precipitation!

shikhyung · #1 12/02/2007, 03:05 PM

Hello, I have servere precipitated due to 2 parts diy. This is my 4 batchs, I have no problem before( been used for 2 years). Here are a few new changes:

1-bought bulk bag of Baking soda (5lbs orange bags, said for food, cleaning)
2-bought High Purity Calcium Chloride from two part solution
3-I/O salt.
Here are some affected to the tank that I noticed.

a-Mag goes up 1425, before in the range of 1350-1380.
b-Precipitated ( white spots) all over the rocks, and wall.
c- Cal goes up to 420, used to be 380- 400.
d-Akl stays in the range 2.75-2.9

Tank is 110G total volume, pH 8-8.2. BTW, I also added skimer ASG2.

What should I do? Thanks, Shin.

bertoni · #2 12/02/2007, 04:39 PM

I'd back off on the magnesium part for a while, and probably likewise with the calcium. Is recipe 1 being used, or recipe 2?

shikhyung · #3 12/02/2007, 06:57 PM

Yes it is the receipe 1. I am not dosing any magnesium. and I dose BBS and Cal everyday. same amount....If I stop cal, should I stop BBS too? Thanks, Shin.

Boomer · #4 12/03/2007, 01:01 AM

Stop all and monitor it over the next 2 days to see what happens.

There is something wrong with that Mg++ reading. There is some kind of testing error. What you claim can't happen, based on what you are telling us you are adding.

Which is it ?

BS = Baking Soda

BBS = Baked Baking Soda.

Who's BS in a orange bag ?

Now if you are adding BBS that maybe your issue. When it is added to water there is a very high increase in the pH in that area, same for Alk. Now, if you are adding the Ca++ at the same time in the same area you will/can get CaCO3 or Mg(OH)2 precip, which is what you got. Now if you were using actual BS this is less likely to happen.

shikhyung · #5 12/03/2007, 11:28 AM

It's true that I did not add anything beside DIY 2 parts, and with some change above. The Oragne bag 5 lbs from Arm and Harmer said Pure BS for cooking, and cleaning....Test kits are Salifert, all new. Here is the history.... dosing everyday 62ml for each part.
I added in the sum where is the return pump input and 20 minutes apart. I used to do BBS at night and Cal part in the morning, but keep forgot...

10/6/2007 405.00 1305.00 2.57
410.00 1305.00 3.03 same day, added more BBS
10/21/2007 425.00 1350.00 2.74 8.00
10/28/2007 425.00 1380.00 2.86 8.00
11/19/2007 420.00 1380.00 2.57 8.20
12/2/2007 425.00 1425.00 2.97 8.00

Thanks, Shin.

Boomer · #6 12/03/2007, 12:03 PM

Well, that 1425 must be a testing error. The rest looks good over the time tested. Based on what you have said, you should not get any precip with those levels. But it is not the first time I have heard or even seen this happen with no reasonable explanation.

shikhyung · #7 12/03/2007, 03:25 PM

Mag reading could be an error. This precipitation has been for a while, will this related to :
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...readid=1246645

Thanks, Shin.

bertoni · #8 12/03/2007, 03:29 PM

I don't know about that bag of salt. There might be a problem, but I don't think the calcium carbonate precipitation should be linked to this problem.

shikhyung · #9 12/03/2007, 11:05 PM

OK, thanks. I have not dose anything since last Sun. Let see what is the reading on day 5. Here is the pic how the rock looks like. Shin.

bertoni · #10 12/03/2007, 11:49 PM

Those spots don't look like precipitation to me. Maybe an animal is eating some of the coralline. Hard to say.

Boomer · #11 12/04/2007, 01:23 AM

Jon, I think you are right

shikhyung · #12 12/04/2007, 10:57 AM

Oh my god! What could it be, any hinge? good, bad, take any action. This starts from the left side of the tank and spread toward the right and now cover more than 4/5 of the tank.

Just for the record, I took another reading this morning after 2 days.
12/4/07 425.00 1425 2.86 7.80pH. Let see what it read on day 5th. BTW, mag measure twice today. Shin.

shikhyung · #13 12/04/2007, 11:02 AM

Couldn't be! My friend gave me a mushroom that he frag, that piece of rock doesn't have the coralline and it also turn white. I will take pic tonight.
Also rocks in the sum don't show these white spots....Mystery!!!

shin.

Boomer · #14 12/04/2007, 11:20 AM

Shin, precips's don't grow like that. Although we may be wrong, in that some fish is doing it, it still maybe something else growing, as in a life form. Try for a close up macro, well focused.

capn_hylinur · #15 12/04/2007, 02:27 PM

have you got an sea urchin in there?

I'm not sure but I think some cowries can also eat corraline??

shikhyung · #16 12/05/2007, 12:36 AM

I only have a tang, clown and golby...
Just a few more pics, untill I can find a pro, this is my best shot..:-)
First pic is the rock from the mushroom (fly somewhere), has nothing, now cover with purple and white. Must be some kind of desease...If there is any animal, must be a lots to make my rocks turn out this quickly... Shin.

Boomer · #17 12/05/2007, 11:03 AM

That looks like bleached iut coralline.

oct2274 · #18 12/05/2007, 01:54 PM

that is just bleached coraline algae. Is the rock in a tank where it is getting alot more light then where it was originally? mine did the same thing. Certain types of coraline don't like intense light.

sjonathan · #19 12/05/2007, 06:41 PM

it looks like asterina starfish on your rocks..mine likes to eat caroline algea and makes those white spots. i maybe wrong.

shikhyung · #20 12/06/2007, 12:17 AM

so far 2 things are right.
I just changed light bulbs couples months ago, and yet, that rock used to be in a low light from a friend tank.
I have whole bunch of asterina starfish in the tank...

OK, what is the solution....

bertoni · #21 12/06/2007, 01:11 AM

Well, the bleached coralline will recover on its own, if the conditions are favorable. The munching problem will require catching an animal in the act. Asterinid stars might be doing the damage, might not. Maybe try watching at night?

shikhyung · #22 12/06/2007, 10:32 PM

OK, I will watching see if I can catch anything,,, meanwhile, here is the reading after 4.5 days.

12/2/2007 425.00 1425.00 2.97 8.00
12/6/2007 390.00 1410.00 2.46 8.2 pH(light on)
Does it mean my system is not balance?

bertoni · #23 12/06/2007, 10:54 PM

Those numbers all seem fairly reasonable, assuming the second to last column is alkalinity, in meq/L, and I've guess correctly as to the other columns.

shikhyung · #24 12/07/2007, 12:21 AM

Yes, it is. I guess back to dosing 2 part again. But I have one more question. Base on the numbers above, the tank comsume 7.8ppm ca and .09meq/L a day, equal to 78ml cal and 19 ml Akl Randy receipe1. But the formular said dosing 2 part equaly, what amount should I dose, 19ml, or 78ml both part?

bertoni · #25 12/07/2007, 01:44 AM

I would dose based on the alkalinity result. There's enough noise in the calcium test kits that the consumption rate won't be clear until you've got a lot of data points. There's noise in the alkalinity results, too.