Will KH buffer and calcium additives increase the

[lyz77]

I was shock when I reach home this evening when I look at my Aquatronica controller! My tank salinity was abt 1.031m/l. :shocked:

I was dosing KH and calcium yesterday evening and when I chk my tank paramter this morning, eveything seems ok! Other then water evaporation which is unlikely for the drastic change, what else could be the cause of it?

PH Reading

Redox Reading

Density Reading

Temperature

[loster]

when you dose ca, you got to look out for your sg. it will increase a little

[madmac]

I was shock when I reach home this evening when I look at my Aquatronica controller! My tank salinity was abt 1.031m/l.  :shocked:

.... Did you know what you just dosed? Ca alone won't raise your SG.

If it is Calcium Chloride + Sodium Carbonate, then resulting equation comes about :=

Calcium Carbonate + Sodium Chloride (common salt)

It really helps if you know what the additives are made up of before you dose... boy you must have dose quite alot for SG to spike up so much. What are you doing now about it?

[lyz77]

.... Did you know what you just dosed? Ca alone won't raise your SG.

If it is Calcium Chloride + Sodium Carbonate, then resulting equation comes about :=

Calcium Carbonate + Sodium Chloride (common salt)

It really helps if you know what the additives are made up of before you dose... boy you must have dose quite alot for SG to spike up so much. What are you doing now about it?

Remove the water from sump and top up with new DI water! Already reduce to 1.025g/l! This morning was ok and the oni time I dose is yesterday evening ard 9pm! That means this happen between 7am to 7.30pm today!

Does it mean that I shd avoid dosing KH and calcium at the same time? I'm using Salifert KH buffer and Tropic-Marin Ca!

[jervismun]

Emm... if I am not wrong... you are not suppose to dose both KH and Ca on the same day... they sorta neutralize each other... best is to allow 24 hour apart

[hammy]

Emm... if I am not wrong... you are not suppose to dose both KH and Ca on the same day... they sorta neutralize each other... best is to allow 24 hour apart

ya. sort of like precipitate out.

dose one reef builder and calcium on alternate day

[madmac]

Does it mean that I shd avoid dosing KH and calcium at the same time? I'm using Salifert KH buffer and Tropic-Marin Ca!

You can, but not at the same instant. Its very hard to test the SG effect until after maybe 30 mins or so.

[madmac]

ya. sort of like precipitate out.

dose one reef builder and calcium on alternate day

Nooo they won't precipipate, not if there's any decent amt of Mg in the water.

[hammy]

Nooo they won't precipipate, not if there's any decent amt of Mg in the water.

something like that on the instruction:Excess alkalinity may enhance the loss of calcium,magnesium and strontium. do not directly mix with any calcium, magnesium or strotium supplement.best if added on alternate days or at least 30 mins apart

[subxero]

something like that on the instruction:Excess alkalinity may enhance the loss of calcium,magnesium and strontium. do not directly mix with any calcium, magnesium or strotium supplement.best if added on alternate days or at least 30 mins apart

I've read something like this before too.. Is the brand SeaChem?

What about other brands?

[madmac]

hammy, I can relate to that... they are doing their best to get everyone to play it safe... and you are right . It is always best practice to play safe, by dosing one, one day after the other.

[madmac]

I was shock when I reach home this evening when I look at my Aquatronica controller! My tank salinity was abt 1.031m/l. :shocked:

I was dosing KH and calcium yesterday evening and when I chk my tank paramter this morning, eveything seems ok! Other then water evaporation which is unlikely for the drastic change, what else could be the cause of it?

PH Reading

Redox Reading

Density Reading

Temperature

lyz77,

I was looking at the charts. Its pretty cool stuff you got there.

Are the pics there like auto exported to a computer or did you take a shot from the camera.?

I was wondering on the Redox chart, why there was the cliff drop there at somewhere after 6:00 am? and the subsequent recovery after. Can you print out for us a conductivity chart too? Is the time sync to our time and does Aquatronica allow calibration of the probes or are they pre-calibrated non-calibarted probes? Thnx

[jervismun]

Haha... bro Lyz77 I will let you answer the questions

[lyz77]

Damn.... My Salinity probe is showing 1130g/l when I reach home! After checking the graph, it happen at 9.30am this morning! I gonna monitor it for another day and if this happen again, I'm gonna seek for a replacement for the Density Module or probe!

[lyz77]

Look at the graph!

Conductivity.txt

[madmac]

Haha... bro Lyz77 I will let you answer the questions

you answer for him lah... think he in a state of shock now.

[madmac]

Damn.... My Salinity probe is showing 1130g/l when I reach home! After checking the graph, it happen at 9.30am this morning! I gonna monitor it for another day and if this happen again, I'm gonna seek for a replacement for the Density Module or probe!

Hmmm interesting... so what happens each day at around 9:00 am? does the lights come on? Its seems pretty stable for the most part of the nite... so it could be something you do... any auto dosing pumps...

What about the redox chart? showing the same occurrence?

[lyz77]

Hmmm interesting... so what happens each day at around 9:00 am? does the lights come on? Its seems pretty stable for the most part of the nite... so it could be something you do... any auto dosing pumps...

What about the redox chart? showing the same occurrence?

Nope! No dosing and light oni come on at 12.30pm! Redox seems stable!

[jervismun]

I was looking at the charts. Its pretty cool stuff you got there.

Are the pics there like auto exported to a computer or did you take a shot from the camera.?

I was wondering on the Redox chart, why there was the cliff drop there at somewhere after 6:00 am? and the subsequent recovery after. Can you print out for us a conductivity chart too? Is the time sync to our time and does Aquatronica allow calibration of the probes or are they pre-calibrated non-calibarted probes? Thnx

Ok as requested...

1. Yes the charts are damn impressive

2. He used screen shot... those colour charts/graphs are all shown on the PC monitor, Aquatronica Control Unit screen doesn't allow such resolution and doesn't display colour. You can also save/export the data in .txt format as linked by bro Lyz77 earlier.

3. Drop in Redox can be due to freshwater top-up, water change or switching off skimmer... among many other reasons. Time is sync to our local time based on the Control Unit timing. Not the time shown by your Windows clock in your PC. The Aqutronica PC program will sync time with the Control Unit... so there's no confusion.

4. Yes, all Aquatronica probes are pre-calibrated and calibration-enabled. But it is advisable to calibrate the probes right before you use the probes. All probes come with single point calibration except for the pH probe that allows dual point calibration (7.0pH and 10.0pH).

[jervismun]

Nope! No dosing and light oni come on at 12.30pm! Redox seems stable!

Yes according to your chart... something is very very wrong. You mind show a pix of your Density electrode... wonder if it is the placement, water level or nearby equipments that cause the "unbelievable" fluctuations... mine stay very very constant for more than a week now... almost a straight line.

Check if it happened again, I also suspect the USB cable you replaced. I still think you should use back the original USB cables that come with the Interfaces.

All the best!

[lyz77]

Yes according to your chart... something is very very wrong. You mind show a pix of your Density electrode... wonder if it is the placement, water level or nearby equipments that cause the "unbelievable" fluctuations... mine stay very very constant for more than a week now... almost a straight line.

Check if it happened again, I also suspect the USB cable you replaced. I still think you should use back the original USB cables that come with the Interfaces.

All the best!

I have relocated the probe and use back the original probe to counter chk but still get the same weird readings! I have send my probe for verification!