biggdriver
Member
I have a 65 gallon 110lbs fiji/tonga lr with 50%corralline alge coverage, no corals, 3 shrimp, a dozen snails, dozen hermits, orange star, overflow with sea swirl about 800gph flow. 30 gallon sump/refugium with red sea berlin skimmer..water is about 80degress, no phosphates, nitrites or trates..Use only ro/di water with reef crystals..400w MH and 2 true blue pc's 32watts?..running about 8hrs a day..24/7 in the sump with a 150 watt pc bulb..I am evaporating about 1 1/2 gallons of water a day and replacing that with only kalk water makeup at a dose of about 2tsps/gallon mix..The problem I am having is that I can't keep my alk above 3 and my calcium stays around 250 with all the kalk that is being added daily.I have no corals at all yet ..This should be more than enough kalk mixed to keep up the levels yet it still drops..I have started adding baking soda/washing soda and salifert calcium ALONG WITH the kalk daily and it is climbing slowly..This seems like an awful lot for not even having any corals in the tank..If I quit adding everything but the kalk mix my levels go back down..My corralline alge is starting to lose it's bright color.(hopefully the suppliments will help) but why should I have such a problem with it? I have had other tanks and have not had the problem I do with this one. The tank is about 4 months old and I do a water change of about 6 gallons a month..SHould I increase this?? I stumped..Everyone else I have talked to can't help me they don't know either..Any help would be appreciated