thanks for the info guys... I dont want to damage my tank inhabitants by adding Kalk for the wrong reasons... Im curious about the Randy Holmes Farley's recipe... where would i find that.... my Alk is about 4.0 and my starts at 8.01 and peaks about 8 hours later to 2.3... I was using the b- ionic but doesnt seam to do anything... I tested my calcium with the salifert calcium and got a reading of 2.25.. Its really bumming me out... I know i should get a calcium reactor, but cant afford it right now... can somebody point me in the right direction with this Randy Holmes Farley's recipe thing??? -Thomas

Ph starts at 8.01 and peaks about 8 hours later to 2.3

Well....Here's (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/april2004/chem.htm) his recipe and a great article as well!

But, I don't understand your pH values. ???? it peaks 8 hours later at 2.3??? and it peaks after what? after you've added something?

Your Alk is way too low. I would suggest striving to get up to 11 or do. Provided your Ca is at the level that you would like, you can increase just your alkalinity by adding baking soda to the tank, 1tsp at a time over several hours. Keep testing the values in order to make sure that you're not over-shooting

So...your Calcium levels...2.25??? That's a strange number. I also use the Salifert test kit - you should be reading numbers like 800ppm or 1300pm or something like that. Can you re-check?

You don't need to have a calcium reactor in order to run a reef tank. Randy's recipe is basically the same thing as the Balling Method, which is what I have used for the past two years. If you feel intimidated by making up the solutions yourself, you can also just buy CaCl from somewhere like Tropic Marin and dose that along with baking soda (not at the same time). This works as well.

And check out Rob's vidcast on Kalkwasser. He's made a video of a very simple way to dose your own Kalkwasser, which is also quite inexpensive. This is a great way to maintain proper Calcium and Alkalinity levels in your tank.

Are you testing ALK in meq/L?

Thanks guys for replying-- I guess i must have been confused... The guy at the LFS told my that my alk should be around 4.0 to 5.0... Is this not correct? What is the proper Alk level for a reef tank? Also, My Ph is around 8.1 to 7.9 in the morning when I get up... As the day goes on... It raises to 8.25... In the morning I have been adding Seachem reef buffer which gives it a kick start...I then add my calcium... However- I have been intentionally keeping my alk at 5.0...

Calcium 380-450 ppm
Alkalinity 2.5-4 meq/L, 7-11 dKH, 125-200 ppm
CaCO3 equivalents 2.5 meq/L, 7 dKH
Salinity 35 ppt , sg = 1.026
Temperature 76-83° F Variable
pH 7.8-8.5 OK , 8.1-8.3 is better
Magnesium 1250-1350 ppm
Phosphate < 0.03 ppm
Ammonia <0.1 ppm

If you can get your alkalinity up a bit, it will help you stabilize the variability in your pH levels. Your alkalinity acts as a "buffer" against pH changes, so this will add to the overall stability of your tank parameters.

Can you go over your values again with us? What are you units of alkalinity? What's your Ca2+ levels?

whilst its wise to notice the PH vaules, resist the temptation to fixate on it! its going to swing to some degree regardless of how much you try to control it or worst still chase it!.
i'd concentrate more on maintaining your Ca & Alk levels.
raising of the Alk and Ca levels in your tank mean your adding more calcium & bicarbonate ions into solution. hense in simple terms the more "bricks and mortor" you provide to be readily available for your corals, the more stable your tank becomes, and as a result build quicker! Ph does have a relationship here, id try to think of it more like a warm butter knife, to hot or to cold and the butter block gets hammered, at the right levels your PH allows the butter to be spread without affecting the bread! weird analogy i know!
this balanced equalibrium within the tank doesn;t last long, so keeping one step ahead of the game is the best way to play it!

dose in which-ever means tickles your fancy, making it a daily event is the key to success for the pillars of stability!
even though you have abit of choice at this stage, id throw a white flag in now and say your 2 & 3 part additives and buffers can only take you so far before its no longer keeping your levels stable at viable affordable levels, at which point the relative cheapness of kalkwasser might seem the next logical step!

any questions refer them to the next person, lol, just kidden!
post away when you test your levels again!