Question about dosing CA and Alk

maveri9720 · 02-16-2007, 06:01 PM

I need to dose some calcium in my system. Yest I checked my CA and it was 310 and my DKH was 8. The DKH is fine, but when I dose some CA, it will drop the DKH, so I will need to dose alittle of that to bring it back up. I just added my first LPS's last week. Before that, my CA was 370 and my DKH was 8.2

I plan on using Kent Marine Liquid CA and just using baked baking soda for the DKH.

Can I just mix up what I need for the entire tank and pour it into my 18g auto top-off container? I use about 2g's a day and refill the container once a week. So I'm thinking this would kinda be like dosing, b/c the ATO only adds a couple cups every few hours or so.

Also, can I add both CA and Alk to the ATO container at the same time, or do I have to wait a day in between, or just a few hours or what?

Does this sound feasible?

I will be getting a CA reactor once my tax refund comes back, so I won't be doing this long.

Thanks.

Wiskey · 02-16-2007, 06:17 PM

You can dose one or the other VIA the topoff container but not both at once.

If it were me I would boost the CA halfway by dosing all at once then tomorrow boost it the other half of the way to get you to 410-420. Adding CA only drops Alk like that when you are at saturation.

Alk may fall a bit,.. but nothing major,.. if it were me the third day i would check that and adjust for it.

Whiskey

avalanche wolf · 02-16-2007, 07:04 PM

DO NOT MIX CALC AND ALK TOGETHER !!! You will get a chemical reaction.

I did this a few months ago after trying to shortcut my doseing regiment I mixed my turbo calc like normal and figured I would add my weekly coral builder as well.

RUT ROH SCOOB !!!

THe mixture starting forming and rising right away and I was forced to run through the house holding a time bomb to get to the sink where I poured it out slowly with the water running.

Not doing that again !!

maveri9720 · 02-16-2007, 08:10 PM

Thanks guys for the help.

So how long should you wait in between dosing the CA and the Alk?

avalanche wolf · 02-17-2007, 01:09 AM

I have done the Calc then mixed the coral builder right after as soon as it was disolved.

I dont dump it in though I let it slowly trickle in.