Neptune Aquatics

Ratio of two part consumption?

gmdcdvm

gmdcdvm

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Hello,
Just curious…for those of you who use B-Ionic two part (or other two part) what is your ratio of Alk to Ca consumption? Currently I am at Kh-30ml/day and Ca-45ml/day to maintain my Alk at 8.2 and Ca at 420. Just wondering how this compares. Mixed reef: SPS, LPS, and a few zoas.

Gerry
 
gmdcdvm said:
Hello,
Just curious…for those of you who use B-Ionic two part (or other two part) what is your ratio of Alk to Ca consumption? Currently I am at Kh-30ml/day and Ca-45ml/day to maintain my Alk at 8.2 and Ca at 420. Just wondering how this compares. Mixed reef: SPS, LPS, and a few zoas.

Gerry
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I use two part and always dose the same quantity of each. I adjust the dosage based on Alk testing. I test Ca far less frequently but it’s never out of range. I’m under the impression that two part solutions are “balanced” so theoretically it should always be 1:1.
 
PizzaOven said:
I use two part and always dose the same quantity of each. I adjust the dosage based on Alk testing. I test Ca far less frequently but it’s never out of range. I’m under the impression that two part solutions are “balanced” so theoretically it should always be 1:1.
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That’s what I was wondering. My consumption is clearly not a 1:1. Just wondering what may be causing that. It has been this way for a while. I switched from all for reef because I could keep my parameters within range. Ca consumption has always been higher than Alk. Switched to two part so I could dial it in better.

I added a clam back in December with the group buy, but I was having this issue beforehand. And I haven’t really noticed a huge increase in Ca consumption since I got the clam. I made twitch to two part about 6-7 months ago.
 
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What's interesting though is that you have an excess Ca demand, whereas the article primarily describes reasons for excess Alkalnity demand. I guess water changes with higher Alk and lower Ca might skew your demand towards Ca? Are you using a high dKH salt mix?
 
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I get my water at Cali Kids. I think he uses the Red Sea blue bucket (or purple)? I’m color blind. Looms blue to me.
Salt type is a good thought.
 
The bottom line of the article for me was that you most likely do not actually know if the consumption is higher or lower. A lower strontium could lead to a higher CA demand than ‘average’, or as @PizzaOven stated, if Red Sea Pro with 12 dkh is being used, then you are adding more alk with water change than you with two part dosing. Or if the salt that is being used has less CA in it than the average salt. When was the last time you did an ICP? I would be curious if your strontium is dispropotionately low? Otherwise, there is little relevance in knowing the reason as the consumption itself is probably balanced (in totality).
 
Alexander1312 said:
The bottom line of the article for me was that you most likely do not actually know if the consumption is higher or lower. A lower strontium could lead to a higher CA demand than ‘average’, or as @PizzaOven stated, if Red Sea Pro with 12 dkh is being used, then you are adding more alk with water change than you with two part dosing. Or if the salt that is being used has less CA in it than the average salt. When was the last time you did an ICP? I would be curious if your strontium is dispropotionately low? Otherwise, there is little relevance in knowing the reason as the consumption itself is probably balanced (in totality).
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Agree, if it's coral pro, that has much higher alkalinity. What's your Mg look like? That could also affect Ca levels.
 
gmdcdvm said:
Been meaning to do an ICP. Guess it’s time. Hahaha
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Just for the record, you might not get great insight into this specific topic with the ICP result. It is mainly for my curiosity if a very low SR value can trigger a higher CA consumption (since both can be used to some extent interchangeably). But, since SR is typically around 8 mg/l and CA around 420-440 mg/l, a deficiency in SR should not be truly observable. I like @Darkxerox question better, as both a too high and too low amount of MG can lead to unstable CA parameters.
 
For me I use instant ocean salt not reef crystals and I do equal parts of esp b ionic… about 95 ml a day ( I know this is getting expensive…) my Mag only slowly goes down but I like to keep it at 1340-1350 alk at 7.5 and cal at 480 I guess I could add more alk but it would be too much work and I just let my cal run a little high but stable. Pic of my 100g for reference.
IMG_2771.jpeg
 
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