Unable to raise calcium

[impur]

I've been having this problem for a few weeks now. I've gone thru 16oz of Kent Liquid Calcium in 10 days and still cannot raise my calcium. Over the last 2 days i've added 10 capfuls of it in an attempt to get it to rise. That is 5 times the recommended dosage and it won't budge. What is going on?

pH: 8.6
calcium: 270ppm
alk: 8.3
mag: 1320
SG: 35ppt

My system is a 60gal cube, 20gal sump about half full. I use kalk in my ATO at 2 teaspoons per gallon and do weekly 7gal WCs. My tank is mostly LPS, with some small SPS the largest being about 3".

I have doubled checked my test kit and it is accurate.

What else can I do to raise my calcium?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

What else are you dosing?

Probably just not adding enough. Forget the recommended dosage. To boost 80 gallons by 50 ppm takes 150 ml of that product. Most kits won't reliably notice less than a 10-20 ppm boost.

What salt mix are you using? Some are low and will drag down calcium with each water change.

This calculator shows how much is needed:

http://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chemcalc.html

 

[kgross]

There has to be something else going on. With 60 gallons of total water,10 oz of kent liquid calcium should have raised your ca 130 ppm.

How and where are you dosing the liquid calcium into the system. Near the kalk output? high calcium levels with a high pH can cause a precpitation event.

What is the calcium level in your freshly mixed water? and what salt mix are you using?

 

[impur]

I'm dosing the alk solution from your DIY 2 part every other day. Thats it. Since i ran out of Kent Liquid Calcium i'm now using Kent Liquid Calcium Reactor the last 2 days. Looks like they just add some magnesium and strontium to it.

I'm using Reef Crystals salt.

 

[impur]

There has to be something else going on. With 60 gallons of total water,10 oz of kent liquid calcium should have raised your ca 130 ppm.

How and where are you dosing the liquid calcium into the system. Near the kalk output? high calcium levels with a high pH can cause a precpitation event.

What is the calcium level in your freshly mixed water? and what salt mix are you using?

I'm adding the capfuls from the bottle straight to my sump. Yes that is where my kalk goes in as well. I do have some light precipitation on the sump walls, and i have started adding the solution to the main display in smaller amounts until the dosage is complete.

Fresh SW tests at 420ppm, Reef Crystals.

 

[kgross]

Start dosing a little slower into the main tank and see what happens. It still sounds like between your kalk and calcium you are precipitating out so your calcium is staying low.

 

[impur]

Yah that makes sense, and using the calculator Randy linked i'm barely putting in a quarter what i should be to raise my calcium. I really thought i was over doing it.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

i'm now using Kent Liquid Calcium Reactor the last 2 days.

That won't do anything. It is an utterly useless product when added directly to the tank.

The Liquid calcium were just being used up by forming calcium carbonate skeletons and such. So if you want calcium higher, just add more in a single dose or two.

 

[impur]

i'm now using Kent Liquid Calcium Reactor the last 2 days.

That won't do anything. It is an utterly useless product when added directly to the tank.

The Liquid calcium were just being used up by forming calcium carbonate skeletons and such. So if you want calcium higher, just add more in a single dose or two.

Gotcha thanks Randy, i'll go pickup some more Liquid calcium and start searching for supplies for the calcium part of your 2 part DIY recipe.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

:thumbsup:

good luck.

 

[impur]

Calcium is now back in line, i have a little more to dose today but all is well. Corals all look fine.

Thanks again Randy.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

:thumbsup:

Happy Reefing.