How Could This Be? (Calcium)

[lotsofgallons]

this is regarding recent calcium and alk readings in my 200g soft reef tank..

i started the tank in december with established live rock and de-chlorinated tap water and instant ocean salt.

since then i have added more established live rock, and have successfully kept all of my corals alive since day one.

i have never dosed calcium in my tank, or kalkwasser in my top-offs, which are everyday with de-chlorinated tap water.

i just tested my cal/alk parameters and the calcium read 460 and alk was in ideal range. being fairly new to reef keeping im not too familiar with calcium and how it gets in the tank (without actually dosing it), or how it maintains itself in a closed system.

is 460 a normal reading for calcium based on all of the above info?
again, all of my corals are thriving, including 3 large heads of frogspawn, xenia multiplying by the day, various types and colonies of zoanthids, lots of different shrooms, orange ricordia, and a healthy colony of green star polyps

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h36/ikon_photos/200%20Gallon%20Cube%20Reef/DSCF0002-2.jpg

[FLReefGirl]

Looks good. :)
You're replenishing it w/ your regular water changes.

Ideal calcium is 400-450. 460 is not too far off range IMO.

[marie]

You don't have a lot of calcium demanding corals so you are managing to keep up just with water changes.

If you check your make up water you will probably find the readings are similar to what's in your tank :D


*edit* your tap water that you use to top up your tank may have a fair bit of calcium in it too

[lotsofgallons]

thanks!

i knew that 460 was good, but i figured that it would be below 400 since i have never dosed it. i just dont understand how it has stayed so high, but i guess its from water changes.

[drummereef]

Looks great, but knowledge is the key to success and longevity in reefing. You said you wanted some reading material on the subject. Well..... ;)

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=102605

[Frick-n-Frags]

IO isn't known to be high in Ca, so it is coming from somewhere.
I know florida's aquifer is basically a limestone matrix so that sounds reasonable.

just think if you had a well by where some cypress swamp action is (making acid water), you would have mother nature's calcium reactor for a water supply :D (or not :D)

Also, you might want to have your water doublechecked by another test kit since this does sound just as fishy as it does reasonable.


heh, I have a Q for the chemistry forum now that this thread got me thinking........