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View Full Version : High Ca - Help please


adirondack
10/17/2009, 09:11 AM
I have a 72 gal bow, set up for 9 weeks. I posted here 4 weeks ago about high (520 +) calcium, most people said wait awhile longer or that the test kit was bad. I was using an API Ca test kit, which showed 520 + Ca (needed 40 drops to get color change, 29 drops is 520). The API kit showed appropriate Ca for newly mixed Reef Crystals, so I didn't think the kit was bad. So I have waited, and recently purchased a Seachem Ca kit. Current readings are:

SG - 1.026
pH - My pH meter is broken, it has been running 8.0 - 8.3 over the last few weeks. pH test strips, which I realize aren't pinpoint accurate, do show over 8.0 right now.
Temp - 78
Ca - 500 + (with new Seachem test kit) I needed 1.4 ml for color change,
1 ml = 500 ppm.
Mg - 1470
Alk - 2.51 meq/l
Phos- 0

I have 7 small fish, 25 small inverts (snails, crabs, 1 shrimp), 8 or 10 small coral - botton polyps, torch, frogspawn, orange cap monti, Ora birds nest, ricordia, couple of mushrooms.

Water change 10 % weekly. Only supplements I add are sodium carbonate for alk, magnesium sulfate for Mg when it was low, I haven't had to add any lately. I add no calcium supplements whatsoever.

So, I don't particularly care that the Ca is high, but should I care, is that normal, what would I do about it anyway?

bertoni
10/17/2009, 10:58 AM
That level of Ca isn't enough to cause problems, in general. I wouldn't worry. What is the calcium level in freshly-mixed water?

adirondack
10/17/2009, 03:00 PM
When I checked fresh mixed reef crystals with API kit when I originally stated this problem I got 420 Ca. I will recheck with the Seachem kit.

bertoni
10/19/2009, 12:31 PM
Well, 420 sounds about right. 100 ppm higher is enough to make me think something's happening. Has the water source been changed? Was tapwater used at any point?