Does having high Calcium levels lower your KH? (1 Viewer)

[KyleH]

I haven't been really good lately, so my water problems may have been there for a while. I finally got off my duff when I got tired at looking at my pulsing xenias not doing anything--even though everything looked okay.

I found out that my calcium dropped down to 350, so I grabbed a little kalk and *bam* it went up to 500 with very minimal dosing (a little Kalk goes a long way). But the xenia looked so-so and the LPS did not look a "full" as they use to when they get a bunch of kalk, so I checked and noticed that my KH was at 7.

I got the KH up to 8, but for the last few days, I have been trying to get it up to like 9 or 10 without much success. And I don't want to over do it. I'm dosing a little KH each day as it seems to be slipping 0.5 each day. When it is dose in the morning, it seems to stay at about 8-8.5 for the day, but the next day, it slips a little to 7.5-8.

The xenia are better (never got them "pumping" like they are in the LFS), the LPS are plump and probably "stoned" from the calcium. (ha! pun intended).

My calcium is about 450-500 without any slippage. Does anyone have a suggestion on what may be absorbing some of the KH? I am thinking it is simply reacting to the excess calcium in the tank and falling out. If that is the case, I will let the calcium slip down a little. Is anyone else running a high calcium levels having problems with KH?

My ph is on the higher side of normal with the help of the Kalk, that is why I am not really worried. And it seem the corals are doing great, so I am not really needing the KH buffering. But, the xenia seems to like it just a "little" more when the KH (seachem's reef builder) is being dripped into the system.

I need to grab a Magnesium test to see if I am missing something there. So besides checking magnesium, and understanding that high calcium levels will lower KH, are there any suggestions from anyone?

-KyleH

 

[toefu]

the first thing i'd do is prep for a water change. Depending on your salt, you should kind of know what your alk and calc levels of new water should be and test your new water to ensure your test kits are working as they should. Then go ahead and do a normal 10-20% water change, and try to tweak it from there. most tanks really don't need to do mg dosing if you keep up with your water changes, and by the sounds of your tank (lps + softies), I see no real reason your tank would be eating up so much nutrients.

 

[Mark L.]

What type of salt do you use? I was having problems with my magnesium being low when I was using Oceanic salt. First thing I would do is get a magnesium test kit and get your level to 1350(or close) if it isn't. Once you have your magnesium at the correct level this article will help you determine what zone your Alk and Cal are in and offer solutions to achieving balanced parameters.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/11/chemistry

 

[Jims Place]

Your alk will drop much faster than cal will.

 

[Clifton]

you should really not adjust your levels with Kalk unless both are low, it will raise pH if you do it too fast and it a balanced additive so they will both go up together, get some baking soda to up the KH. And then find out how much your KH is dropping per day and that should be your Kalk dosage per day., if it still goes uneven you will have to dose more baking soda if Calcium stays high or more Calcium if it starts going low while your KH is high.

 

[merkurmaniac]

Kyle, my bet is low mg. ITs like a three legged stool with those three. Tuff to get the others right if one is far off. If you want, I could probably swing by one day this week and test your mg for you. I have a test kit for mg, and I'd like to see you arduino stuff anyways. (I spoke with you at the Marsh LED mtg.) I work fairly close. Fm1960 and cypress station.

btw, I dose CA and Alk dy pump and Mg (by hand occasionally, as req'd) DUnno about dosing KALK.

Richard

 

[KyleH]

Thanks all. I think my corals are just consuming the KH. It is a small nano, and it is over populated with LPS.

I am really bad with water changes, and I supplement to get by until I can do some water changes.

The KH seems to continually drop. My magnesium was 1250. I finally got the test kit for mg, which isn't too low. However, I am dosing it up to 1350, but mainly to get try it to reduce a small hair algae outbreak. My calcium is staying high at 450, though.

I dropped a little sack of chemi pure elite (has some gfo) to take care of any phosphates for the hair algae.

-KyleH