Calcium and Alk teeter totter

[jtwilson]

I'm having trouble raising my Alk and Calcium at the same time. I can usually get cal up to 400ppm (which is not terrible but I want to get it to 450 since i have a couple of SPS). However, when I dose carbonate the following day it lowers my calcium to around 375. The next day when I dose calcium again my alk falls and the vicious cycle starts over. I also want to mention that my alk is always a little on the low side even when I dose carbonates, but I dont want to dose too much for the fear that it will send my calcium into a dive.
My Magnesium is in check and I do a 20% water change every sunday.
I will admit that I have only recently (in the last two weeks) started to test and dose Calcium and Alk. Is this a slow process to get both Cal and Alk to optimum levels or am I doing something wrong?
P.S. I use Seachem liquid reef complete for calcium and powderd reef builder for alk

 

[spiderwoman]

If both of your levels are in balance but you want to raise them in tandem, you could use B-ionic which is balanced for both.

 

[jtwilson]

kind of a tough question huh.........

 

[matt b]

For one 400 cal is good IMO I keep mine at 400 and my DKH at 12 with a tank FULL of SPS and I have tried 450ish but did not seem to change anything. When I dosed alk one day and cal the other that is how it was for me to. When you dose cal it drops alk and the other way around. Thats why I like using a two part so you can dose both at the same time. I use kent marine two part and I love it and so do my corals.

 

[afboundguy]

Do you test your Mag? When I first started dosing alk and calc I had the same problem always having one right and one lower than it should be. I always thought my Mag was fine until I actualy got a test kit and it was low (1000-1100) and then I started dosing Mag and now it's much easier to keep calc and alk in check.