View Full Version : New reef, water not quite clear
reefsdat
07/13/2008, 02:34 PM
The water in my new reef is not quite clear, here is the question. Do not see how it is a bacteria bloom as it has been that way for 3 months. Water parameters 1.026, DKH 8, Ammonia., .0 Nitrite .0, Nitrate 6, Mag. 1350, Calcium 577. It is RO/DI water with no Calcium added. New salt water with Reef Chrystals is Calcium leval is 5.36. Could this be from that high of calcium? Where is the calcium comming from? Tested sever times with a Lamote test kit. Got a guess? Thanks, Rich
IslandCrow
07/13/2008, 03:48 PM
If you're not adding anything, I'm almost certain your calcium isn't that high. About the highest I've ever seen with Reef Crystals is 400 ppm. I'd suggest getting another test kit or having someone with a different kit test your water. As for the water, that's tough to say. What do you mean by not clear. Is it cloudy? Does it have a yellow or greenish tinge? Does it look like there's just a lot of suspended particulates? A picture may help.
reefsdat
07/13/2008, 04:45 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12939896#post12939896 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by IslandCrow
If you're not adding anything, I'm almost certain your calcium isn't that high. About the highest I've ever seen with Reef Crystals is 400 ppm. I'd suggest getting another test kit or having someone with a different kit test your water. As for the water, that's tough to say. What do you mean by not clear. Is it cloudy? Does it have a yellow or greenish tinge? Does it look like there's just a lot of suspended particulates? A picture may help.
Thanks no camera. The calcium has been tested by several and always about the same with different test kits and different people testing. No " suspended particulates, just not clear! Cloudy, not much but not clear!
IslandCrow
07/14/2008, 12:14 PM
I guess it could be the calcium precipitating, as it most likely would do at those levels, but generally it just creates deposits on surfaces. It kind of sounds like you may have a bad batch of Reef Crystals. Have you tried contacting the company. With a calcium level that high, I wonder what else is off. Your magnesium levels are also higher than I've ever seen from Reef Crystals. You may want to get an opinion from the guys in the Chemistry forum. Randy or Boomer may have some more insight.
Tswifty
07/14/2008, 12:18 PM
Your calcium level should not be that high with reef crystals. Here is the breakout by mix. I guess you could have got a bad batch, but I haven't heard of one being high in Ca before.
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11532087#post11532087 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Billybeau1
Here is a list of what I measured for the big three in a number of the salt mixes we use today. This is intended as a guideline and I, in no way, guarantee these figures. All I can say is they were all tested under the same conditions, with a number of different brand test kits, using the same methods for each test. I believe these numbers are reasonably what you can expect from these salts mixed at 35 ppt or 1.0264
A special thanks to Bertoni for putting it in nice form.
<table align=center><tr><td valign=top></td><td valign=top><p align=center style='text-align:center'>Calcium   </p></td><td valign=top><p align=center style='text-align:center'>Alkalinity   </p></td><td valign=top><p align=center style='text-align:center'>Magnesium</p></td></tr> <tr ><td valign=top ><p>Aquatic Gardens</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   430</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   8</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   1240</p></td></tr> <tr ><td valign=top ><p >CoraLife</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   560</p></td><td valign=top sp 9><p>   9</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   1380</p></td></tr> <tr><td valign=top ><p>Crystal Sea Marinemix   </p></td><td valign=top ><p>   340</p></td><td valign=top ><p >   9</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   1050</p></td></tr> <tr><td valign=top ><p>Crystal Sea Marinemix Bio-Assay   </p></td><td valign=top ><p>   340</p></td><td valign=top ><p >   9</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   1050</p></td></tr> <tr><td valign=top ><p>Instant Ocean   </p></td><td valign=top ><p>   350</p></td><td valign=top ><p >   12</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   1070</p></td></tr> <tr><td valign=top ><p>Kent   </p></td><td valign=top ><p>   540</p></td><td valign=top ><p >   11</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   1200</p></td></tr> <tr ><td valign=top ><p>Marine Environment</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   480</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   7.5</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   1450</p></td></tr> <tr ><td valign=top ><p>Oceanic</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   580</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   8.5 </p></td><td valign=top ><p>   1650</p></td></tr> <tr ><td valign=top ><p>OceanPure</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   510</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   10</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   1320</p></td></tr> <tr ><td valign=top ><p>Red Sea</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   400</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   8</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   1300</p></td></tr> <tr ><td valign=top ><p>Red Sea Coral Pro</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   490</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   7</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   1300</p></td></tr> <tr ><td valign=top ><p>Reef Crystals</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   420</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   12</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   1260</p></td></tr> <tr ><td valign=top ><p>SeaChem Marine Salt</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   500</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   10</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   1400</p></td></tr> <tr ><td valign=top ><p>SeaChem Reef Salt</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   540</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   10</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   1450</p></td></tr> <tr ><td valign=top ><p>Tropic Marin</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   375</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   10</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   1230</p></td></tr> <tr ><td valign=top ><p>Tropic Marin Pro Reef</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   450</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   8.5</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   1380</p></td></tr><tr ><td valign=top ><p>Tunze Reef Salt</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   420</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   9.5</p></td><td valign=top ><p>   1350</p></td></tr> </table>
Tswifty
07/14/2008, 12:18 PM
Also, have you tried running carbon via a phosban reactor?
sandsurfsd
07/14/2008, 10:42 PM
yeah I like seachem
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