Calcium question

[cschweitzer]

Why is it bad to have to high calcium concentration in reef tanks? It has not negatively affected my ph or my alk. What would be the best steps to reduce calcium content in the water without affecting the alk/ph and obviously not stressing the living organisms?

 

[DrBDC]

How high is high? Usually time and not adding any calcium supplements while watching alk and magnesium levels and supplementing those as needed. Water changes help but it takes a lot of water changing to really bring levels of anything down.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Why is it bad to have to high calcium concentration in reef tanks? It has not negatively affected my ph or my alk. What would be the best steps to reduce calcium content in the water without affecting the alk/ph and obviously not stressing the living organisms?

High enough could cause toxicity problems, but I'm not sure at what level that kicks in. Certainly not below 600 ppm that I've ever seen.

Elevated calcium does make it harder to maintain alkalinity, especially when the pH is normal to high, and if the magnesium is low to normal. That leads to low alkalinity and/or excessive precipitation of calcium carbonate on heaters and pumps, etc.

 

[cschweitzer]

I heard from someone that high calcium concentration can actually make it more difficult for animals to use it for their skelatons, is this true?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I've never heard that and do not think it true, except in that high calcium can lead to low alkalinity, which will make it hard to use calcium.