How much 2pt. is too much? Something has to be wrong.

[PowermanKW]

Tested this morning.

Alk 3.0 meq/l
Ca 450
SG 1.0265
PH 7.98

I'm going to do a 15g WC and switch to Salifert test kits. I'm using Seachem right now, but might as well get on the same page as everyone else.

 

[PowermanKW]

Well that's great. I cleaned up my tank. Did a 14g WC. let everything settle out, and tested with my new Salifert kits.

My Seachem calcium kit is probably a year old now. My Seachem alk/mg kit is new.

So here are the new #s after two consecutive tests with the same results using the high resolution test.

Ca 550
Alk 10.2-10.6

So it appears my Ca was off quite a bit. My Alk comes out to 3.6 meq/l compared to the 3 I tested this morning.

So I am not going to dose Ca till it comes down to 420. I'm going to shoot to keep my Alk where it is at.

 

[WLachnit]

PowermanKW, I'm curious, how were you dosing calcium carbonate?

 

[PowermanKW]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15089616#post15089616 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by WLachnit
PowermanKW, I'm curious, how were you dosing calcium carbonate?

I think you are referring to me being a smart alec. I wasn't "dosing carbonate", it's just that I was dumping in so much that it was just precipitating out as carbonate.

Also, I didn't just wake up one day and decide to dose 180 ml in a low consumption tank. I had been testing and asking people along the way if it was too much. I was told I was fine. It wasn't until I started calcifying my pumps I said enough.

 

[WLachnit]

Ahhh...I get it. In the past, I had felt the same way with mine. Which is why I was asking.

 

[Paco]

FWIW, I shoot for about 3.5 Meq/L and 380 to 400 CA, using Kalk. I'm not sure you need it any higher. That 550 number's pretty out of hand! Good call to let it settle out over the next days.

 

[PowermanKW]

I'm going to test Calcium every day at the same time to see what type of consumption is actually taking place. Then I will have a better idea of how to proceed.

 

[WLachnit]

Is there a handy Kalkwasser calculator?

Edit: I'll post this as a separate thread as I don't mean to hijack this thread