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View Full Version : Calcium 560 in LPS/Zoo Tank: Problem?


daddy2kids
05/07/2011, 07:07 AM
My calcium is now testing with Elos kit at 560-570. I this a problem? Solve casually with my usual weekly 10% changes? Solve with massive water change? Solve in some other manner?
Just now:
Calcium 570 (Elos)
Alk 3.5 mEq/L (IO)
pH 8.2 (IO)
~1.0265 (hydrometer calibrated with my own refractometer; rechecked last week)

How did I get here? In short, I recently started dosing BRS calc and alk (Randy's recipe 1) and was tweaking at around 3.5 and 430 when I ran low on Instant Ocean calcium reagent. I got an Elos kit because the coarse/fine sounded simple (even I can count to 8 or 9 without losing count). First test with Elos--BOOM 560-600. Checked and re-checked. Did both coarse and fine. Dug out very old API test kit, which showed 500. So yikes, here I am.
So here I am. Obviously I have stopped dosing Calc.

Do I need to do something quickly to drive calcium down or can I just wait as it drops naturally as I do 10% weekly water changes with Reef Crystals at 1.0265?

I have zoos, palys, favia, open brain, and acan lords. Zoos are thriving and showing good color. Favias are growing (spots are splitting like crazy since I started dosing alk). Open brain has never looked beefier and eats great. I just lost an acan, but the one right next to it (4" away) is open and puffy and eats great. I think my tang had taken to picking at the one. It sort of melted, leaving one polyp at each end.

Randy Holmes-Farley
05/07/2011, 08:48 AM
The calcium is not a problem. Just don't add any more yet. :)

daddy2kids
05/07/2011, 02:37 PM
Thank you, Randy!

I was being SO careful as I tweaked my Alk and Calc, not knowing that my old test kit had me "tweaking" my Calcium about a hundred ppm too high!

Randy Holmes-Farley
05/07/2011, 05:29 PM
:thumbsup:

Happy reefing. :)