Possible KH and Ca3 Problems

[mattguess]

How;s it going gents? First post on nano-reef. Been a member for while, but never posted. So here's the scenario:

I have a 20gallon high with a T5HO aquatic life fixture (1 true actinic, 1 coral plus, 2 aqua blue specials.)

I have a 10 gallon sump with chaeto and live rock, using filter socks. I'm using a WP 10 on full wavemaker and a Koralia nano 425 powerhead. Tank has been up for about 2 years. I added the sump, and corals around 6 months ago. I have 16 corals in all; zoa's, acan brains, trumpets, short tentacle plate coral, a torch, red and green birds nest , red cap chalice, and of course, my favorite, 2 different types of duncans. Don't worry, everything is frags. Its the whole idea of my tank. Start all the coral from frags, and watch my babies grow! I do weekly 7-10 gallon water changes and i use Instant Ocean Reef Crystals for salt.

Parameters are as follows:

Ammonia:0

Nitrate:0

Nitrite:0

PH:8.1-8.2

temp-75-78

KH: around 11

Ca3: around 460...

And they stay that way.. Literally, don't change at all. I've tested it everyday expecting a decrease. I've even waited 2 weeks to change the water. still nothing.. I've tested with salifert test kits, api, and my buddies Hanna checker. Still no change.. My birdsnest is growing, but it's long and skinny. I know its skinnier than its mother colony. I've also tested the par that my sps's are at, and it sits around 680nm.

I'm not expecting a huge drop in calcium or carbonate, but i am expecting something. So guys, anyone know what's going on??

 

[seabass]

The levels are high, but shouldn't be a problem. The water changes are helping to keep the levels steady. I suspect that growth is slow (just from the low consumption of elements). I would slowly, over time, increase the temperature to 82°F. That might help the growth rate a little. Do you feed the tank?

[Mariaface]

Do you have a lot of coralline growth yet? Coralline usually does a hell of a number on consumption, so if you don't have a ton of it trying to take over your glass you may not have too much to worry about. Reef Crystals does have high alk, calcium, and magnesium (within range, just on the higher side). If your corals are frags, it makes sense that they don't warrant a ton of consumption. And if you do a 10gal water change, that's 50% of your tank's supposed full volume (the actual percentage will be higher, because there are less than 20 gallons in there after sand and rock). The water changes would go a long way towards keeping alk and calcium up.

 

I agree with raising the temperature (is there a reason why you have a 3 degree range? It shouldn't really change more than 1F in a day) to speed up the inhabitants' metabolisms. And feeding your corals to give them a boost! Once or twice weekly should be good; try to feed a variety and appropriately-sized foods for each one.

[jservedio]

As long as it is stable and isn't making a huge mess out of your equipment through precipitation (like if your return pump stops every couple of months) there is no reason to change it. Eventually, it'll start dropping from consumption as things get bigger - but you are doing huge water changes so it won't be very evident. The only way in your case to lower your Alk and Ca would be to change salts - but there is no reason to do this unless precipitation is terrible.

 

I'm going to disagree with seabass and mariaface in regards to raising temperature for one very good reason - at 82 your "safety net" is much, much smaller. If a heater fails, your AC shuts off, a pump or lights put off unexpected heat, etc. and your temp is already at 82, it is going to get to unsafe levels much more quickly. I agree you should stabilize your temp and keep it as close to 78 as possible, but 78 is a really good number since you have a nice range above and below where corals can stay alive if you have a malfunction which means more time to catch it. My tank has been at 78F (as are many TOTMs) for years and I have crazy growth

[seabass]

My tank has been at 78F (as are many TOTMs) for years and I have crazy growth

But crank that sucker down to 75°F and watch that crazy growth stall. You might see even better growth at 82°F. And while you are maintaining a slightly larger safety net (with lower starting temps and slightly higher oxygen levels), that still won't protect you that much longer in the case of a heater or power failure. Many people split the difference and run their tanks at 80°F.

 

In nature, most corals tend to live in waters that are 83°F (or slightly higher). We tend to drop the temps in our tanks for our fish, and most of the reasons mentioned above. However, it doesn't provide as much safety as you would think, as the stress of a 4° spike in temp is almost just as severe when starting at 78° as it would be at 82°.

[Mariaface]

I think the failsafe against power outages and heater malfunctions should be warding against those things, not the temperature of the tank (which will directly affect the metabolisms of the organisms inside, and should be fine tuned). Get a battery backup for your essentials, get a backup heater and a temperature controller, etc.

[mattguess]

Well, after a few weeks of dropping WC's to 5 gallons week, and adding Coral-Vite, I have had fantastic growth and finally consumption of calcium and KH! Unfortunately, my wife decided she didn't want my bird's nest in the tank, so I had to sell it. I added another colony of duncans, and i drop to 440 calcium after 3 days. My kh drops just 1DKh in that same period. Finally, consistency. I didn't change anything, except for adding the coral-vite and chnged to 5 gallon WC's! Routine is key!!