calcium at 700ppm!!!

ivy2dw7

ivy2dw7

Member
I just got a test kit for calcium (aquarium pharm. - no salifert here) and the levels are up around 700 in my 37g!!! I have 2 skunk clowns, a royal gramma, an eibli angel, 2 cleaner shrimp, 1 peppermint, 1 serpent star, 10-15 snails, 10 hermits, some mushrooms, green tree coral, toadstool, and a bubble coral. I use Oceanic sea salt and have a mix of some crushed coral (on bottom) and about 30 pounds of live sand plus about 40 pounds of live rock. I use a Millenium 3000, and a prizm skimmer along with 2 penguin PHs (550 and 660).
1. What could cause the calcium to be SO HIGH?
2. Is this in ANY way safe for anything in my tank?
3. How can I lower it!?
 
ivy2dw7

ivy2dw7

Member
Originally Posted by ivy2dw7
..I use Oceanic sea salt..
I also forgot to mention I originally filled the tank up w/just tap water but I only use RO or distilled water for water changes and top offs now.
 
who dey

who dey

Active Member
Originally Posted by ivy2dw7
I also forgot to mention I originally filled the tank up w/just tap water but I only use RO or distilled water for water changes and top offs now.
are you dosing the tank at all??? you definately need a water change and i would switch to an instant ocean what is your alk reading
 
ivy2dw7

ivy2dw7

Member
I don't have an alk test, my pH has always been at 8.2. I thought you couldn't switch salts...? Isn't there anything else I could do to lower the calcium aside from switching, I have a ton of this salt.
 
who dey

who dey

Active Member
Originally Posted by ivy2dw7
Would adding corals or anything else that needs calcium help to lower it at all?
yes, but it would take alot of them
 
who dey

who dey

Active Member
do a big water change, maybe someone else can help with this, ive never seen cal that high so i'm not exactly sure how to solve it. but big water cahnge should help
 
who dey

who dey

Active Member
Originally Posted by WHO DEY
do a big water change, maybe someone else can help with this, ive never seen cal that high so i'm not exactly sure how to solve it. but big water cahnge should help
also test the calcium level of your water before you put it in the tnak. could be the area you live in????? anyone else help
 
ivy2dw7

ivy2dw7

Member
OK, my RO system only does 2g at a time so I might have to wait until tomorrow and just get a few gallons of distilled. I'm going to search on the board for anyone else that has seen this before.
 
murph145

murph145

Active Member
sometimes the test results can be errored due to human fault or due to a bad test kit....
i had a test kit that kept giving me resulkts of around 1000 and i couldnt believe it.... thought everything was guna die!!! it ended up that the test had an active ingredient in it that expired almost 2 years prior... went back to the LFS they gave me a new one redidi the test and it came back at 460 so i would maybe check for an exp date or get a different test manufacturer kit
 
ivy2dw7

ivy2dw7

Member
Does Red Sea have pretty promising test kits? Really my only two choices for test kits are the Aquarium Pharmecueticals and Red Sea. I could call the local Petland and see what they have but it'll probably be the same stuff. I'm hoping that it's just a faulty test kit. I did the test twice to make sure I didn't screw up and I got the same results both times.
 
murph145

murph145

Active Member
i think they have reliable kits.... um i looked on the bottom of the box on in my case and it had a exp date..... how many times have u tested?? sometimes its our error those tritation test kits can be a pain...
if u dont see any of ur fish or corals suffering i wouldnt worry though
 
ivy2dw7

ivy2dw7

Member
Yeah, there isn't any sort of expiration date on the box and everything in my tank is fine as far as I can see. I read on one post that the water would be cloudy if the calcium was really high and my water is clearer than my freshwater tank so I think it should be fine. I just tested it twice, right in a row because I was so confused the first time because it took so long to get the solution to the color it was supposed to end at. So I did it again and watched everything I did really carefully and got the same results. Maybe I'll just have to shell out and order some salifert test kits from here, they're expensive though.. :notsure:
 
murph145

murph145

Active Member
well i would ask the LFS to take it back that its faulty or something like that.... see what they say.... often they will take it back to make u happy so id try that route
 
ivy2dw7

ivy2dw7

Member
OK, just looked at the prices on here. I could just get the Red Sea Marine lab off of here, it includes pH, alk, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate and I can buy the Red Sea calcium test kit at my lfs. I going to search on the board for any posts on Red Sea test kits to see if it's worth it. Then I can just pitch the test kits I have right now, or see how accurate they are (the pH, ammon, nitrite and nitrate) and let my boyfriend use it if it's pretty close.
Ook.... nevermind. Just saw a few posts, everyone in them says Red Sea test kits are inaccurate, hard to understand, and pretty much just suck.
 
lillibirdy

lillibirdy

Member
I just recently realized I have the SAME problem. I just got a new bucket of Coralife, and it is testing at 780 in my fresh water mix! Also using Aquarium Pharm. But I went and got Instant Ocean and it is testing 580. Can I use it at 580? Is there really no way to reduce calcium levels? Also I have been advised on here to use Salifert tests.
My tank with the OLD salt in it is testing out at 480, so it isn't the kit.......Heeelp us!
KathyW
 
murph145

murph145

Active Member
i cant see y ur calcium is so high in water that u just mixed??
ummm if u mixed ur water and salt correctly it should be fine.... hmmm i dont mix my water i use real ocean water so its hard for me to guess what the deal is..... but i wouldnt think if doing a 10% water change that using a dose at 580 would hurt....
do u have any corals or is it a fish only tank??
 
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