Help with PH and Calc balancing

Ramble On Rose · #1 10/06/2004, 08:18 PM

I have been dripping limewater as a two part suppliment and it has been raising my alk a lot which is at 10.9dKH(3.89meq/L) but my calcium is stuck at 380. It has never gone higher. On top of it all my PH has been rising and now tops out at 8.8 and swings down to 8.6. Salinity(1.025) and temp (80-80) are constant. Is there something I can do to lower my PH some without raising my alk more? Is the high ph preventing my calcium from reaching a higher concentration? Thanks for any help.

Ramble On Rose · #2 10/06/2004, 10:12 PM

did some more digging and found a great article by randy suggesting adding vinigar so i am going to give that a try.

Randy Holmes-Farley · #3 10/07/2004, 06:37 AM

Actually, that won't help this situation. You can't use a balanced calcium and alkalinity additive such as limewater to raise calcium a lot because alkalinity will go through the roof.

You need to use a calcium only supplement, such as calcium chloride. Then, once the calcium is adequate, the limewater with or without vinegar is a fine way to maintain both calcium and alkalinity.

This article may help:

Solving Calcium and Alkalinity Problems
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm

Ramble On Rose · #4 10/07/2004, 08:24 AM

thanks randy, that article is very helpful. I am going to pick up some kent turbo calcium today on the way home and use that to get my calcium up and alk down a little. try and get them balanced then switch back to the limewater. should i be concerned with the PH? at first that was by biggest concern, but i saw another thread where you had said that 8.8 wasnt that bad seeing as 8.5 was the goal. will switching to turbo calcium temporarily and balancing out the calcium/alk ratio help with the high ph or should i use vinegar in my limewater to bring it down a little? thank you very much.

Randy Holmes-Farley · #5 10/07/2004, 12:59 PM

I missed the high pH above. I'm not sure what thread that was, but a pH of 8.8 is too high, IMO. A pH of 8.5 is the upper limit IMO.

FWIW, oyur pH measurement may also be off.

More aeration or using vinegar will help reduce the pH.

Ramble On Rose · #6 10/07/2004, 01:10 PM

okay thanks. i calibrated my ph meter before i tested and checked it after testing, and used an old fashined test strip that seemed to show the same, so i am pretty sure that it is right. i am going to try the vinegar route first and see how that goes. If I start adding turbo calc, my alk is going to start going down, so can I be dripping limewater at the time (probably at a slower rate) to balance everything out? or should i just get the calcium up and then start with the 2 part additive again?

Randy Holmes-Farley · #7 10/07/2004, 01:13 PM

As the pH drops, you may find that you can use less and less limewater. The high pH may cause excess abiotic precipitation. So adding less limewater is a good possibility.

Ramble On Rose · #8 10/07/2004, 01:20 PM

Do you think I should just switch to turbo calcium to get the ph down and the calcium up, or should I just focus on getting the ph down first and then deal with the calcium?

Randy Holmes-Farley · #9 10/07/2004, 01:44 PM

I'd boost the calcium now with the calcium chloride, then back off a bit on the limewater and/or add the vinegar to reduce the pH.

Ramble On Rose · #10 10/07/2004, 02:02 PM

Okay. Thank you very much for your help.

Randy Holmes-Farley · #11 10/07/2004, 03:16 PM

You're welcome.

Let us know what happens.

Ramble On Rose · #12 10/13/2004, 09:32 AM

Well I dosed just 2 gallons of turbo calcium (2 teaspoons per gallon) and ALL my levels are dead nuts on! Thanks a ton Randy. I dont know if its coninsidence or directly related to getting to the PH, alk, and CA in line, but my tank looks GREAT now. I had an algea boom that went away the past view days, a huge outbreak of pods, things are going good. thanks a ton.

Randy Holmes-Farley · #13 10/13/2004, 09:37 AM

You're welcome. I'm glad things seem well now.

FWIW, you can dissolve calcium chloride in a fairly small amount of fresh water.

Ramble On Rose · #14 10/13/2004, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Randy Holmes-Farley
You're welcome. I'm glad things seem well now.

FWIW, you can dissolve calcium chloride in a fairly small amount of fresh water.

I noticed that as I was setting this up, but I didnt want to rock the boat too much and figured I would stick with I had been doing with the pickling lime. Thanks again.

Randy Holmes-Farley · #15 10/13/2004, 03:09 PM

There's nothing wrong with adding it more dilute too.

Happy Reefing.