Ca falling out of solution

[sc reefer]

I have a 55 gallon reef tank that is about 1 1/2 years old and lately i have noticed the water being very cloudy. My calcium readings were also very low so i went to my lfs to ask what they thought was wrong. Well... they said my calcium was falling out of solution. They told me to do a 50% water change and really didnt give me a straight answer as to WHY the Ca began to fall out. Directly after i did the 50% change my water was much clearer and read a 350 ppm for calcium. This morning my water is looking like it is going to cloud up again. Does this mean the Ca is falling out of the water I put in? Thanks to anyone who has experience with this and is willing to help.

 

[kgross]

What is your alk, and mag, and pH if you a good way to measure it. With your Ca at 350, if your other parameters are close you should not have a problem with ca precipitation.

Kim

 

[sc reefer]

My pH is at 8.0, alk is 8 or 9 and I haven't tested for mag. How often would you reccomend dosing magnesium? I dose once or twice a week a tablespoon of Seachem Mg. I dose Ca one day and Kh the next with the exeption of Sunday, which is the day I test.

 

[Patrick12]

You certainly could be experiencing a precipitation event.....what your LFS calls "Ca falling out of solution". Mg++ should be tested as often as your Ca++ until you have reached a relatively steady balance. Mg++ being at a slightly elevated level....1400ppm....can help limit the severity of a precipitation event. If it is extremely low, you do not get that benefit.

 

[kgross]

What are you dosing for ca/mag and alk? If you are dosing more than you need causing really high levels that can cause a precipitation event. What I will suggest is you use the reef chemistry calculator to figure out how much of your supplements are needed to bring it up to the correct level, and forget what the manufacture puts on the label. As for dosing Mag, if you don't test for it, don't dose it. But if your having precipitation events, your mag could be low. You want it to be above 1250

 

[sc reefer]

For calicum i am dosing Marin-C biocalcium (mixed in seperate before added to tank) mag and alk i use Seachem. My levels of Ca never got to above 440 or so.

 

[sedor]

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm - Scroll down until you see the title Corrections for Zone 3. Overall, its a great read and hopefully will help you out.

 

[sc reefer]

Also, where is the reef chemistry calculator? Didnt see it under the home page.

 

[kgross]

http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chemcalc.html

 

[sc reefer]

Thanks, looked into both the article and the calculator. Will definetly use calculator in the future. One more question. Will the water clarity eventually return and the water bring the calcium back into solution?

Thanks~Sc Reefer

 

[HighlandReefer]

You very well may be having a precipitation event going on.

You could be having a problem with a bacterial bloom. A precipitation event will end up with settled sand (or powder) like calcium carbonate covering your bottom of your aquarium and stuff. A bacterial bloom, will not cause this effect.

 

[sedor]

Maybe its just me but a bacterial bloom has always left kind of a sweet smell in the air to me as well.

 

[tmz]

When ph,calcium and alkalinity are high Calcium and carbonate form calcium carbonate crystals, precipitate out of solution, which leaves the dust Cliff refers to in his post.Calcium carbonate will not redissolve unless the ph becomes quite low. It's basicaly like adding extra sand. At your numbers(if accurate) it is unlikely , unless you are dosing large amounts at once. Magnesium at 1300 plus discourages precipitation.

A bacterial bloom can occur from excess nutrients in the tank via detritus accumulation ,( a) decaying animal(s), or inadequate filtration.

 

[bertoni]

I'd guess that the problem is bacterial. The magnesium level would have to be very low to allow precipitation. That's not impossible, but it's unlikely. I'd run a magnesium test in any case, though.

 

[sc reefer]

Thanks for all of the suggestions.

One more question. I'm going to order a magnesium test kit. I've looked at Red Sea, Salifert, and API. Wide range of prices. Any thoughts from the reef central community on which one I should purchase.

Thanks in advance for your opinions.

 

[bertoni]

I've had bad experiences with Red Sea test kits, which seems common. I have had no problems with the Salifert magnesium kit, and the Elos gets good reviews. I didn't think API sold a magnesium test kit.

 

[tmz]

FWIW,I've used the Seachem magnesium kit and the Salifert. I like the salifert. It's a bit easier to use, in my opinion. I also don't trust Red Sea kits.

 

[sc reefer]

Thanks ordered a Salifert kit today should arrive late this week.

 

[sc reefer]

When i woke up this morning my water was still cloudy. Tested mag at 1030 calcium at 340-380 and pH at 8.0. How do i get the undissolved calcium out of the water? I have already tried a 50% water change with little effect.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

You are adding nothing to the tank?

Waiting for cloudiness to go away usually works and only takes a few days. Perhaps you have no place for solids to settle out, or the cloudiness is not actually calcium carbonate, but a bacterial bloom, which may not settle out.

Are you dosing organic carbon?

Is the tank cloudy like milk?

If you really want to try to filter it out, you can. Water changes are not necessary or especially useful with a precipitation event. The LFS did not give good advice in that regard.