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View Full Version : Calcium has creeped up!!


Mooch18
01/29/2007, 09:04 PM
Oh boy,

So i have been dosing Kalkwasser for the last week and a half at 2 teaspoons per gallon nightly. My PH has not risen much, and has been steady at 8.1-8.3

My KH has been steady at 9-10 and is at 9 as of today.

Calcium before adding Kalk was at 380, or so i thought. I was using a seachem test kit at the time. Well today i picked up a salifert calcium test kit, and it is showing 550 ppm calcium!! I confirmed the kit is working accurately by testing my make up water which is around 420 ppm.

This is obviously too high, and im wondering what i should do or do anything at all. I did a water change today of about 15%, but it's still high.

Im guessing my lack of calcium needs is what caused it, that and ofcourse over dosing of Kalk which i have stopped. The system is 100 gallons with a 30 gallon sump, 230 lbs of live rock, but only two small mushrooms and a hammer head coral.

Any suggestions or advice would be more then welcome.

chaseracing
01/29/2007, 09:24 PM
I beleive high calcium will cause strontium and magnesium to decrease significantly and mess up the carbonate alkalinity which in turn can screw up pH.

I recently had this issue also and my mushrooms looked as if they were melting. (The were all back to normal the next day after a water change).

-=E=-

bertoni
01/30/2007, 02:56 AM
That calcium level doesn't seem high enough to cause trouble. You should be able to stop the limewater supplementation and add only alkalinity for a while to let the calcium drop on its own. Baking soda is a good way to supplement alkalinity in this situation. Just dissolve in fresh water and dose. This calculator will help pick a dose:

http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chem_calc3.html

Randy Holmes-Farley
01/30/2007, 08:48 AM
Limewater is unlikely to boost calcium that much, except over a long period.

What salt mix are you using? Some have excessive calcium in them, and so water changes with them will boost calcium. I know you say the one reading was OK, but perhaps it is not reflective of what you have been using.

Im guessing my lack of calcium needs is what caused it, that and ofcourse over dosing of Kalk which i have stopped.

Not in a short time period. For calcium to rise by 100 ppm, alkalinity would have to rise by 5 meq/L (14 dKH. So in a short time, limewater cannot cause a calcium rise like that.

In a long time periods it can, for various more complicated reasons relating to magnesium getting into calcium carbonate crystals in place of calcium, or to nitrate levels rising substantially.

Mooch18
01/30/2007, 12:22 PM
Hey Randy,

I have been using Seachem reef salt. Now i tested the salt today, a few times and got readings of 280 ppm consistently. I believe this is because i got a bucket with a crack in the lid when i purchased it months ago. The mositure has probably been getting in, and reducing the calcium and trace elements. the last time i checked the calcium for the bucket it was around 350 ppm. This was 6-8 weeks ago, when i did my last water change. Even 350 is low since the reef salt is supposed to be at a steady 400-450 ppm. Mag was also a little low the last time i checked.

As for the Kalk, i didnt think it was possible to raise calcium so much in a short period of time dosing, but i wasent sure so i thought i would ask. I haven't used a salifert test kit all along, so maybe my older test kits were giving me false readings for calcium. I was getting lower a month ago around 380, where i added kent turbo to raise calcium levels. It has been consistent at 550 for a week though according to salifert. I get the feeling false test were allowing me to creep up the calcium.

One other thing i have been reading up regarding the Seachem salt. I have heard it has more borat then other brands. Will this disrupt my KH and Alk test kits from testing properly?? I was using Aquairum Pharm KH test kits, and Seachem Alk and PH test kits to test. I Know seachem use to have a specific borat Alk test kit, and maybe that is what i need since their salt has more borat. am i wrong??

Im just confused with the salt and if i can use regular Alk and KH test kits to check thos parameters.

Randy Holmes-Farley
01/30/2007, 01:51 PM
I don't think that there is any way that moisture could drive the calcium down to 280 ppm, so if it reads that low, it may be due to inhomogeneity in the bucket, a faulty test kit, or a bad batch.


I have heard it has more borat then other brands. Will this disrupt my KH and Alk test kits from testing properly??

While the new Seachem salt is enough lower in borate than the old one to not cause a big problem with calcium or alkalinity, it still is not my favorite. A regular alkalinity kit will work fine. Their borate test kit is not reliable, IMO:


The Seachem Borate Alkalinity Test Kit
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/june2003/chem.htm