calcium and phospate questions

[JNeihengen]

Hey I have two questions, 1) what is the best to use to bring the calcium level up, right now I am reading 320ppm? and 2) what do i use to bring my phosphate level down, I am reading .5ppm right know?

 

My tank is a 14g biocube, stock lighting, mj 900 pump w/hydor FLO, 15lbs of live rock, 20/lbs of live sand and

3lbs of live rock rubble in my second chamber. Live stock includes some green star polyps, some purple mushrooms, blue ricordia, small rock of zoanthids and a small nephthea(i think???) with 2 peppermint shrip, 2 hermit crabs and 4 snails.

[FPM29]

1)

 

and

 

2)

[lakshwadeep]

For the corals you listed, you don't really need to do much besides water changes. I'd get that live rock rubble out if it is accumulating a lot of detritus (could be a cause for phosphates). Also, what, when, and how do you feed your fish/corals?

[MR.FEESH]

Chemi-Pure Elite removes phosphates if you're looking for a quick fix. But as ^^ implied, use good, pure water.

[hcsceo]

Test your water source for phosphates. If you have them there use a DI unit on your RO system. Chemi-pure and Purigen is awesome also. Calcium, KH and Magnesium are all intertwined so make sure you are testing for all of them. Hope this helps.

 

Steve

[JNeihengen]

Thanks for the help guys!!

[er1c_the_reefer]

kalkwasser will increase calcium and decrease phosphates. dangerous if you don'tknow what you're doing though.

[bdare]

I agree... You current stock list does not include any inhabitants that require Ca supplementation. If you get stoney corals at some point you can use this calculator to figure out how much you need to dose:

http://jdieck1.home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chemcalc.html

 

The 3 best ways to reduce phosphates are:

1) Use a good water source for makeup water. Preferably with 0ppm TDS.

2) Run a fuge. Macro algae will compete with nuciance algae for phosphates and nitrates.

3) Run GFO (Granular Ferric Oxide) in a reactor such as Two Little Fishies.

 

kalkwasser will increase calcium and decrease phosphates. dangerous if you don'tknow what you're doing though.

Kalk does not increase Ca. It's only used to maintain levels. This is because you can not add Kalk fast enough, due to Ph spikes, to increase it safely. The reccomended method is to raise your Ca and Alk to the appropriate levels before you start dripping Kalk.

[Khayman]

I use a calcium additive daily instead of once a week. Just obviously use a smaller amount for daily dosing. I do 6 drops a day in my 24G. I have been doing this for about 3 weeks and all seems fine. As far and your phosfates I am sorry to say i have no experience there.

[BKtomodachi]

Kalk does not increase Ca. It's only used to maintain levels. This is because you can not add Kalk fast enough, due to Ph spikes, to increase it safely. The reccomended method is to raise your Ca and Alk to the appropriate levels before you start dripping Kalk.

How else do you maintain levels of a decreasing element, other than increasing it?

[lakshwadeep]

How else do you maintain levels of a decreasing element, other than increasing it?

 

chemistry instruction ftl

[bdare]

How else do you maintain levels of a decreasing element, other than increasing it?

There is a difference between increasing and maintaining. As I stated in my original response, due to the ph spikes it is not reccomended / suggested to use Kalk to increase levels.

[BKtomodachi]

All I'm trying to say is that "maintaining" calcium levels is just another way of creating very very small depletions and additions.

[bdare]

All I'm trying to say is that "maintaining" calcium levels is just another way of creating very very small depletions and additions.

Very very small is not the same as making a jump from 360 to 420. I don't know why you always want to argue with me about this stuff.

[BKtomodachi]

Very very small is not the same as making a jump from 360 to 420. I don't know why you always want to argue with me about this stuff.

Sure, I understand that.

 

I don't want to argue btw. I just don't like blanket statements or generalized things, I suppose.

[er1c_the_reefer]

you can use kalk to increase ca if you supersaturate kalk in solution using vinegar, albiet slowly.

[kgehrke]

Using better salt for water changes will bring up Calcium levels also.

[bdare]

you can use kalk to increase ca if you supersaturate kalk in solution using vinegar, albiet slowly.

 

You do it and let me know how it works out for you.

 

Have you ever tried this? Do you know what the effects of vinegar are in your tank? Do you know how extra saturated Kalk can get using vinegar? My guess is you don't know the answer to these questions. The fact of the matter is you can drive a car with your feet if you want to, but that doesn't make it a good idea.

 

There is a reason the "Blanket" statement in this hobby regarding Kalk is that it's only used for "MAINTAINING" levels. It's because you can roayaly fail your system if you do. Now... you clowns want to nit pick what I'm saying and tell people, "yeah... go ahead. Use Kalk to increase Ca" you are just making yourselvles look foolish.

 

The fact of the matter is you can in fact get more kalk into solution using vinegar, however the vinegar will also act as a food source for bacteria. A bacteria bloom could starve your tank of oxygen and kill all your inhabitants. Also, you can get slime coating everything in your tank and cloudy water. Thus, arbitrarily telling someone looking for advice on how to use Kalk to use vinegar to help saturtate his kalk to increase Ca, when Calcium Chloride or any over the counter Ca supplement will work just fine is LUDICROUS!

[er1c_the_reefer]

You do it and let me know how it works out for you.

 

Have you ever tried this? Do you know what the effects of vinegar are in your tank? Do you know how extra saturated Kalk can get using vinegar? My guess is you don't know the answer to these questions. The fact of the matter is you can drive a car with your feet if you want to, but that doesn't make it a good idea.

 

There is a reason the "Blanket" statement in this hobby regarding Kalk is that it's only used for "MAINTAINING" levels. It's because you can roayaly fail your system if you do. Now... you clowns want to nit pick what I'm saying and tell people, "yeah... go ahead. Use Kalk to increase Ca" you are just making yourselvles look foolish.

 

The fact of the matter is you can in fact get more kalk into solution using vinegar, however the vinegar will also act as a food source for bacteria. A bacteria bloom could starve your tank of oxygen and kill all your inhabitants. Also, you can get slime coating everything in your tank and cloudy water. Thus, arbitrarily telling someone looking for advice on how to use Kalk to use vinegar to help saturtate his kalk to increase Ca, when Calcium Chloride or any over the counter Ca supplement will work just fine is LUDICROUS!

 

 

chill out, jeez. i do use kalk and vinegar, along with 2 part, as my only source of calcium supplementation at the moment. the affects of acetate ions from the vinegar are debatable at best: you claim it can cause a bacterial bloom that'll kill all inhabitants, but i can say that it provides a carbon source for denitrifying bacteria to grow, similar to vodka dosing. i'm just saying that kalk will lower phosphates and help increase calcium, but i also stated a caveat that kalk is dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. way to get all offended.