Calcium too high

[gtruslow]

My tank has been set up for over 6 weeks now and everything is fine except for my calcium level. Its almost 600ppm, I have not added any calcium to increase it. I currently have live rock with some coraline algae and a couple pieces of tuffa rock as a base for the live rock and aragonite/crushed coral as substrate.
Im using a Seatest kit to check. I have even gone so far as to check my "raw" water and it is fine at about 60ppm using the same test kit, so it has to be something in the tank that is keeping it elevated.

how can I get this down to a more reasonable level?

[Radcast2]

1st have your water tested by another well known test kit. Always a possiblity that your test kit could be off. Even thought your raw water is at 60ppm maybe when it reads a higher level it just cant pinpoint the actual level. ALways a good idea anyways.
2nd water changes out the ying yang. Keep in mind the smaller than tank the harder it is to keep correct parameters. What type of salt mix are you using?

[jim.l]

Don't panic, 600 isn't a disaster. Check Advanced Aquarists Magazine, online for an artical titled "CHEMISTRY AND THE AQUARIUM by RANDY HOLMES-FARLEY" Your corroline and creatures will utilize the calcium and it will drop by itself. Don't buff the tank till it comes down some or you could have a snowstorm. Unless you added a lot of calcium supplement, probabaly the salt your using is fortified with extra calcium, so water changes won't help.

[mhurley]

I'm fairly confident that it's a bad test kit. If your Ca was over 600 ppm, your tank would probably look like a snow globe because of the calcium precipation. Have you meausured the alkalinity of your tank? To sustain 600 ppm, it would have to be 12 meq/L which is roughly the alkalinity of calcium reactor effluent. Not likely.

Check out Randy's articles on the topics.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-04/rhf/feature/index.htm

Rule of thumb: If any test kit gives you some crazy readings and the tank still looks healthy, get a new test kit. I'd pick up a Salifert kit and double check it before you start doing drastic things to lower it. You might then find out later that it was fine and you've worsened your problem by trying to fix something that was never an issue.

Mike

[Radcast2]

Originally posted by mhurley
I'm fairly confident that it's a bad test kit. If your Ca was over 600 ppm, your tank would probably look like a snow globe because of the calcium precipation. Have you meausured the alkalinity of your tank? To sustain 600 ppm, it would have to be 12 meq/L which is roughly the alkalinity of calcium reactor effluent. Not likely.
Rule of thumb: If any test kit gives you some crazy readings and the tank still looks healthy, get a new test kit. I'd pick up a Salifert kit and double check it before you start doing drastic things to lower it. You might then find out later that it was fine and you've worsened your problem by trying to fix something that was never an issue. Thanks for that back up Mike. I say checking the test kit mainly because I was a victim of a bad ph test kit and bought a ph buffer only to raise my ph no where but raise my Alk as high as 18.4dkH. That was 4 1 /2 weeks ago and i am still trying to get it down, and after about 45g of new ater I am now finally at Ca 420ppm and Alk 10.6dkH. Experience by mistakes teaches us quicker than any other way. Know what salt mix you are using would help decide if it has extra calcium to it.

Rich
PS I use salifert kits now as well

[gtruslow]

Everything in my tank is doing very well .. I have 3 percula clowns, 2 sea anemone, 1 button polyp and 1 green star polyp.
I have not gotten a alk test kit yet but I will do so immediately.. Im using Instant Ocean as my salt water mix.
all my other levels are at 0 except nitrate which is around 40. I do a 3 gal water change every 2-3 days.

I will take your advice an dget another test kit. This was the one the LFS suggested and that it was the best. ... grrrrr !!!

Thanks for your help guy s !

[Radcast2]

If I am not mistaken, Instant Ocean should give you a calcium reading of about 380ppm to 400ppm when made with RO/DI water with a TDS eraing of 0 or 1 at 78degrees F.
The seatest kits are highly recommended here at my LFS but the owners son told me to buy the Salifert kits as they are the best.(IMO)
Glad we were able to help you

Rich