Any idea what could be keeping my calcium levels so low? My nitrates are stupid high right now (still cycling). They're showing 120ppm for Nitrates and about 320 for Calcium. Nitrates/Ammonia are 0ppm. Does the Nitrates have a big part in that? All I have is a small cleanup crew in the tank that have been there for a few weeks now.
Low calcium levels
- Thread starter SycoCell
- Start date
AlSimmons
New member
Being that your tank is still cycling are you sure some of those CUC members are still alive? This might have something to do with that high Nitrate reading. As far as the Calcium goes I wouldn't worry about that right now. Get through the cycle, let your tank stabilize for awhile and then worry about your Calcium level when you start adding corals.
Ron Reefman
Active member
Ca , alk and Mg are all related to each other and kind of tied together in a chemistry dance. I struggled for a long time as I hated chemistry (I'm a physics guy). You really don't need to worry about Ca yet. But after your tank is cycled and in the process of maturing (over the next 6 to 12 months) Ca, alk and Mg will all start to matter more and more. Measuring Ca without knowing what your alk and Mg levels are is almost useless unless you really know what you are doing and have a baseline history with your tank.
Ca and alk have a very direct relationship and a ratio that makes keeping them in the desired levels easier. Mg is also involved, but your system will use much less of it than Ca and alk. If you are going to keep LPS or sps corals these 3 are the building blocks of how they make skeletons. Using a good rees quality salt like Instant Ocean Reef Crystals rather than a fish only type salt like basic IO will help. Your water changes will keep you in the ballpark until you have more coral, then you will need to add all 3 by dosing, using a Ca reactor or using Kalkwasser.
Ca and alk have a very direct relationship and a ratio that makes keeping them in the desired levels easier. Mg is also involved, but your system will use much less of it than Ca and alk. If you are going to keep LPS or sps corals these 3 are the building blocks of how they make skeletons. Using a good rees quality salt like Instant Ocean Reef Crystals rather than a fish only type salt like basic IO will help. Your water changes will keep you in the ballpark until you have more coral, then you will need to add all 3 by dosing, using a Ca reactor or using Kalkwasser.
Good info. Thanks guys. I'll let the calcium hang out for now. My entire crew is still alive. It wasn't until about a month ago that I began running the tank. Prior to that, it was sitting with about 50g of water and live rock/sand for a few months with a few powerheads blowing around.
