What should my calcium levels be??

[GreenPuffers]

I have a 20 gallon thats been up for a year and I have a pulsing xenia frag thats doing great, but what should my calcium levels be to keep more soft corals and how do I test that??

 

[meklo_h2o]

You can get calcium test kits online or at your local fish store. I keep mine about 420 or so.

 

[dustin323]

Generally for a reef tank between 400-500. I keep mine at 500, LPS & softies. They make test kits for it.

 

[drummereef]

Get a Salifert calcium test. 400-450 is fine. Just try not to let it go below 380. Soft corals are quite forgiving when it comes to calcium. Make sure you are measuring alkalinity too. Target 7-11dkh. Again, Salifert makes a good alkalinity test kit.

Read this -
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.htm

 

[JamesJR]

The calcium levels won't have much of a role in growing soft corals like xenia and stuff like that. I would keep the calcium and alkalinity up so that you can grow coralline algae but you shouldn't have any real problems keeping it up.

 

[edsimmons]

I used Seachem test kits and cal was 420 when those test ran out i got the salifert kit (i;d heard good things)the cal read 700!I don't know which one is right but i'm thinking it's the salifert