Potential RIP to my beautiful tank )’:

[odariel]

Hey Jay, an easiest route for the future, that allows you to eliminate errors like this would be to use a salt with higher Alk from the start and try to keep your reeftank dkh value as close as possible to your salt's.. that way you can do water changes without having to worry about matching alkalinities.

Also, using something like carbon dosing to control nutrients might make more sense and be more time and cost effective depending on the size of your tank.

 

[Camaro Show Corals]

Always use a salt that matches the prams you want to run, we have been Running Red Sea Blue Bucket here at Camaro Show Corals for almost 10 years with great Success

 

[VintageReefer]

Always use a salt that matches the prams you want to run, we have been Running Red Sea Blue Bucket here at Camaro Show Corals for almost 10 years with great Success

True. If the salt doesn’t mix up to the parameters you want, find a different salt

I’ve been using instant ocean reef crystals for years. I can mix and pour in without worry

 

[Solo McReefer]

To eat

 

[crazyfishmom]

As others have said, when theres precipitation like you experienced, there will be a shift in parameters.

I am wondering: why are you trying to keep alkalinity at 9? You mentioned your tank being fairly young.

For younger tanks, keeping alkalinity at around 8 or so tends to be really safe. It’s a range where a little up or a little down still doesn’t really cause much damage. Just something to think about.

 

[Dom]

The sweepers from the chalice aren’t a sign of happiness. It senses a threat so it is lashing out to kill that threat.

I've see these sweepers all the time. I thought it was feeding behavior.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Many folks, including me, have had kalk overdoses that turn the tank to milk, but many times, nothing is lost. Sometimes there are loses.

 

[jayteerq]

Hey Jay, an easiest route for the future, that allows you to eliminate errors like this would be to use a salt with higher Alk from the start and try to keep your reeftank dkh value as close as possible to your salt's.. that way you can do water changes without having to worry about matching alkalinities.

Also, using something like carbon dosing to control nutrients might make more sense and be more time and cost effective depending on the size of your tank.

I’m not sure how to effectively dose carbon without a sump ):

 

[jayteerq]

Always use a salt that matches the prams you want to run, we have been Running Red Sea Blue Bucket here at Camaro Show Corals for almost 10 years with great Success

Isn’t it a stressful thing to change salts though?

 

[jayteerq]

As others have said, when theres precipitation like you experienced, there will be a shift in parameters.

I am wondering: why are you trying to keep alkalinity at 9? You mentioned your tank being fairly young.

For younger tanks, keeping alkalinity at around 8 or so tends to be really safe. It’s a range where a little up or a little down still doesn’t really cause much damage. Just something to think about.

No real reason I just figured 9 was a safe number in the middle

 

[jayteerq]

Many folks, including me, have had kalk overdoses that turn the tank to milk, but many times, nothing is lost. Sometimes there are loses.

My biggest concern is why in the world my alk dipped so much??
I’m using tropic Marin pro reef salt at 7dkh
65g tank, mixed new 20g water
Added 1.3 L of saturated kalk to the mix to get 9dkh

Then I get a major dip

 

[BristleWormHater]

I've see these sweepers all the time. I thought it was feeding behavior.

Corals use them for both. The sweepers have stinging cells to stun small prey to bring to their mouth. They can also use them to attack neighboring coral.

 

[odariel]

Hey @jayteerq , if you have a skimmer carbon dosing is perfectly doable directly on your tank even if you don't have a sump.. Something like red sea's nopox will help you control nitrates effectively (actually it eats up more nitrates than phosphates, so if you only have a problem with nitrates it will work perfectly)


Regarding changing salts, if the parameters from the new salt are closer to what you a running in your tank it will be less stressful than having a 2 point difference in alkalinity... and remember that you are doing around a 15 or 20% wc, usually no more.

 

[Reefering1]

My biggest concern is why in the world my alk dipped so much??
I’m using tropic Marin pro reef salt at 7dkh
65g tank, mixed new 20g water
Added 1.3 L of saturated kalk to the mix to get 9dkh

Then I get a major dip

You added it too fast causing a chemical reaction. crystals forming pulling the alk/calcium out. That cloudiness is the drop.

 

[jayteerq]

You added it too fast causing a chemical reaction. crystals forming pulling the alk/calcium out. That cloudiness is the drop.

Ahhhhh ok thank you for the clarification! Never again!

 

[jayteerq]

Hey @jayteerq , if you have a skimmer carbon dosing is perfectly doable directly on your tank even if you don't have a sump.. Something like red sea's nopox will help you control nitrates effectively (actually it eats up more nitrates than phosphates, so if you only have a problem with nitrates it will work perfectly)


Regarding changing salts, if the parameters from the new salt are closer to what you a running in your tank it will be less stressful than having a 2 point difference in alkalinity... and remember that you are doing around a 15 or 20% wc, usually no more.

So if I wanted to change salts, closer to something within my current parameters, I could just get the tank close to the new salt and slowly merge over with 20% WC’s?

 

[bubbgee]

I’m not sure how to effectively dose carbon without a sump ):

All i needed was a doser i can control easily like a Neptune Dos. I never needed a sump. But you do need a protein skimmer that will fit the back chamber of the AIO.

 

[bubbgee]

Hey @jayteerq , if you have a skimmer carbon dosing is perfectly doable directly on your tank even if you don't have a sump.. Something like red sea's nopox will help you control nitrates effectively (actually it eats up more nitrates than phosphates, so if you only have a problem with nitrates it will work perfectly)


Regarding changing salts, if the parameters from the new salt are closer to what you a running in your tank it will be less stressful than having a 2 point difference in alkalinity... and remember that you are doing around a 15 or 20% wc, usually no more.

This, but read the instructions that you do need a protein skimmer to make the dosing effective.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

My biggest concern is why in the world my alk dipped so much??
I’m using tropic Marin pro reef salt at 7dkh
65g tank, mixed new 20g water
Added 1.3 L of saturated kalk to the mix to get 9dkh

Then I get a major dip

Yes, that’s expected in a precipitation event.

 

[formallydehyde]

Isn’t it a stressful thing to change salts though?

It's not nearly as stressful as wild high pH/alkalinity changes. The animals in your tank generally won't notice a change between salt mixes unless there's major differences in the concentrations of major elements (should be on the label) or pH/alkalinity, with the exception contaminants from poor manufacturing like heavy metals, but I think significant heavy metal contamination in salt mixes is a lot rarer nowadays.

On the broad scale, different salt mixes between brands (and within brands) only vary between each other on the alkalinity/pH, the concentrations of calcium/magnesium and whether or not they add small amounts of organic chemicals to help with detoxifying tap water for those that don't have purified water (usually those organic chemicals are just heavy metal binders like EDTA and a reducing agent like ascorbic acid that eliminates chlorine).