Raising Calcium and Alkalinity issues, is it my RODI water ph? I feel like I've tried everything!

polyps707 · Feb 20, 2017

My ATO waters ph is 5.1, I calibrated my BRS ph lab prob and tested the ATO fresh water. My question shouldn't the ATO water be 7 ph neutral? RODI is a spectra pure 5 stage, 1 RO membrane, 1micron sediment filter, carbon, DI, and silica buster. TDS reads 0 tested with three different TDS meters.
Does this water drop my ph of my aquarium? I'm still having a hard time raising my alkalinity and calcium. Thanks

110 gal & 40 gal breeder frag tank both connected to 40 gallon breeder sump with skimmer, bio pellets 2 cups, GFO 1.25 cups, high capacity activated carbon1.25 cups all in canisters.

polyps707 · Feb 20, 2017

Magnesium is 1380 salifert
Alk 7.4 salifert& Hanna
Cal is 430 Hanna & salifert
Potassium is 380 salifert
Nitrate .5 ppm Red Sea & Nyos
Phosphate 15ppb not converted Hanna phosphorus

BRS doser 1.1 ml for BRS soda ash and calcium chloride recipes. They are dosed at night one hour apart from one another when ph drops. 6 minutes each x 2 for total of 24 ml, I measured the liquid for 12 minutes and the doser's were dosing at 1.9 ml @ minute.

Livestock 20 acropora sp frags, 30 soft frags on plugs.
Fish- bat fish (small right now:/ ), 10 other medium sized fish.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Feb 20, 2017

No, the pH of RO/DI water will not be 7 in contact with air (the CO2 in the air enters the water and it lowers the pH) and your meter cannot correctly read the pH anyway.

So do not bother measuring the pH of your top off water. It has no effect on the tank pH if it is RO/DI water, regardless of what you measure it to be.

Your alk and calcium seem fine. Why do you say you are having a hard time with it?

polyps707 · Feb 20, 2017

My alkalinity about 5 months ago was at 10 dkh that was the only time I noticed excellent growth so I was hoping to shoot for that again, but since then it's been getting harder and harder to raise it, I'm newer to the dosing methods so I'm still learning how to slowly add these, before I relied on water changes but I REALLY would like to learn dosing methods.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Feb 20, 2017

What size is your tank?

polyps707 · Feb 20, 2017

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
What size is your tank?

By volume about 135 gallons. 110 gallon with 40 gallon breeder frag tank, both connected to a 40 gallon diy sump. I've read you should subtract 20% for decorations.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Feb 20, 2017

Using this calculator:

http://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chem_calc3.html

I can calculate that you are dosing about 0.25 dKH per day. That is very low.

Just dose more and more each day until it slowly creeps up to where you want it.

polyps707 · Feb 20, 2017

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
Using this calculator:

http://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chem_calc3.html

I can calculate that you are dosing about 0.25 dKH per day. That is very low.

Just dose more and more each day until it slowly creeps up to where you want it.

Thanks Randy is your #1 part 2 recipe the same as BRS soda ash recipe? What would be the maximum dose of alkalinity you would dose at a given time? How long should I wait inbetween doses? I've read a lot of info on this and I just can't seem to get it right, I've had to take apart plumbing because of bad precipitation, I made a lot of aragonite thanks for what you do randy I really appreciate it!