Calcium levels what am i missing ?

M

marinefreak

New member
What am I missing ? I cannot understand what I am doing wrong at the moment I am unable to get the calcium and alkalinity level up. The current levels are for my 4x2x2 tank
Calcium 390ppm Sailifert Test Kit
Alkalinity 9.3 Dkh Sailifert Test Kit
Mg 1180ppm Sailifert Test Kit
Ph 8.3 Sailifert Test Kit
Phosphate undetectable using double reagents
Nitrate 0.02 Sailifert Test Kit

I am running a Korallin C1501 Calcium reactor using Brand new Caribsea ARM Aragonite and I have the chamber PH controlled to 6.5. I have at the moment 60 drop per min running 24 hrs per day. I have tried dosing up Magnesium via drip solution to get magnesium up and used over ½ a Seachem container with no movement in Mg and I have also tried dosing Alkalinity and Calcium buy I still get the same reading of around 380- 410ppm Calcium. Now this struggle have been going on for over 2+ months !!!. I have checked the calcium from the reactor and it is pushing out 600ppm.
The coralline algae seem to have slowed growing and having trouble with hard corals.
I have been trying to get the calcium to 480ppm and alkalinity to around 11Dkh.
So I would like some input into what I need to do to get the calcium up, I have tried anything I can think of but have had no success.
 
What salt do you use? I had a similar problem and dosed the poo out of my tank with MG and when I finaly got it up the rest fell inline. MG is soo important IMO.
 
marinefreak,

First off, are your test kits newer than one year old. Always a good idea to check them for accuracy first.

I do not have a clear picture of your situation. If your test kits are accurate, I would raise your individual parameters up to where you want them using the Reef Chemistry Calculator. For alk. you can use baking soda. For calcium you can use calcium chloride. For magnesium you should use the proper mixture of magnesium chloride and magnesium sulfide, which in your situation would be 10:1 (mag. chloride to mag. sulfide). Once you have them where you want them, then adjust your reactor to maintain them. The reactor should not be used to increase the individual parameters. The reactor should be adjusted to maintain your alkalinity. If you need to add more calcium or magnesium, then I would use the calculator to make appropriate increases.

I would run alk., calcium and mag. tests on the natural seawater you are using. If it is low in any parameters, then I would adjust this seawater at water change time. In most cases you will not need to add alk.

Reef chemicals calculator
http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chem_calc3.html
 
All tests kit are almost new approximately 2 months old, just bought new full set.

I have tested the NSW magnesium prior to last water change done last week and it was 1350ppm for the new water.


The magnesium suppliment i have been using is the seachem one which is magnesium chloride. I have checked the calcium and Alk of the sea water and it is about 380 and 7.5.

I have not been using the reactor to try to raise the tank, just to try to maintain the level, however using the suppliments do not seem to be making any differance.
 
I am not familiar with the calcium reactors and how you might adjust it to get more alk. and calcium out of it. Perhaps the equipment forum may be a better place to get advice about them. If you have a lot of demanding corals and clams, it is not unusual to have to supply additional supplements for calcium and alk. The magnesium supplied in reactors will not amount to a lot in many cases. I usually make weekly adjustments for mag. and that holds it in line for the rest of the week. It will take a lot of mag. supplement to increase the level. Randy's Do-it-Yourself mag supplement mix will be much cheaper. MagFlakes & Epsom salts. Baking soda is cheap also for alk. Many hobbyists use a kalk reactor in addition to calcium reactor to keep up with the alk. and calcium. Another option would be to use kalk water in your top-off.
 
If you want your levels higher than what you get with the sea water, then you should adjust the calcium and mag. at water change time to the sea water. I would make an adjustment to your tank when you do water changes for any alk. increase you want instead of adding it to the seawater.
 
Are you sure the Seachmem product is magnesium chloride and not predominantly magnesium sulfate( epsom salt)? Wouldn't effect Mag level but a 10 to one ratio o magnesium chloride to magnesium sulfate approximates natural sea water values.

What is the specific gravity of the sea water you are using?

I think using both a calcium reactor and toping off with kalkwasser (limewater) from a still resevoir works quite well and gives you the opportunity to add more calcium and alkalinity than either one alone. The effluent from the calcium reactor in your system runs at 6,5. So you can only do so much before suppressing your system's ph. Which you obviously haven't done since you note ph at 8.3. Kalkwasser at full saturation has a ph of12.4. The two balance each other off nicely and allow you to dose more calcium and alkalinity while maintaining very nice ph ranges.
 
Yep you are right, the contents has magnesium sulfate + sodium chloride ? paying allot for salt +epson salt !!!!:mad2:

anyway i have raised the magnesiumk level to 1200ppm and the calcium went to 420ppm them the next day after adding another 125g which should be enough to raise it 25ppm the magnesium the level has fallen to 1170ppm and the calcium has gone to 380 ppm ??

i feel like i am hitting my head against a brick wall. ??
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15054386#post15054386 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Mopar Reefer
What salt do you use? I had a similar problem and dosed the poo out of my tank with MG and when I finaly got it up the rest fell inline. MG is soo important IMO.
Click to expand...

Yes, you need magnesium at about 1350 or you will have difficulty maintaining the rest.
 
Well i have now got magnesium at 1260 ppm, still slowly raising it at about 25ppm/ day approx.

Geez i needed allot of supplement. !!! Gone though 800g of supplement

I am now aiming to try to get it to about 1350 to 1400ppm.
 
Yes, it takes alot . Afterall theres about 3x as much magnesium in the water as there is calcium and about 35 to 40% of the magnesium supplemen t is either chloride or sulfate.
 
You can raise MG as much as 100ppm a day safely with out having any negative ffects on your tank. It will be quicker than 25 ppm a day. Yes, it takes alot to raise Mg a little, keep us posted :)
 
Well i tested the parameters tonight

Mg is now at approx 1330ppm and i am adding again enough to raise it another 25ppm

Ca has risen a little to 405 ppm
Alk slightly lower at 9.3dkh

Now what do you recomend is the best way to get the Calcium up, i would like to be running it at about 450ppm.
 
Turbo calcium or another form of calcium chloride will raise calcuim without affecting alkalinity.405 is fine though.
 
I have not heard of Turbo calcium and i do not think it is available in Australia.

I have Seachem Calcium (Reef calcium) which is calcium chloride and will also add a little strontium and magnesium. Will this product be ok to use ?

Do i need to raise the Alkalinity as i have been reading it should be around 12 dkh for a balanced calcium for 450ppm ?
 
FWIW all of my salifert DKH test kits read 2 POINTS higher than my DKH really was. So I had 7 DKH when I was thinking it was 9.
 
I dont but i have a problem trying to get my cal to come down i dont add anything besides my salt mix and my cal stays at 500 ppm is having a cak reading that high bad for my reef tank i recently started adding some hard corals maybe that will adjust it out.
 
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