Increasing Calcium Levels - Help !!!

[coffeeboy]

I need help with my calcium levels!!! Here's my situation. I had a 29 gallon with a 55 watt power compact and everything was going great for about a year. My calcium levels were right at 400. Then, I moved to a new location and setup a 55 gallon with the Formosa power compacts (4 x 65 watts). Other than the tank, the lighting was my only real change in setup. I've got a sea clone skimmer, about 30 pounds of live rock, UV sterilizer (currently turned off), Millenium 3000 filter and 3 small pumps for current. I do a 5 to 10 gallon water change every week. Water temp is about 82, the alkalinity is 5.0, no amonia, nitrates or nitrites. PH is 8.2. I've been adding Kent's Liquid Calcium (double the recommend dose) and dkH buffer about everyday.

 

I can't get the cacium level to budge off 250 !!! THis is my problem.

 

I just recently started adding Kent's Tech CB Part 1 and 2 (in place of the liquid calcium) as well as Tech M(agnesium). I'm a little scared to use Kalkwasser because I've heard it is so easy to overdose.

 

I currently have in my tank a deresa claim, a HUGE tood stool, a large rock covered in purple star pollups, about 10 green mushrooms, a bubble coral, Frog spawn, open brain coral, brown button pollups, cabage coral, candy coral and 3 fish. My corals are doing ok, but I'm sure they'd be doing a whole lot better if I could get my calcium levels up to 400 - 450.

 

ANY THOUGHTS ON WHAT I'M DOING WRONG? Thanks in advance.

[Dave ESPI]

Dosing with kalk is not that hard, you need to be concerned more with alkalinity, as kalk will drop it. I personaly do not use kalk; but only rarely.

Try using ESV B-ionic Tech A-B its a far superior product than the Kent. Also the Fact that U are adding Magnesium is good. A LOT of people dont know that Mag is essential to Calcium uptake.

ESV also has a Mag supplement that is great ( I use both products from ESV) Also perhaps your coraline algaes are starving and are sucking up all the avail carbonates. this will give a false reading. Get a GOOD alkalinity test kit. if it reads around 11-13 DKH, your chances are your calcium is higher than it is reading. you might want to try NOT running the skiller all the time. Calcium precipitates phosphates and other organics out of the system.. perhaps the Ca is going out of your water collumn?

ALSO try putting the old lights back on for a few days and see if the CA reaction rate changes...... perhaps with the brighter lights, the corals are synthesizing it faster.???

[Goofnut]

I use Kent's Liquid Calcium, personally, but all of my reading and research has indicated that between Kalkwasser and supplements..use a calcium reactor To prevent calcium from precipitating the phosphates and organics, you might try using some Poly Filter to remove them. I've used it with great success.

 

Also, I'd recommend that you calibrate your calcium test kit to make sure it isn't contaminated, etc. The Seachem Reef Status Calcium test kit I recently bought has a reference solution in it to verify your results. Barring that, take a sample to your LFS and have them do a full test to verify all of your readings once a month or so. Good luck!

[NanoReefer53]

heh heh, who here has the moola for a whole CA reactor set-up ? Kalk is an easy way to go, I do it. Do u have an auto top-off ? Just mix 1 tsp or kalk into 1 gal. of RO water and let it sit for a day or two. Siphon out the clear part and use it for top-off water. Have you tested your magnesium levels ? Might need to keep adding more if needed.

[tyoberg]

A lack of magnesium will limit how much stuff you can dissolve in the water--shouldn't be a problem unless you've given up on waterchanges. There simply isn't much in the tank that uses it.

 

Next, your corals make calcium carbonate. This means you need calcium and carbonate (alkalinity). If you care about one, you really should care about the other.

 

Your water can only hold so much stuff in solution. If your calcium is high, you will simply not be able to raise alk. And likewise, if your alk is too high, you will not be able to raise calcium. Good alk numbers are 2.5-4.0meq/l (7-11dKH). 5.0meq/l isn't too high, but it's a bit up there. Waterchanges will tend to bring things back towards NSW levels.

 

I believe Liquid Calcium is 100,000ppm (check me on this, the website doesn't say). To raise a 29 gallon tank from 250ppm to 410ppm is:

1ppm=1mg/l

(410-250 mg/l) * 29 gallons * 3.785gallons/1l = 17,560mg calcium ion.

 

17,560mg / 100,000 mg/l = 176 ml Kent Liquid Calcium

Now that's just to get the increase and does not account for daily consumption by your corals/coralline.

 

Lastly, calcium test kits have a habit of being way way way way wrong--especially red sea. I trust salifert and seachem. RedSea is suspect at best.

 

Ty

[coffeeboy]

Thanks to all of you for your ideas. I agree the calcium reactor is a little much for my wallet but I think the real key is taking a water same to the best store in town and have them check the levels to see how on or off my test kit is.

 

I bought a dosing kit that I'll go ahead and open and try the Kalk. Any thoughts on how quickly I can safely increase the calcium using kalk and how much does that amount to on a daily basis (ball park for a 55 gallon tank)? I've never used kalk. so I don't completely understand the dosing parameters.

 

As for the the alk. I had it at 3.5 because I know the alk and calcium work against each other. However, a person I spoke to told me I needed to raise the calcium at the same time increase the alk. to at least 5.0 so that is why I'm where I'm at now.

 

Thanks again...

[tyoberg]

coffee--kalk is good for maintaining a balance once you've gotten there. It will add 0.5meq/l for every 10ppm calcium--which is fine if your levels are good, but in your case, it's only going to push your alkalinity way way up and do very little for your calcium.

 

First, check that calcium measurement--it sounds fishy. If anything, use the Liquid Calcium stuff--you just need to add more. Assuming your test kit is correct (a big leap), it will take you over 100ml to get there, just keep going. I would be adding 15-20ml/day at least, if not 30ml.

 

Ty

[coffeeboy]

I actually started using the Turbo Calcium because I don't want to mess with the Kalk. if I don't have to. It is cheaper than the liquid calcium which is what I've been using and since I have to kick it up so high I thought it would be better and cheaper. According to your thoughts, I made the right decision. I just started hitting it with that so I'll keep you posed if I ever get it up to 400. Also, I've go 2 different test kits and they both read the same. So either they are both wrong or I'm in the spot I think I'm in.

 

Thanks again. I appreciate you taking the time to respond. At this point I need all the help I can get.

 

Have a great day.

[tyoberg]

Originally posted by coffeeboy

So either they are both wrong or I'm in the spot I think I'm in.

 

Have a great day.

 

FYI, the recommended dose on TurboCalcium will give a ~10ppm increase for the volume of water they state.