby37]

kool thats nice to know, ill get it all sorted tonight then.

I trust your words fully ski as i know how knowledgeable you are will let you know the results later on tonight.

 

[craigybaby37]

well in 3 days ive added a whole bottle (415ml) of magnesium and its now upto 1170ppm so about another 700ml ish and ill be somewhere near my target. didnt think it would take so much but ime going by the dosage on the bottle which is 15ml per 10 gallons of water to raise by 25ppm.

 

[rabbut]

That's fairly dilute.... You want mag flake, or a powder suppliment, far more economical than solutions

 

[craigybaby37]

and at £13 a bottle i need at least another 2 to get to my desired level then another bottle for my weekly top up to keep a constant level.

will check over the weekend and see if i can get a powder solution as it sound alot better

 

[xxBarneyxx]

Sorry to jump on the thread with my own question.

I haven't done a great deal of research into dosing so this is a stupid question. I assume once you get the tank water up to the right levels you then have to dose any fresh water you make so it is at the same level before doing a water change?

 

[rabbut]

Depends if the fresh water is lacking the stuff your dosing, or if the corals have used it In craigybaby37's case, the corals have probibly used it, so he probibly won't need to dose the freshwater, unless levels in the main tank need buffering at the time of a waterchange... SkiFletch has a lack of Magnesium in his salt from what he was saying, and thus needs to dose it to his freshwater...

All the best
Rabbut