Help with calcium

[jeeves]

How do you dose in the nano world? I only have 6.6 gallons and my calcium is at 340. I have SeaChem Reef advantage calcium. It says each 5g will raise 12mg/L and not exceed 10g/150L a day. So the way I figure it, I can't exceed 1.65g per day - meaning I can only raise my calcium 3.96mg a day?? By that math it will take 3 weeks to get my tank up to 400. This can't be right.

 

I am new to this chemistry so any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks

[Deano]

Most people with nano's myself included maintain chemical balance by doing water changes weekly and not add anything else. Unless your salt is weak in some area. That said 340 ppm calcium is nothing to get stressed about. In fact that is about where most salts will put you. If you want to raise it and maintain it at a higher rate then taking a few weeks to get there is the prudent way to go. Keep in mind that Calcium, alklinty and mag levels all play hand in hand keeping each other in balance. If you raise your calcium levels dramaticallly your alk levels will most likely fall, without supplementing them as well.

 

He is the best source on the web for the information on maintaining reef chemistry. Advanced Aquarist

[Mojorizn]

Do ya have stony corals that need the Calc?

 

If not, it's a non issue other than experience at keeping levels within recommended ranges...also a good thing.

 

I don't see a problem with raising your Calc 60points over a couple days. If your water clouds up, you'll know ya went too fast. Just leave it be if that happens and all will return to normal in a day or so.

 

best-o-luck

[jeeves]

thanks... I am learning about those relationships you refer to. I think my problem is that my pH had dropped last week. And in a effort to raise it, I overshot and pushed my kH to 18! So this is prob throwing off calcium. As for magnesium, it is at 1260, so I am also trying to bring that up.

 

I don't really want to dose... I would rather have success like many on here simply with weekly water changes. I feel maybe because my levels are off i am starting with a handicap... so if I correct the problems to start I can just stick with the water changes and lay off the chemicals.

 

thanks

[pumarjr]

I have a BC29 and add a capful of cal, iodine, iodide, and mag, every other day. I also dose kalk at least once per week. I have not check my levels in a while as everything is doing very well, water is always crystal clear and I've had no issues, I also do a weekly water change at about 5gal using reef crystals. The only issue I could say I have or had was with ph, now that I don't check it, AT ALL!, it's always right on. Lol. I once heard that you only have issues with ph when your checking it, the way I resolved my ph issues was to stop checking it completely, now it's always right on the money. My tank must be doing fine if I'm able to recover corals from a near dead state and within 2 weeks to have them fully recovered and colorful as ever. Maybe it's due to the amount of corals I keep in my tank that allows me to add the amount of supplements I do, but even with what I add, all that's included, I'm having no issues at all.

[Mojorizn]

Heard -

 

I have to dose ALK / Calc as I have a mix of everything. Even with WC's.

 

Bear in mind that dosing ALK alone is not the cure for low PH.

 

I was given good advise a long time ago, "PH isn't an issue till you start checking it".

 

In my experience, that has proven to be true.

 

LOL...pumarjr...took the words right outta my mouth