why is my calcium rising?

[aliciajoshltjt]

so my calcium was waaaaay high so i have the corals in qt at the lfs and have been trying to lower it and raise my pH. Well my pH is slowly rising and the calcium was also getting in check but all of a sudden with no addition of any extra calcium . . . .any idea why this is happening?

 

[BristlewormKing]

What salt were you using and were you adding anything to the tank?

 

[aliciajoshltjt]

salt water comes from lfs and havent added calcium in two weeks. the only thing ive added is ph raise and buffer.

 

[jay24k]

Don't add any ph buffer. It is only temporary. Can you give us a list of your parameters? Just as a FYI, I ran at a ph of 7.9 for 6 months with zero issues. Sometimes it just takes awhile for a tank to get it's stability up. Buffer will also raise your alkilinity up so you need to keep an eye on that as well.

You might want to also test the water from your LFS. It could be their water that has high calcium. IMO, I recommend just making your own. Depending on the store, you won't know if their water is even that good.

 

[aliciajoshltjt]

i trust the store that im going to i generally watch them mix the water.
salinity: 1.024, Ppt: 45.7, pH: 8.04, Nitrate: 2, Calcium: 467.7

 

[davy182]

467 is nothing to worry about on calcium. I have accidently raised mine to 700 before and no ill effects besides being a pain cleaning calcified impellers.

 

[aliciajoshltjt]

hmmm ok because it went down to 467 and then went back to like 560 but there is no calcium being added to the tank so its just confusing to me what is causing the fluctuation

 

[davy182]

are you using a salifert test kit?

 

[davy182]

I use api test kits for kh, Calcium, nitrate, amm, ph, phos, they may be cheap but I have never gotten a bad test kit.

 

[Swirlygig]

my calcium has been high lately 560 with the same issue...nothing to worry about...if your corals look bad then get em to QT...If they look good then leave em...Mine look fine...

 

[JUICE!]

I keep my calcium between 475 and 525 .....100% of the time!

I run low alk(8 dKH or so), but high CA and Mg.....this seems to work best for me

I overshot my 75G real bad a couple times with no ill affects.

 

[smpolyp]

Sirlygig: I would agree on having your salt tested on every bucket or bag no matter who mixes it or what trype of brand. Randy Homes stated that he would never do a test result on salt due to amount of changes they go through in such a short time. Also testing the saltwater level after mixing for 24 hrs. is best.
If you every get a calcium reading over 550 ppm it can show that your test kit maybe off. This is due to the natural ionic balance of saltwater. A reading of 560 ppm is not far off that number so your test kit maybe fine but you can always have it double checked. Most calcium test kits have about a 50 ppm accuracy range. What is your alkalinity level. With a calcium level maxed I would think it must be low. Also checking your magnesium level. Proper magnesium levels help your calcium and alkalinity balance. Also if you are adding anything such as coralline boasters it can raise your calcium.

aliciajoshltjt: If you are getting a nitrate reading on a fresh batch of salt most would say not to use the salt. Some salts are dehydrated seawater and can have a nitrate level on a fresh batch. Or it maybe from poor R.O. water. If your calcium level is peaked out if will take several additions to bring it down. If you tested your calcium level just after you dosed alk/pH buffers you will see this lower calcium level until the tank balances out. It is also better to track the alkalinity level and not the pH level. PH levels can swing naturally from day to day. Also you can have a lower pH level and still have a good alkalinity level. This is from either a tank with low flow and or a tank that is in a house that has a higher co2 level. Higher co2 are expected in summer time since most housed are not aired out till winter or fall.

 

[JUICE!]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12620215#post12620215 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by davy182
I use api test kits for kh, Calcium, nitrate, amm, ph, phos, they may be cheap but I have never gotten a bad test kit.

that's cause you go through them so fast, David!


what are you testing? like 8 times a day now?

J/K

the API tests have never done me wrong either....they are certainly close enough!

 

[jay24k]

If your calcium is going up, then it is from something you are adding. There is no other way around it unless it is a bad test kit.

I keep my alk around 8-9dkh and my calcium about 450. I would say a 467 is not that big of a deal. I've had it go up past 500 with no issues either. Just let it drop naturally. I would still however stop using buffer. You can naturally raise your ph by raising your alkilinity though.

Another thing to test is test your ph of your tank. Then take a glass of your water outside and stir it up really good. Test it. It's possible it could be an excess of co2 in your tank. That was one of Randy's recommended tests on one of the reefkeeping articles. But in all honesty, I wouldn't sweat the ph thing. It's better to have it a little lower then it fluctuating a ton anyway. You can always try using some macro algae and a light in a sump to help raise it.

 

[JUICE!]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12621331#post12621331 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by smpolyp
Sirlygig: I would agree on having your salt tested on every bucket or bag no matter who mixes it or what trype of brand. Randy Homes stated that he would never do a test result on salt due to amount of changes they go through in such a short time. Also testing the saltwater level after mixing for 24 hrs. is best.
If you every get a calcium reading over 550 ppm it can show that your test kit maybe off. This is due to the natural ionic balance of saltwater. A reading of 560 ppm is not far off that number so your test kit maybe fine but you can always have it double checked. Most calcium test kits have about a 50 ppm accuracy range. What is your alkalinity level. With a calcium level maxed I would think it must be low. Also checking your magnesium level. Proper magnesium levels help your calcium and alkalinity balance. Also if you are adding anything such as coralline boasters it can raise your calcium.

aliciajoshltjt: If you are getting a nitrate reading on a fresh batch of salt most would say not to use the salt. Some salts are dehydrated seawater and can have a nitrate level on a fresh batch. Or it maybe from poor R.O. water. If your calcium level is peaked out if will take several additions to bring it down. If you tested your calcium level just after you dosed alk/pH buffers you will see this lower calcium level until the tank balances out. It is also better to track the alkalinity level and not the pH level. PH levels can swing naturally from day to day. Also you can have a lower pH level and still have a good alkalinity level. This is from either a tank with low flow and or a tank that is in a house that has a higher co2 level. Higher co2 are expected in summer time since most housed are not aired out till winter or fall.

Oh....sure....like we'd listen to someone who plays with chemicals all day! dang.....I'm in a playful mood this morning.....must be the super long weekend....I think I might actually be feeling good today!

Good info, for sure. If I tested nitrates in my fresh saltwater, I'd pour it down the drain....no sense in adding nitrates to my system...

and it does take a bit for fresh saltwater to stabilize, as Russel stated. I usually let me salt mix for a full day before I try to add calcium or Mg...etc. and then let mix a few hours more before double checking it before adding to the tank. Some salt mixes quickly, but several state to "mature" for 24 hours

I don't think I've tested my ph in Over a year. I can test 4 times in one day and get different results throughout the day/night. I'd go MAD trying to keep it in one spot....but it never goes too high, and rarely dips on the low side.....unless I have a bunch of people over the house.

 

[aliciajoshltjt]

ok the good news is that my water was adjusting for the past few weeks and then getting close to perfect. last nights test happened to be a fluke and i got my parameters done again and im just about as close to perfect as i can get i think