calcium 335 and cant get where i want it to be>>>>>

[LuckySingh]

yea after along dealing with reef tanks but maily softies only I bumped up my reef to LPS about 6 months ago....Pretty much what i need to do I been doin with it...babysitting dosing and keeping up my up water quality...every thing is absolutely normal and growing and thriving..For example my ausie duncans literally from 12 to 15 head mini colony grew up to 30 to 35 heads within 6 months...4 months ago bought a bleached out colony of acans totaly white in color and it started comin back to it normal color already...every thing is thriving in my tank at least according to what i see..
water parameters on daily basis like around midday as follows
ph 8.3
alkanity 9dkh
magnesium 1400
amonia undetcted
nitrite undetected
nitrate 10
salinity is aroung .025 to .026
calcium always 355 to 375 the max and dnt know how to raise it..
tried every product in market and every opinion from different experts no success ..

started dosing kalkwasser (bright wells) about two days ago with the drip method by 1 drop per/sec and checked my parameters again around 2 this afternoon still the same...calcium is still the same...
as i said i do babysit my tank and use the best food and products that r available in market but no success..
the salt i use is a salinity brand with gud amount of trace elements ..

need an expert opinion on this.....

[ErikH]

Are you using 2 part for CA and Alk? Kalk is mainly for ALK issues, not so much CA. You may just need to add alot of CA.

[LuckySingh]

i been adding calcium but no success...

[Europhyllia]

have you tried a different test kit -just in case?

[LuckySingh]

reef master and api they both read the same...

[BSJF]

What exactly are you using to dose calcium? The kalk will help once it is at the proper level.
What exactly is the kind of salt you are using.
What exactly is the levels of the new salt water mix before you do a water change?

Use one of the online calculators based on the product you use and the volume. Put the measured amount in a container you can dose from, but don't dose all at once, spread it out over a few days.

[Europhyllia]

LIKE THIS:
http://www.reeftime.com/reef-chemistry-calculator.asp

[LuckySingh]

The salt mix I am using its called Salinity and I guess is made by sechem..
I was dosing kent marine's turbo calcium as I was told but no success..
I dnt know for sure if I should dose calcium more while my process of experiencing
Kalk while its been runnin since last tuesday..



What exactly are you using to dose calcium? The kalk will help once it is at the proper level.
What exactly is the kind of salt you are using.
What exactly is the levels of the new salt water mix before you do a water change?

Use one of the online calculators based on the product you use and the volume. Put the measured amount in a container you can dose from, but don't dose all at once, spread it out over a few days.

[TexasTodd]

Your CA is fine, don't worry about it so much.

You might get it up some by lowering your Alk, but it's really not necessary and more important to have alk good.

TT

[Europhyllia]

I was dosing kent marine's turbo calcium as I was told but no success..
.
A lot of times the dosing instructions are pretty general and are aimed at maintaining it rather than at raising it.
If you would like it higher you will need to calculate exactly what it would take to get it higher and then after it is where you want it to be you can figure out what it will take to maintain it based on consumption in your tank.

[LuckySingh]

So what I understood that I can dose calcium while my kalk is runnin..right??

[justahobby]

If all else fails, check your test kit

[TexasTodd]

So what I understood that I can dose calcium while my kalk is runnin..right??

Yes, just start slowly and test often.

[TexasTodd]

Post if your glass turns white. :)

[CoryDude]

Have you tested the ca levels on your frsh salt water mix. That's most likely not your problem, but it gives you a good idea where you're starting at. 335ppm is low, but not critical. 350-400ppm is a comfortable range for me. Like Todd said, alk is more critical for overall health. A lower ca just means the corals will grow a little slower. A low alk level means the coral tissue starts to recede.

I used daily 2 part dosing and kalk 2 times a week to maintain my levels on my last tank before AEFW killed my sps.

[BSJF]

Have you tested the ca levels on your frsh salt water mix.


I'm not familiar with the salt you are using, but if you continue to have problems, I would consider a change in salt. At least test to know if that is the source.

This article is a must read in regards to balancing calcium and alk. And it explains what to do and what not to do when you are out of balance, which you are. (See corrections for zone 3). I would stop dozing kalk and just add calcium until the level is raised enough to be in balance with your level of alk, then you can continue to raise them both in balance and once you have them where you want them, then start the kalk.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm

If you need help in converting your dkh to meq/l this is a great helper.

http://www.saltyzoo.com/SaltyCalcs/AlkConv.php

And also use the link Karin provided previously to determine how much of the product you are using is needed based on your water volume.

If you don't have a huge tank, a good sized water change with a properly balanced ratio may be the easiest fix.

And if you haven't done it already, make sure you have someone else test your water just to verify what you have done. You can really mess things up if you add stuff based on an inaccurate test kit.

[fishypets]

How are you testing your salinity? Make sure it's 1.025-026 with a refractometer calibrated with 35ppt calibration fluid. Just a thought.

[LuckySingh]

yea did check my salinity and it is 0.025 like always..
i did dose calcium again this morning while my kalk runnin and will test again tommrow morning...
i want to share sme pics of my aquarium with guys and see how u like it...

[LuckySingh]

sme more

[LuckySingh]

heres few more

[Europhyllia]

I think you can stop worrying. It looks good :)

[LuckySingh]

i know bud i am not really worry too much but just trying to understand the chemistry even while dosing no change in effect where i would like....

[Europhyllia]

what amount did the calculator come up with that you need to dose to get it where you want it?
I know I was surprised how much it took to just get my 215 gallon tank from 400 to 420.
Use the calculator and make sure your water volume is correct and then decide. Chances are you are just not using enough to really make a difference especially if it's a larger tank.

[LuckySingh]

13 tsp ...in different laps..I'll be damm scared to do that

[Europhyllia]

so how much did you put in?

[LuckySingh]

70 gln of water vs 355 current needed to be 450...cmes out to 13tsp to make up

[Europhyllia]

450 seems a little excessive. I am sure 400 or 420 would be fine. You also don't need to do it all in one day.

[LuckySingh]

i been doin 1 tsp a day and its more than what it recommends in a day....

[Europhyllia]

how big is your tank lsingh?

[LuckySingh]

it's 57 gallon with 30 gallon sump

[txg8gxp]

Depending on what ca additive you use it may take alot. I have been using esv and It took about 20-30ml's a day to raise ca. A couple weeks ago my ca was only 360-370 and it took between 25-30ml's a night for a week or more to raise it to 405-415 range but I also has a good amount of sps aswell.

[LuckySingh]

i start of with 15ml tonight and another 15ml tomorrow morning and see how it goes..

[LuckySingh]

Ok...today I checked my levels again in the morning and calicum is upto
395ppm..so pretty close where I wanted to be..but even I am dosing alk with it my alk seems
To be a little bit on a low end which is 8.10dkh..
I did buy esv's 2 part calcium and alk by gallons and I am getting a bit of a hang how
to deal with my reefs water chemistry but any suggestions what I need to keep in mind
while dosing that 2 part calcium solution..and how to wrk that out on daily basis..

[ErikH]

check out the bulkreefsupply.com 2 part mix. It's easy, and much cheaper than premade.

[aquadude]

What kind of calcium reading are you getting on your new salt mix? I'm running brightwell and it's coming up with around 400 calcium and 10.5 alk right out of the mix. I bet the salinity has a lower calcium and alk right off the mix which probably isn't helping your situation. Two part gets really expensive if you are trying to make up all the time for what your salt is lacking if that makes sense?