water parameters opinions

xrayman

xrayman

Member
Alkaround 3 my dkh was around 8.4 with salifert kit on plunger it was .47 kind of in between my ph measured 7.7 calcium was 505 should i be concerned with this tank is good all corals are good except one colony of zoo's have been closed for several days other zoo in tank are good.my alk was about 2.86 i put some baking soda in to raise it to the level it is now.I do 10% water changes weekly with oceanic salt and alk is always around 3 should i quit with water changes till levels come into check or should i buffer my water for changes and topoff?i don't have ro/di unit but use ro water from walmart.
 
reefreak29

reefreak29

Active Member
i check every week or so , i use b-ionic every other day but its expensive have u tried other salt brands (tropic marin)
 
murph145

murph145

Active Member
when did u measure your PH?
if it was while ur lights was off it can be lower there are Ph swings during your light cycle it will be at its highest at the end of ur light cycle and at its lowest right before the lights go on...
i wouldnt add buffers id try to get it to about 8.0-8.2 with water changes and maintaining correct Alk and Ca levels
as far as your alk at 8.4 that shouldnt be an issue but if u wanted to raise it a lil u can i keep mine at 9 in my 180 .... your calcium is a lil high bring it down to about 400-420 and keep it stable.... dont do anything to fast thought cuz its all about stability in saltwater if u change stuff to rapidly your tanks creatures might not like it
and buffers are only a quick fix they usually dont keep it there id find a diffrnt way to get your Ph up and your alk.... like said the 2 part dosing of B-ionic works great but your calcium is already high i would just do some water changes to get them lowered then test from there and see whats needed
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Originally Posted by xrayman
After i get my alk levels in check should i buffer my water change water if alk is low?
No, after you do the water change add Bicarbonate to the tank water if ALK is low.
 
reefreak29

reefreak29

Active Member
i might get some static from this but , im not a big fan of instant ocean or oceanic salts, i really believe that doing a 10 percent water change every week with tropic marin salt that all your levels will be just fine.
 
murph145

murph145

Active Member
ive never used instant ocean or oceanic salts eitehr i use via aqua ocean pure salt pro and i took measurements when it was mixed with RO/DI water and its alk was 9 its CA was 420 no phospates or nitrates and the Ph was 8.2....
works good for me and i do a 15% water change on my 180 every 2-3 weeks
 
xrayman

xrayman

Member
Would it be worth trying some of my instant ocean this water change to see where i'm at with alk and calcium to see if calcium is lower and alk is higher?>
 
piscian

piscian

Member
Do you dose with Kent Tech CB? If so, you might want to try only dosing with the part B and see if that brings down your cacium and ups your alk. Instant Ocean is lower in calcium, so it might help too. Sorry, that's all the info I can provide for you. I'm trying to lower my calcium too.
 
xrayman

xrayman

Member
Alright guys i just mixed batch of instant ocean a couple of hours ago i know i need to wait awhile longer for acurate readings but ph 8.1 alk 3.2 dkh 9 calcium 390 what should i do do i get rid of oceanic and use instant ocean and will things be ok with calcium of 390.
Thats better than readings with oceanic
what should i do or i'm i making big deal out of nothing
 
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