Calcium Question/Help

[xclusive252]

Ok I am using a Vertex RX-4 Calcium reactor I set up about 1-2 weeks ago and I have a steady Alk of 9.3 for about the last 4 days of testing but my Calcium keeps dropping it was 375 and now its 355 thats after 4 days. What should I do? Im not sure if the Calcium will increase and its just the reactor breaking in or do Add Calcium to the tank?

 

[Pife]

What is the ph in your reactor?

 

[xclusive252]

Right now its 6.51 but it goes up and down

 

[nicholasb]

A calcium reactor should deliver even amounts of cal and alk in a balanced way. Other things can affect alk in a small way, but the only thing that will affect calciun, is if it combines with alk to form caco3. For every 9ppm alk (0.5d.k.h) you will lose 3ppm calcium. The only thing that can cause your problem is a faluty test kit!!!!. 20ppm calcium loss would = 3 d.k.h loss. Do you think your tank is lossing that much in four days. To raise calcium you must add a calcium suppliment from a 2 part, and no alk.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

If you are adding nothing else to the tank, and it is only CaCO3 in the reactor (no dolomite), then if it maintains alk, it will maintain calcium. So the only other place for calcium to disappear is by water change with a low calcium mix.

If you are not using such a mix, then more likely, it is just calcium testing error.

 

[xclusive252]

I will retest both tomorrow and repost my results. I will also test with 2 other test kits from 2 different friends to see if it was me or it really is dropping. I will also let them test the water so it cant be user error. Thank you very much this is by far the best help I have ever gotten from someone in this hobby and they new what they where talking about tyvm

 

[xclusive252]

So I tested today after adding 100ml of DIY cal the same day and my cal today is 390 and my alk is 9.3 and my mag is 1395. I will test again tomorrow to see what happens

 

[xclusive252]

Tested the Water today and all the lvls are the same except the mag it dropped from 1395 to 1365 I tested 3 times to make sure. Im not sure if it dropped because I added the calcium the other day to get it to 390 or if its just normal. I will test again tomorrow and let you know

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Tested the Water today and all the lvls are the same except the mag it dropped from 1395 to 1365 I tested 3 times to make sure. Im not sure if it dropped because I added the calcium the other day to get it to 390 or if its just normal.

It is neither, unless you did a big water change. It is just the error of the testing. There is never a situation where magnesium drops 30 ppm in a day.

 

[xclusive252]

I only do water changes on the 1st of the month or if needed but I was thinking the same about the mag. Im thinking its the test kit. Im using the salifert test kit and I think its the last part of the test kit. I realized that some times when you take 1ml of the last part the liquid goes to .85 - .80 ml thats a big gap so last night i made sure to write down where the liquid was and I will make sure its the same again today

 

[Psyops]

Don't you love these test kit errors? They drive me crazy sometimes also. You probably thought of this, but every time I had a weird or unexpected value, I always retest with the same kit for my own error. If It's still the same, then I borrow my friends. I never change anything until I have proven it's not test kit error. Hope this helps.

Alex

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I realized that some times when you take 1ml of the last part the liquid goes to .85 - .80 ml thats a big gap so last night i made sure to write down where the liquid was and I will make sure its the same again today

It should be exactly the same and be the volume of the syringe tip. Salifert designed it to have that air gap and that itself should not be a big source of error.

 

[xclusive252]

I understand that there is a air bubble in the syringe but .80 one time and .85 is a very big difference and its the same syringe. I will always check that from now on to make sure that the bubble is the same. >05 ml on those test kits is a big difference

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

OK, it should be the same, as long as you do not invert the syringe and it was empty when you started.