Manual Balling FM products

[AllanGuy]

I have a new tank set up 700ltrs approx including sump for about a month , running FM Bak & Bio at this time I used Grotech salt. The problem I have had is that the new substrate has sucked all the Ca & Mg from the water and I want to get the levels somewhere sensible then eventually put my CA reactor on line. 320 Ca 1100 Mg

I have made up the 2000ml Solutions
1) 144g CaCl adding 34g Magnesium Chloride to the Calcium Mix.
2) 163.8g Sodium Bicarbonate

As per instruction on back of FM jars

How should I dose this, how much can I safely dose per day to raise the levels. The instructions now on the FM site are for LIGHT BALLING totally different to the above


Thanks

Allan

[jez]

Hi Allan
Not sure you are quite getting the message.

Ok your system is low so you need to do what we call a one off correction I would start with the magnesium making up a solution using the calculators on www.andy-hipkiss.co.uk (http://www.andy-hipkiss.co.uk) try and use sulphate and mag chloride. Get the magnesium up if there is no live stock look to raise it about 50ppm per day try and spread the dose over the day others will say faster others will say slower. If there is delicate live stock (sps etc) look to go a bit slower say 100 ppm per week spread over the week, although it sounds like a new set-up.

Once the mag is up then make up a stock solution of the calcium chloride use the one you made with mag in it and then raise the calcium up go slow if you dosh in two much then it will fall out of solution.

After that test and then a final correction on KH etc.


Hope that is a little clearer at this point in the tank development a simple correction is needed rather than a full balling method.

[AllanGuy]

Yes JEZ just doing a single correction , but obviously not wanting to just put in 20ml per day of the solutions, i will be at it for weeks and it will have cost a fortune in test kits:D Needed to know how far I can push it without risking livestock


I have only got a 4 fish in at the moment, tank is to young for anything else so will use the calculators to raise as you have said


Thanks

Allan

[AlanM]

Hi there - have you seen the article on Balling?

http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/showthread.php?t=226511

You can use the figures to calculate single hit adjustments as well.