How to fix my Calc levels

[BriGuy]

I have had this problem forever, I do water changes (tried lfs reef water\RO water\Distilled\Tap)and ensure that I do not introduce any other form of Calcium, but my tank still reads over 600 (have used other test kits and taken my water to shops to have tested, same thing). Nothing is suffering in my tank that I can tell, new growth everywhere and all of that, also not getting that marine snow issue of calcium carbonate. Here are the levels

calc 640
nitrate 0.1
ph 8.2
alk 1.8

I do have Bi Ionic sitting under the tank collecting dust cause of the levels, any suggestions?

[coraline79]

mine is sitting at 580 right now, and for a while my 30 was above 600, only adverse effects that I saw were slower growth, and coraline stops growing almost.

[jrsatx20]

im at about 580 also dont know if it is my test kit but going to take it to the lfs for confirmation.

[BriGuy]

What strange is I have growth and coraline growth, since I have not done this for years and years (still on my 1st two tanks) not sure if growth should be more or not......

[BriGuy]

No ideas I take it besides water changes???

[cbianco]

No ideas I take it besides water changes???

What if you added alkalinity? Would this cause the calcium to precipitate out?

Christopher

[reeferRob]

it seems i remember reading that if Ca is real high - and alk is too low slowly raise alk (8-12 dkh) and the Ca will come down, and vice versa! I think Cbianco hit the nail on the head.

I'm assuming that an Alk reading of 1.8 is meg/l, don't know what that equates to in dkh, maybe it isn't as low as I am thinking, but it sounds way low to me.

Rob

[aquasport24]

Here is a chart for Alk. relation to calcium.


Alk meq/L Alk dKH Calcium ppm
0------------0-----------360
0.5----------1.4---------370
1------------2.8---------380
1.5----------4.2---------390
2------------5.6---------400
2.5----------7---------410
3------------8.4---------420
3.5----------9.8---------430
4------------11.2---------440
4.5----------12.6---------450
5------------14---------460
5.5----------15.4---------470
6------------16.8---------480
6.5----------18.2---------490
7------------19.6---------500

[alton]

Use a low calcium salt like instant ocean mixed with R/O water to lower your calcium, remembering to take your time to lower it. (months) I ran into this problem years ago when Oceanic salt first came on the market.

[BriGuy]

Thanks for the info people

[lt1z28]

What brand of test kit are you using?

[BriGuy]

Interesting fact, this afternoon I mised up a batch of tap water and coralife to 1.22 and tested it. Showing 520 for Calcium.

[jrsatx20]

ur salinity has a lot to do with it also. let me find the article i read on it.

[BriGuy]

It1z28 its an API test kit.

[clamgal]

I'm tagging along. I have the same problem. I thought I had a defective kit. My tank seems a bit off. My clams are suffering. Could this be it?

[clamgal]

BTW - using Reef Crystals

[cbianco]

BriGuy, did you try and get the calcium level down? Did it work? If so, what method did you use?

Christopher

[CoryDude]

Same thing happened to me w/levels in excess of 600ppm. Turned out my swing arm hydrometer was off by 1/100 so the my levels were really at 1.036. My alk was low also. Once I got a refractometer, slowly lowered specific gravity, and raised alk, the Ca levels came within normal range.

[BriGuy]

I did a 5 gal water change and added a few drops of part 1. Will check levels in the morning. As for the hydrometer I had it tested a few months ago; might be time again.

[gjuarez]

Stay away from swinging arm hydrometers for those who have them. You alk is low compared to calcium. Where is your magnesium? If its too low it might be causing your alk to precipitate at very low levels, and once again like already mentioned low alk levels could be the cause of higher calcium levels. If mag is below 1350, you might slowly want to bring it up to that point or closer to 1400. Take your time in doing so. What livestock are you keeping?

[BriGuy]

Sorry for the delay, been busy with work and the wife being sick. So Cal level this morning is
620, will do a mag test later today (have to get the kit from the neighbor). I have been
adding a few drops of Bio Ionic part 1 each day to raise the alk (will test that later today as
well). Going to do a 10 gal change this weekend and have the lfs run a full test on the
water as well, and make sure my hydro is on.

Inventory in this tank:
christmas zoos (from frag program)
unknown zoo's 3 (someone said Pink Reverse Gorrila Nipple?)
unknown zoo's 2 (will post another pic for ID)
some green ricordia
Duncan
Orange digi
green palys (from frag program)
yellow tang122008
allen damsel
green & yellow zoanthids
blue stripped mushrooms
Watermellon Zoanthids
red mushrooms
red\green hairy mushrooms
unknown acroporia
Purple Digitara
green acropora insignis
purple samoensis
purple & blue tiger stripped mushrooms
pink & purple zoanthids
neon green candy canes
purple hammer
Mint Chocolate Mushrooms
Blue Tubb's/spounge bob's Zoanthids
Eye of Rah Zoanthids
Green Bubble Tip Branching Frog Spawn
some red zoa's (will post pic for ID)
3" clam Maxima
(Releases that I have way too much in this tank)

[Gseclipse02]

I'm tagging along. I have the same problem. I thought I had a defective kit. My tank seems a bit off. My clams are suffering. Could this be it?

when you say suffering what do u mean ??


i know when i was using to much of the fiji gold (doing what they recommend (twice a week) but i was doing it daily ) my clams had issues of not wanting to fully open

[BriGuy]

Alright someone sent me a great article on all of this so decided to share it with the group since this appears to be a common problem; with little solutions out there besides the old do more water changes (which I am not against) which has not seemed to make a difference yet in my tank. I want to make these changes slowly since everything appears to be doing good (growth and all of that).

http://web.archive.org/web/20021127040526/http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm

[BriGuy]

Alright Mag level is 1040, alk is still low as well 1.6-1.7

[BriGuy]

Bump on info, added a few more drops

[BriGuy]

Todays update, performed 10 gal water change on the 46 gal tank, will check levels in the morning. Also added a few more drops of Part 1 in there. One thing to note is that Orange Digi is losing some of its polyps (started 2 days ago) I havent seen the tank nip at it or anything so not sure they this has started, all other SPS look good and so forth.