Ay Carumba! 5.1dkh!

[slapshot]

Tom, first things first. You need to determine your 24 hour usage. Measure your alk today. Don't add anything. Measure it again 24 hours from when you measured it. Then dose until you get it up to where it was at today's measurement. Measure carefully how much you add. That is then your normal dosage. Then dose that plus a little more until it comes up to where you want it. Then dose the 24 hour amount.

If you are going to switch to soda ash for dosing (baking soda baked) you should start on that now. The key to dosing is consistency of the mix. I suggest you go to Kroger and invest $15.00 in a digital food scale. It makes mixing consistently a breeze.

[Tom Toro]

Tom, first things first. You need to determine your 24 hour usage. Measure your alk today. Don't add anything. Measure it again 24 hours from when you measured it. Then dose until you get it up to where it was at today's measurement. Measure carefully how much you add. That is then your normal dosage. Then dose that plus a little more until it comes up to where you want it. Then dose the 24 hour amount.

If you are going to switch to soda ash for dosing (baking soda baked) you should start on that now. The key to dosing is consistency of the mix. I suggest you go to Kroger and invest $15.00 in a digital food scale. It makes mixing consistently a breeze.

Don, I know you're right on this, but I'm making headway if my coral health (poly extension is great, colors are great and tissue is filling in on dying corals) is an indication. I should've done what you said at the beginning, but I'm not sure how to do that and don't want to screw things up now. I understand the test and leave it for 24hrs, test again. But not sure how to add alk part to get it back up to the number it was the day before? It took me a long time to get from 5.1 to 6.1, pouring first 40, then 50 and now 60ml. Should I wait until I get to the 8dkh and then do this exercise?

In the same vein, it's time to do another water change/bryopsis remova/cheato harvest. Should I do my regular maintenance or leave it alone until I get to the 8dkh?