Calcium Question?

[casshoward]

I tested my water for Calicium (Salifert test kit) and never achieved the "pink-red changing to clear blue" color change that the instructions suggested. If this is correct, my water's calcium is greater than 500! Could that be possible if I have never supplemented Calcuim and only do 30-40 gal water changes with Oceanic Sea Salt every month?

Here are my parameters, on Monday @2140, when I tested:

Temp: 81 degrees (Yes, Chiller kicks on if Temp> 80 degrees)
SgGr: 1.025
pH: 8.4 (Red Sea)
Alk: low-normal (Red Sea)
Ammonia: <0.25 (Salifert)
Nitrate: 2.5mg/L (Salifert)
Nitrite: 0 mg/L (Salifert)
Calcium: >500 (Salifert)

Any advise/explanation is welcomed.

[Billybeau1]

Yes it is very possible. Oceanic has extremely high levels of calcium.

First find out how high. After you exhaust the first sryinge, fill it up again and when the color turns blue, add the 2 values together.

500 + whatever the second value is.

If you want to get your calcium down, buy something like Instant Ocean and mix it 50/50 until you use up the Oceanic.

[just dave]

Get an alkalinity kit that gives you a number value (Salifert does) and start raising your alkalinity until it gets into the targeted range. Do not add any calcium while you are doing this. As your alkalinity increases your calcium levels will come down. This assumes that your alkalinity levels are low and a more accurate test kit will tell you.

[crpeck]

Cass, I had trouble stabilizing my Ca and Alk for a long time when I used Oceanic and sometimes my Ca would get that high.

What Dave recommended is exactly what worked for me. I use the Kent Part A and B additives to I can compensate for imbalances like this. It doesn't take long of dosing just the ALK (Part B) before things even down.

Then, you can go back to dosing equal parts.

My tank and livestock really thrived with Oceanic, but the effort of balancing Ca and Alk levels got old sometimes.

Good Luck!
Cathy

[neuroslicer]

Cass, sorry but I didn't understand your initial email query. Now I do.

Is there any problem with Cass making a 1:1 dilution of her test solution and then multiplying the Ca++ readout by two? (1 ml of tank water + 1 ml of DI).

You really do need to get your alkalinity levels up, and then monitor them quantitatively. Since your pH is 8.4, I'd recommend a sodium bicarb solution (a heck of a lot cheaper than commercial solutions too!) instead of a sodium carbonate solution.

Here's what to do:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php

[Billybeau1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8052793#post8052793 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by neuroslicer
Cass, sorry but I didn't understand your initial email query. Now I do.

Is there any problem with Cass making a 1:1 dilution of her test solution and then multiplying the Ca++ readout by two? (1 ml of tank water + 1 ml of DI).

You really do need to get your alkalinity levels up, and then monitor them quantitatively. Since your pH is 8.4, I'd recommend a sodium bicarb solution (a heck of a lot cheaper than commercial solutions too!) instead of a sodium carbonate solution.

Here's what to do:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php

Well I'm not in your club but I thought originaly, I'd lend a hand since I know a little bit about these things.

Yes there is a problem with diluting the test. I've tried it . Doesnt work. My original recommendation will provide the correct results.

The bottom line is if you are using Oceanic salt, all the Alk in the world is not going to keep youe tank at optimal levels. Oceanic is extremely high in calcium and unless you have a tank with a lot of calcium consuming livestock, your levels will just stay over 500. actually, closer to 600.

I refer back to my original post. :)

[casshoward]

BillyBeau1: Thanks for the advice. I rechecked my calcium levels using your method and measured 540. Unforutnately, I have ALOT of Oceanic Sea Salt (large club order). I actually liked it better than IO because is dissolved much better. I did not know about the calcium issues.

Dave: I'll see you in about an hour for a Salifert Alk kit and to pick your brain (yeah, yeah....I know I've done alot of that lately!)

crpeck: Did your toadstool do well despite the high calcium and low alk? The baby I adopted from you still looks happy...I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Neuroslicer: Thanks for the info. Hopefully my new frogspawn won't get too angry with me while I fix my parameters!

Thanks gang! I'll keep you posted with my hopeful success.

Cass

[neuroslicer]

I still have 2 bags of 50 gallon IO left from the bulk order. If you want to swap one of your Oceanic bags for one of my IO bags, mixing the two should drop your Ca levels a bit (and raise mine a bit).

[casshoward]

Sorry for the delay with follow-up but it's been busy lately. I tested with a Salifert Alkalinity Kit and got the following values:

KH = 6.1 dKH
Alk = 2.17 meq/L

So, I guess my calcium reading of 540 was likely accurated and I will work on increasing my alkalinity. Thanks for the RC chemistry references for correcting alkalinity. I will likely use the baking soda method of correction. Will this correction and feeding less often help decrease my hair algea growth?

Thanks,
Cass

[neuroslicer]

Try to get your alkalinity in the 8 - 10 dKH range. If your pH is low then you can increase alk and pH with sodium carbonate. That's achieved by heating baking soda in your oven, which drives off CO2 leaving only sodium carbonate. Otherwise if your pH is in the high (>8.4) range, just mix up a solution of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) with no heating. That will combine with calcium chloride to form calcium carbonate for your coral, sodium chloride to add salinity to your tank, and CO2 to reduce tank pH.

I really think you won't see an improvement in your hair algae until you address the nitrate excess, and you can attack that problem in several ways. Less feeding is one.