Extra CAlcium to use with 2 part???
- Thread starter spawn2
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What salt mix are you using and what salinity do you keep the tank at? The apparent excess calcium demand may come from a low calcium mix or a low salinity, or both. 
I'm using RBS. As of the last month, after starting this thread, & correctly compensating sal. by means of Re/Re tank water with r/o water, the tsnk has been @ .026. when checked it tested out @
440 Ca
9.5 Alk
1350 Mg
I just did those tests with a brand new box, as I was using it to do a 30% WC. This issue has been the bain of my reef's existence for the last 8 months.
440 Ca
9.5 Alk
1350 Mg
I just did those tests with a brand new box, as I was using it to do a 30% WC. This issue has been the bain of my reef's existence for the last 8 months.
OK, maybe you just somehow made up the calcium part less concentrated than expected. In any case, if you have confidence in your kits, just add more of the calcium part.
Zero.
Calcium can only precipitate as calcium carbonate, and so for each 20 ppm of calcium decline that way, alk has to decline by 2.8 dKH.
Since there is not much alk in seawater to begin with, the only way for calcium to decline a lot is for you to be adding large amounts of alk supplements that are unbalanced with calcium additions.
Since that does not appear to be the case here, precipitation is not the issue causing calcium to be continually low.
Calcium can only precipitate as calcium carbonate, and so for each 20 ppm of calcium decline that way, alk has to decline by 2.8 dKH.
Since there is not much alk in seawater to begin with, the only way for calcium to decline a lot is for you to be adding large amounts of alk supplements that are unbalanced with calcium additions.
Since that does not appear to be the case here, precipitation is not the issue causing calcium to be continually low.
if you believe the test result (I tend to not, since I don't think corals will be growing well at 200 ppm calcium), then something is wrong with your solutions or the dosing rates.
Bear in mind, however, that for calcium to decline by 200 ppm, alkalinity MUST decline by 28 dKH. Obviously, there is not that much there, so you needed to overdose the alk part over the calcium part during that time by 28 dKH, which is a serious misadjustment, if true.
No, I would not base the alk dose on 12 h of drop.
But it is an OK place to start and adjust it if you find the alk is too high or low after a couple of days.
Yes, manual boost of the calcium is needed if you really believe that 200 ppm is accurate (I'm not convinced).
But it is an OK place to start and adjust it if you find the alk is too high or low after a couple of days.
Yes, manual boost of the calcium is needed if you really believe that 200 ppm is accurate (I'm not convinced).
You'll need a lot of calcium addition. I wouldn't boost it more than 25-50 ppm per day.
This shows how much you'll need:
http://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chem_calc3.html
This shows how much you'll need:
http://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chem_calc3.html
What exactly did you use to make it?
What did you use for the alkalinity part?
What did you use for the alkalinity part?
Well, assuming they sold you thre right things and you made it up as speciofied, it should be OK.
Have you used that calcium kit on some new salt water to see if it is reading correctly?
You can dilute the supplement with RO/DI and test with a calcium kit if you want. It should be about 36,000 ppm in calcium, so diluting one part supplement into 99 parts RO water should give about 360 ppm calcium.
Have you used that calcium kit on some new salt water to see if it is reading correctly?
You can dilute the supplement with RO/DI and test with a calcium kit if you want. It should be about 36,000 ppm in calcium, so diluting one part supplement into 99 parts RO water should give about 360 ppm calcium.
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