Is my Calcium Low?

[fio1022]

I currently have a calcium reactor running on my 120 reef.
Alkalinity 9.2dkh,Ph 8.0+-,mag 1250, calcium 390.
Im trying to grow sps corals.experiencing very little to no growth.
Calcium level seem low to me.How canI increase levels without additional supplementation?
I stopped using limewater due to the high Ph swings daily.
I thought a calcium reactor was a balanced system adding Alk,and calcium.

 

[bmullikin1]

I 2 part dose, but w your alk at 9, calcium 390, sounds about right. 400 for calcium is the standard. how about your lighting, phosphates etc.

 

[Jeremy Blaze]

If it stays at 390 I would not worry too much.

Calcium reactors actually do a better job maintaining ALK, then calcium.

Calcium Reacter name sells better than alk reactor.

Many tanks with heavy calcium demands are running both calcium and kalk reactors.

 

[ginger7286]

IMO if you are wanting sps your calcium needs to come up a few points. I run mine between 420-450. I don't need to add calcium often. My water changes keep that number up for me. Also check your salt. I use Seachem reef salt and that keeps the calcium up so additives are not needed. I'm not pushing seachem but different salt manufacturers use a different amount. I think there may be a thread here that compares the different brands out there and what they offer.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

You may find this useful in determining what levels you want to target:

Reef Aquarium Water Parameters
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.htm

 

[Karlen84]

IMO if you are wanting sps your calcium needs to come up a few points. I run mine between 420-450. I don't need to add calcium often. My water changes keep that number up for me. Also check your salt. I use Seachem reef salt and that keeps the calcium up so additives are not needed. I'm not pushing seachem but different salt manufacturers use a different amount. I think there may be a thread here that compares the different brands out there and what they offer.

I agree with what he said! my water changes keeps up all my levels. Just make sure you test your water source. to know if you are adding in water with good levels.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I agree with what he said! my water changes keeps up all my levels. Just make sure you test your water source. to know if you are adding in water with good levels.

Source water? You mean fresh water for top off or water change salt wwater?

Are you claiming that you grow sps corals and do not supplement calcium or alkalinity?

Calcium may work that way if you do a lot of changes with certain mixes which have excessive calcium, but I don't believe you can maintain alkalinity that way unless you are changing more than 15% daily, and with a lot of SPS, that need is more like 50% daily. The alkalinity must be coming from somewhere.

 

[Karlen84]

Source water? You mean fresh water for top off or water change salt wwater?

Are you claiming that you grow sps corals and do not supplement calcium or alkalinity?

Calcium may work that way if you do a lot of changes with certain mixes which have excessive calcium, but I don't believe you can maintain alkalinity that way unless you are changing more than 15% daily, and with a lot of SPS, that need is more like 50% daily. The alkalinity must be coming from somewhere.

Well I'm not saying don't dose any. if you have a full sps tank then obviously they're gunna consume more.. however,in my nano, I had a good amount of sps that grew pretty well without dosing,just kept up with water changes.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Well I'm not saying don't dose any. if you have a full sps tank then obviously they're gunna consume more.. however,in my nano, I had a good amount of sps that grew pretty well without dosing,just kept up with water changes.

Did you ever measure alkalinity just before a water change? I'll bet it was low enough that it was slowing the SPS from growing.

 

[fio1022]

Thanks for the replies
Plan 1.Use limewater again but less saturated,along with the ca reactor.
OR
Plan 2.Use two top off systems,along with the ca reactor.
First top off(w limewater) to shut off when Ph gets too high.
Second top off (w/o Limewater)to finish topping off.
Does either plan seem like a good approach?

 

[bamf25]

My thought is that your values are fine AFTER you do the water changes, but if you measure than you just may be seeing you valves after you have corrected them. What are you values right before you do a change? If these value are low, and you tank is experiencing wide flucuations that may be why the sps is not doing well. Yes, your values need to be right, but for sps and lps they must also be consistant. This can only be achieved by manual daily or twice daily dosing, dosing pumps, kalkwater, and calcium reactors. If you are correcting "bad" water by weekly changes of large volumes, you are have a tank that slowly depletes all week, then shocking the corals with the water change.

On my system, which is a light to moderately stocked maily lps/sps, I use about 1 dkh of alk and 5 ppm of calcium per day.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

On my system, which is a light to moderately stocked maily lps/sps, I use about 1 dkh of alk and 5 ppm of calcium per day.

That's pretty typical, and to attain that level of addition, you'd need to do a 20% daily change with a salt mix that had alkalinity about 5 dKH higher than the tank level. So if the tank is at 7 dKH (about as low as I'd want it to go) and you did 20% daily water changes with 12 dKH water (about as high as is available), you'd get the 1 dKH addition per day.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Thanks for the replies
Plan 1.Use limewater again but less saturated,along with the ca reactor.
OR
Plan 2.Use two top off systems,along with the ca reactor.
First top off(w limewater) to shut off when Ph gets too high.
Second top off (w/o Limewater)to finish topping off.
Does either plan seem like a good approach?

Both seem fine, but it is unlikely the pH will get too high.

A common approach is saturated limewater for all top off, and then a CaCO3/CO2 reactor (or two part system) to pick up any additional need for calcium and alkalinity.

 

[fio1022]

I use a DIY automatic water change system that I've been using for several years.Approx 1 1/2gals daily.Slow and consistent
Values probably wouldn't be different before or after,but I could check.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Also, if you want to boos the calcium, boost it one time with calcium chloride (there are many brands or DIY), then use one or more of the methods above to maintain it. They generally can't be used to boost calcium a lot because they also add alkalinity and alk will get too high if you try to use them to drive up calcium.

 

[bamf25]

That's pretty typical, and to attain that level of addition, you'd need to do a 20% daily change with a salt mix that had alkalinity about 5 dKH higher than the tank level. So if the tank is at 7 dKH (about as low as I'd want it to go) and you did 20% daily water changes with 12 dKH water (about as high as is available), you'd get the 1 dKH addition per day.

Which would be expensive as hell, and too much work also. lol Thus why I personally use kalkwater and 2 part daily. I have dosing pumps, but have not had time to set them up yet.

 

[bamf25]

I use a DIY automatic water change system that I've been using for several years.Approx 1 1/2gals daily.Slow and consistent
Values probably wouldn't be different before or after,but I could check.

But as Randy just stated (we have the same size systms roughly), if your use is anywhere near mine that would need to be 20 gallons per day to maintain levels, not 1 1/2.

 

[fio1022]

Both seem fine, but it is unlikely the pH will get too high.

A common approach is saturated limewater for all top off, and then a CaCO3/CO2 reactor (or two part system) to pick up any additional need for calcium and alkalinity.

The problem I was having with saturated limewater is wide PH swings.
7.9-8.5+.
Thats when I simply starting using ca reactor alone.
Maybe dosing pump delivery rate set too fast.:worried:
This whole reef keeping thing is just an ongoing science experiment.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Why would saturated limewater cause wide pH swings? How are you dosing it?

It won't increase the swing if added 24/7 as an ATO, and if added only at night, it will actually reduce the pH swing.

I use limewater only and my pH swing is less than 0.1 pH unit.

 

[fio1022]

Why would saturated limewater cause wide pH swings? How are you dosing it?

It won't increase the swing if added 24/7 as an ATO, and if added only at night, it will actually reduce the pH swing.

I use limewater only and my pH swing is less than 0.1 pH unit.

Same as you ,24/7 on ATO.
How can you only add at night if on an ato?
I'm thinking my doser pump was set too fast?
Thanks