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Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 7/28/2007 10:23:58 AM
Posts: 38,
Visits: 381
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| Hi I am having a bit of a calcium issue.  My calcium is at 300 and my alk is about 2.75. Over the last month I have almost used both 16oz bottles of kent marine balanced calcium additive. About a two weeks ago I starting dripping kalk and using kalk water as top off water. I cant seem to get my calcium much higher then 300-320. I had some calcerious algea ( sp? ), the little green shoots. Not that many, about 15 or so. I pulled all these out 3 weeks ago in case they were eating all the calcium. I also have 7 sps frags in my tank, but they are all pretty small, all under 2inches. I have noticed a big improvement since I starting dosing calcium suppliments, the sps frags are growing quicker and coraline is spreading. Where's it going? I have a hard time beleiving that that the frags and coraline are using this much calcium. I do have a sponge that is growing rapidly on the side of my tank. Could this be using the calcium? 
Any ideas would be great. thanks
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Group: Moderators
Last Login: 11/19/2009 1:09:50 PM
Posts: 4,172,
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| you are most certainly having some sort of precipitous reaction... theres no way you are losing so much Ca and Alk per day that your levels stay that flat after dosing. To correct this you will need to do some large water changes... perhaps two 50% exchanges in the next 7-10 days to get things back on even keel. If you use purified water, be certain that you first aerate then buffer before salting (see the dicsussions on this topic under "Fav links..." the sticky atop this forum). After you dilute the imbalance, resume with two or three part Ca/Alk supplements, weekly water changes and/or kalkwasser (also see threads on this topic in the sticky mentioned above). Hard to say where the imbalance came from... excessive use of a liquid calcium product (Chloride based)... lack of reminerilizing RO/DI water... dunno without more info. No matter after you do the WCs and resume with balanced supplementation. No worries  |
.Anthony Calfo
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Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 7/28/2007 10:23:58 AM
Posts: 38,
Visits: 381
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| Thanks Anthony, I will be trying the steps above. Just out of curiosity, would a preciptation problem be obvious? I have never seen the water turn cloudy, no precipition on the rocks or sand, no sand turning solid, no colour change on rocks or sand etc.
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Group: Moderators
Last Login: 11/19/2009 1:09:50 PM
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| ah... very good question! I'm sorry I did not think to address it. No... it is not obvious. Usually not indeed. Contrarey to the legend and fear folks have of a precipitous "snowstorm"... it rarely happens that way. Like nerdy guys hooking up with supermodels, or boyfriends that enjoy taiking GFs to the ballet... only happens in the movies  Well... OK, maybe its more common than that  But in your aquarium, the precip can be happening without any apparent turbidity... just a flat/sinking of levels... just like when shoveling bicarb in to raise Alk but seeing the levels go nowhere (just fueling the reaction). At most you will see chalkiness to the substrate if stirred or perhaps residue in the sump (dust on the walls/floor like in your sea salt mixing bucket.) |
.Anthony Calfo
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Group: Moderators
Last Login: 11/19/2009 1:09:50 PM
Posts: 4,172,
Visits: 2,691
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