Please help with kH and Calcium problem!

[timnnell]

Tested my H2O yesterday and my kH-286.4 Cal.-600!! :eek1: Holy crap. What should I do. Just did a 10% H2O change the day before and did nothing. I'm using RO H2O. Should I hook a DI filter up too. Or is there something to do to remove them...? though I hate putting chemicals in my tank.

[timnnell]

Weird thing is all the corals seem fine. Except one of my monti's. It's not real bad at all just don't want it to get there.

[njdevilsfan]

dont do anything
go to a lfs and have a second test done
im betting your test might be off

[timnnell]

I work @ the LFS and have done several tests using API test kits, that's all we have. These seem to be acurate for everyone's H2O, but mine's crazy high. I do tons of H2O tests every day. Even pulled a new one off the shelf and tried it. Still high. And I haven't dosed for either in months. I figured the SPS's would eventually bring them down but I don't want to loose any in the process. All the others are doing great. A stag acro, pocillopora, hydnophora, and 2 monti. digitatas. Just the one monti., not sure of the exact name, is looking a little bad. And of course my favorite one. And I figure this could be the only problem. All other H2O perameters are all perfect.
PH-8.2
Ammonia-0
Nitrate-0
Nitrite-0
Salinity-1.026
Phosphate-.25

[kau_cinta_ku]

phosphate-.25 that is actually very high for corals. and am guessing that is where your prob. is at.

[bertoni]

Just stop dosing calcium and alkalinity (which includes any pH buffers). The levels should drop on their own. This article might help:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm

[Icefire]

High Calcium is not bad, Coralife have near 600ppm in it.
Calcium doesn't drop fast, so follow your alk and adjust it when needed, but let the calcium drop

[timnnell]

I haven't dosed anything in a couple months. Been testing weekly and still no noticable change. The phosphates have been comming down pretty fast since I added caulerpa to my fuge. And why would it only be affecting just this coral? Here's some pics...
Here it is a few days ago. Still looking good.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/514/189056montipora__purple1.jpg

Here it is today. Notice the bleaching of the tips?

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/189056monti_not_so_good.JPG

[timnnell]

Here's a couple of the other sps I have. Pics all taken same day. All been in the tank about the same time (only a week or 2).

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/514/189056stag_acro2.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/189056pocillopora_050908.jpg

The left side of the pocillopora has been that way since I got it. I actually think it's getting a little better. It's actually a smaller frag I combined with the newest one I got from a local reefer. So it could still be a little ****ed from the fragging. I just did it a couple days ago. But I don't see this being a problem. Expecially compaired to my monti.

[rbursek]

White on the tips and edges of SPS's is new growth, they look fine.

[Icefire]

which test kit do you use?

[timnnell]

API :( It's the best 1s we have at work. But it does seem consistently acurate with everyone else's H2O I test everyday, and I average about 10 a day. Everything from semi pro reefers to amature goldfish tank keepers. And the test show accordingly. However the C and the kH don't get tested on the one's that don't need it. But I have tested some of the reefers and there's is good. Mine's high, high. Have noticed that the kH has went down ever so slightly."Only" took 16 drops to change color as opposed to the 18 it took last week. :) And rbursek I hope that you're right. To me it looks like the color is receeding, not just getting white tips added (I photograph them almost everyday.) Or maybe it's just cause this thing is new. I've had a couple of montiporas in the past. One that I got from GARF was about dead on arrival, and that thing took off like a weed and grew as big as my head in like 6 months! Not to sure just which kind it was. Looked alot like the purple one shown above, but made "staggered shelfs" all around it. It was a light tan color and also had a white lip around it. This purple one looks very similar to the one I previously had and I thought it should do well also. Does anyone know the type of monti this is? Sorry again about the lack of pics or I'd ask the same about the old tan one.

[Pedro Borges]

It seems your carbonates are low to your calcium. Try adding a solution of Sodium bicarbonate to increase the KH, this will also lower your Ca levels but since they're high there shouldn't be a problem.