Calcium way too high

[speedbump]

i seem to have an issue with my calcium being way too high. i use the API test and my number of drops goes off the chart. i can only assume it is somewhere in the 540+ range. i am using Red Sea Coral Pro salt and have the tank at 1.025 currently. water is at 78F-79F with a PH of 8.2-8.4.

 

i mixed up a couple cups of new water to test. distilled water mixed with the salt to 1.026 took about 30 drops to turn purple.

 

the tank seem to be doing ok. the one fish is ok, the snails are ok, the crabs are ok, various algae are growing, and pods-o-plenty. the tank is one month old today.

 

how do i resolve this? should i change salts and do a water change?

[lakshwadeep]

What is your alkalinity?

 

Once you've found your alkalinity, use this article as a guide:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm

[speedbump]

What is your alkalinity?

 

Once you've found your alkalinity, use this article as a guide:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm

 

 

Salifert says:

 

KH at 7.7

Alkalinity at 2.74

 

reading now...

[speedbump]

ok, im a little confused here.

 

i donno if that article directly addresses the issue. in that article i fall into Zone 4 being on the far right. it suggests a water change. but then i would just be adding more unbalanced water to the tank.

 

further down it suggest an alkalinity supplement. however i am within the "target zone" for alkalinity already.

 

i cant see where it discusses high calcium. will adding a alkalinity supplement bring down the calcium reading?

 

 

:huh: :huh: :huh:

[lakshwadeep]

You still have a little room with alkalinity since the red box goes all the way up to 4 meq/L. You could do the baking soda method to get the alk to 3.7 meq/L. But, I don't think you should stress out too much.

 

I think when it says that water changes are unnecessary, it means that your calcium will be used up (provided you have calcium-hungry animals/algae).

 

The alkalinity recommendation was probably from the article stating that high calcium usually goes with low alkalinity.

[speedbump]

You still have a little room with alkalinity since the red box goes all the way up to 4 meq/L. You could do the baking soda method to get the alk to 3.7 meq/L. But, I don't think you should stress out too much.

 

I think when it says that water changes are unnecessary, it means that your calcium will be used up (provided you have calcium-hungry animals/algae).

 

The alkalinity recommendation was probably from the article stating that high calcium usually goes with low alkalinity.

 

just so i understand this correctly:

 

so adding baking soda (are we talking arm&hammer baking soda?) will bump my alkalinity. per that article, the alk and calcium will eventually fall along that line as tank inhabitants consume it. at some point my alkalinity will once again be low but my calcium will still be high. so i add more and start again, zig-zagging my way into that red box.

 

additionally, how do i deal with water changes? water changes will simply move my calcium back up to where it is now.

[S197]

I was getting high coral pro CA as well, not as high as you though, it also has some really low alk. I mix a 50/50 batch of Coral pro and reef crystals, and they balance me out, since RC has high alk but a little lower CA. Btw.... I also have a 28G HQI and S197 GT... how ironic

[speedbump]

I was getting high coral pro CA as well, not as high as you though, it also has some really low alk. I mix a 50/50 batch of Coral pro and reef crystals, and they balance me out, since RC has high alk but a little lower CA. Btw.... I also have a 28G HQI and S197 GT... how ironic

 

maybe i will try that on my next water change.

 

S197 FTW!!!!

[bdare]

I would also check how you are measuring SG. Hopefully you are NOT using a hydrometer. If you're using a refractometer, are you calibrating it with RO/DI or calibration fluid? I would also have someone double check you Ca values as those seem quite high for that salt mix.

[speedbump]

I would also check how you are measuring SG. Hopefully you are NOT using a hydrometer. If you're using a refractometer, are you calibrating it with RO/DI or calibration fluid? I would also have someone double check you Ca values as those seem quite high for that salt mix.

 

i use a refractormeter that was calibrated with calibration fluid. should i buy another kit or take it to a local store?

 

BTW: the bucket says that the calcium should be 450 at 1.023.

[beeker]

if it was me i wouldnt dose any calc a day or two, i'd only dose the alk solution, two days of dosing just alk will definatly bring your Ca down, but always test after you do just the alk to see what it dropped your Calc too, just keep an eye on it everything should still be ok

 

or do 2 small water changes and see what the levels are after the first change and after the second change, then you can either dose or not dose for a day and let the levels go back to a normal range

 

i keep SG at 1.025 and my Ca at 450+ and never have had any issue's, my alk is around 10-11 DKH though

[bdare]

if it was me i wouldnt dose any calc a day or two, i'd only dose the alk solution, two days of dosing just alk will definatly bring your Ca down

 

How will just dosing alk DEFINITELY bring your Ca down?

[disaster999]

are you using RO/DI water?

have you tried using another test kit?

 

did you shake the bottle #2 for the calc test before you add the drops?

[speedbump]

are you using RO/DI water?

have you tried using another test kit?

 

did you shake the bottle #2 for the calc test before you add the drops?

 

 

- distilled water

- not yet

- yep

[The Propagator]

Buy new salt. ( different brand ) problem solved.

I suggest Seachem reef salt. I use it. Its cheap, its balanced and it works well for me.

[E36 328i]

I would use another test kit for a comparison to the original. Also do two or three tests with the API kit to rule out error/contamination.

 

Do you rinse your test tubes out with distilled or RO/DI water? There's a possibility of contamination if you use only tap water. Also make sure you rinse the test tubes with tank water before filling it (per API's instructions).

 

EDIT:

 

I also use this particular brand of salt and I get very consistent readings on my calcium of usually in the 420-440 range. But I found out when I started dosing magnesium to kill off some pest algae that the magnesium range is a little low (1275) so when I upped the magnesium the calcium spiked to 480. So it may not be surprising that the calcium is reading high--you may wanna check your magnesium levels.