trouble keeping parameters stable

[Chuck239]

I am dosing daily with a two part alk and calcium supplement and have kalk in my top off water. I have trouble keeping things stable. I recently added acropora to my tank and I think they are unhappy with the instability. The other coral seems fine.
The two part gets my alk and calcium where it should be but I think overnight the kalk is making my ph spike and my alk drops for some reason. Should I just do the two part and forget about the kalk?

39 gallon display, 20 gallon sump/refugium, 250 watt mh pendant
0 nitrates
0 phosphates
calcium 400 to 460
kdh is unstable from 5 to 9
ph is unstable from 8.0 to 8.6
Coral: green acropora, blue acropora, frogspawn, watermelon zoas, pink birdsnest, pulsing xenia, candy cane.

 

[biggyclops]

i would forget about the Kalk till your calcium and alk are stable IMHO..

 

[jackthestrat]

I'd say that you probably don't need two part at all. Kalk top off alone will probably satisfy your calcium needs in a tank that small.

Get your params where you want them with the two part, then stop using the 2 part and just top off w/ kalk.

 

[Chuck239]

I always worry that I'm adding too much to the water. There's more chemicals than actual water. I'll try two part dosing to get to where I want to be and then just kalk to maintain.

 

[stingythingy45]

I agree with Jack.
But,I'll also say that if you Mg. is low you'll have a tough time keeping alk and cal. stable.

 

[SteveDola]

if mag has been neglected and is low then you need to boost the mag to around 1300 -1400. ive been told you can safely increase Mag 100 ppm per day. I use ESV mag when needed and find it to be a good product but you could use kent or anyother liq. mag. product. From there youll be able to increased and stablize your Calc and Alk. If youve been dosing kalk regularly and consistantly then i dont see a problem in continuing that. Have you figured out how many ml your tank consumes of calc and alk daily? after increasing mag ,test out the levels and then dose daily and test daily to see where your tank is settling. Every tank is different but Id think 5ml or each 2 part would be a good place to start.

 

[gweston]

Its easy to overshoot your alk and that can be bad, so keep testing and make sure you are in the 8-10dkh range. When dosing 2-part, you can dose one part of it. It doesn't 'need' to be dosed at the same time every time. Dose according to what the tank needs based upon your test results. If calcium is low but alk is high.. then only dose calcium, etc.

For my current 29gal display/15 sump system, a 5 gal weekly water change provides more benefit than 2-part or supplements. I typically do a water change, do one calcium dose as my current mix yields ~380ppm calcium.. and I go from there. I test, and if the system needs an alk,calcium, mag boost. Then I dose accordingly, but it usually is very little. If I went a few weeks without a water change, then dosing certainly comes more into play.

That is for my tank and my bio-load. Yours could certainly be different! Tanks with larger coral populations require more care. Maybe even additional vitamin/trace element supplements.