calcium reactors

[jrthomas40]

yeah i have switched to reef crystals to see if that would help so i dont have to dose so much calcium...i will probably just mix some kalk and calcium for my top off (not together)...i usually replace about 2 -3 gallons every other day so one can be kalkand the other calcium

 

[jrthomas40]

i was thinking... i read somewhere that calcium levels can be hard to maintain if you dont have enough magnesium in the tank...could that be one of my problems cuz i dont supplement Mg

 

[murph145]

magneisum could affect the balance between alk and calcium... im not sure it would cause ur low calcium i dont dose magnesium too often but it would be best to get a test kit first to test Mg b4 dosing for it...

 

[jrthomas40]

ok...i have been supplementing calcium for the last week and i am still at 300 and a KH at 179...i dont know what else to do...i guess i will be tryin to do my own kalkwasser

 

[murph145]

what test kits are u using??
are u sure ur testing correctly??
i really only like salifer test kits...
something seems wrong IMO

 

[jrthomas40]

i use api to test my calcium...i even took a sample of my water to one of the LFS told them it usually test about 270 or so then he tested it and was shocked because it was 260....i have started using the ESV b-ionic buffer system this week to see if it will get it up but i think in order to get it as high as i need i will have to do something else....this tank has been running since january and i probably put 75-80% of my old water from the 45 i upgraded from but my coraline algae is barely growing.....i am running out of ideas

 

[murph145]

shouldnt be that low if u dont have any calcium demanding animals....
get u some salifer test kits get an alk a magnesium and a calcium kit....
check all with those then see whats up....
if ur dosing it should respond something is going on....
look at ur powerheads pumps and heaters is there any white precipitate on these... if so the calcium could be coming out of solution in your tank

 

[jrthomas40]

no precipetate on the power heads so i will get those kits and try dosing magnesium with my calcium...i have some corals and some inverts but none that are high in calcium demand

 

[murph145]

yeah it just seems like somethings off i had a bad ca test kit b4 and it was outdated but registered a ca reading of like 800ppm