Trouble building Calcium

dmbnpj

dmbnpj

New member
I am having the hardest time building my calcium to reach 400ppm. Ive been using Kent Marine buffers A & B. I add about 3 capfuls of each during the morning each day and the calcium levels wont increase. I dont have many corals in the 75 gallon tank (few sps colonies/mushrooms/leather....). I have been water changing 15-20 gallons every 2 weeks and use Instant Ocean Salt. I have also been trying to build the calcium using kalkwasser drip(out of a 1 gallon jug each day). I know kalk is used to maintain calcium once you reach the proper level but I have been adding that also thinking it might help. But is hasnt. Any tips on what I can do differently?

My current calcium level is 325ppm. Im using Salifert test kit to test.
 
You might not be adding enough of the supplements. I don't know how concentrated those are, but often alkalinity and calcium supplementation take a fair volume to change.

I would try testing calcium, dosing your 3 capfuls, and testing again. That should tell you how much you need to dose to get the Ca to 400 ppm.
 
may want to check your magnesium. IO salts are known to have low levels. and you may need to up the dose of the 2 part. i would also suggest at looking into making your own 2 part by using Randy's 2 Part Recipe. much cheaper !!
 
I think paintbug is right on. I had a similiar situation with calcium not going up. If the magnesium is low then calcium will not increase. I credit the Instant ocean salt for this problem. Probably not the best salt for a tank with corals.
 
CaCl2 would probably work, as well, and might be a bit cheaper. The 2-part should work, though, as well.

It's possible that the magnesium is low. If you're not testing Mg, you could consider buying a test kit. I check it every month or two.
 
Is it necessary to always add calcium buffer, or once I reach target level will I be able to always maintain the correct level by only dripping kalk?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6644771#post6644771 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dmbnpj
Is it necessary to always add calcium buffer, or once I reach target level will I be able to always maintain the correct level by only dripping kalk?
Click to expand...
Calcium gets consumed by coralline algae, corals and clams the speed at which it is consumed depends on the load of animals in your system. In other words yes you need to keep a supplementation method going forward. By the way Alkalinity also gets consumed so your suplementation for maintenance purpose shall include both.
Another side note regarding adjusting Calcium only. Besides checking your Magnesium level it is very difficult to increase Calcium if you also keep on increasing alkalinity. What is your Alkalinity level? If as you mention you have been adding the two parts or Kalk they both add Alkalinity also so there is a good chance that your Alkalinity has increased above the proper and might be forcing Calcium precipitation. If your Alkalinity is higher than 12 dKh (4 meq/lt) you need to add a supplement that only adds Calcium like adding only the calcium part of the two part suplement or use Calcium Chloride (Kent Turbocalcium) which only increases Calcium without modifying your Alkalinity.
 
You might be able to use kalk-drip as the sole supply for your system. A lot depends on the calcium-alkalinity demand of your animals. Best to wait and see.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6644921#post6644921 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dmbnpj
my alk is 9dkh
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It is good, you may still increase alkalinity a bit say to 10 to 11 dKh and continue with Calcium additions. You do not need to add the two parts in the same proportion and to increase levels most provably you need to add more volume that the recommended by the manufacturer which is usually calculated just to maintain the levels.
Once your Alkalinity is at 10 to 11 and your Calcium at 400 to 425 then you can switch to Kalk or to add equal parts of the two part supplement to maintain both.
 
I use B-Ionic and kalk. The B-Ionic is for making up for limewater deficits. Sometimes my mix is a bit weak. The B-Ionic is easy to use, and the DIY seems easy to make, and shouldn't be any harder to dose. I'll be making some up when my B-Ionic finally runs out. I haven't been using much since I started dripping lime.
 
i just started using Randy's recipe myself. its harder to find the things needed than it is to make :D. just follow the instructions perfectly, and you will have success. i used b-ionic for about 6 months before. it gets expensive when your broke :D. i made my own for about $3 per gallon of the 2 part (1 gal of both parts). b-ionic is $54 per gallon (1 gal of both parts). you can get it online for around $30-$35. so it gets expensive, even quicker with a larger tank. i used Prestone Driveway Heat for the Calcium. you should be able to find it at home depot since your from NC too!
 
Im now trying out Reef advantage calcium....the bottle says add a cup with 2 tsp into the tank biweekly.....my question is can I add it more often than that(say daily) until i reach my target calcium of 400ppm?
 
Hmm, if that's a calcium gluconate product, you might see some cyanobacteria or the like with large doses. They will be transient, IME.
 
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