calcium reading

julius

julius

Member
? i know calcium reading should be 450ppm the i tested mine 2day it read 550ppm is that good for a reef tank or is it kinda high should i try to bring it down back to 450ppm just wondering.
 
pbuck

pbuck

Member
It may become a problem, but I have had levels pretty comparable and have had no problems. Do you have any sps or lps?
 
T

thomas712

Guest
Julius - not that I too have not had my cal that high but here is what can happen if it continues. It can leave deposits, on your pumps causing them to burn out. It can also lead to Ca precipitation on the the substrate which can cause the sand or crushed coral to become hard, this will lead to an acidic areas that are leathal to your livestock if it ever gets exposed.
Since your calcium is high then what is your alkalinity at? With Cal that high it's probably driveing your Alk down.
Thomas
 
cmack

cmack

Member
What brand test kit do you use? I use A Hagen Master Test kit, and they consider 110-120ppm a good alk number for salt water marine aquarium. If you do the math (multiply by .056, this only comes out to 6.16-6.72 dKh which is a bit low. Make sure what your test kit considers good is actually Right...
 
q

q

Member
Since the tank has a very low calcium demand now it may take a couple of weeks at least for the levels to drop down. I am courious to know what your alk levels are. I would concentrate on getting the alk up and the Ca will take care of its self in the process.
 
julius

julius

Member
yep the test kit i have for alk it just says low,normal,and high doesent have a number reading like everything else i just go by the color and the cal is at 550
 
cmack

cmack

Member
You might want to buy a seperate ALK test kit so you can be sure, ALK is a very Important Factor in maintaining stable water parameters....
 
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