Got a few ?'s.

snipe

snipe

Active Member
Alright I knew something was up in my tank because one of my featherdusters is acting all droppy. I did a test and I got back
PH 8.4
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 40 "I think over feeding!"
Alkalinity alittle high at 140
phosphates .1
calcium 800 "YIKES"
and amonia 0
Now if I do a 20% waterchange will it help stabalize all this? I know how my calcium got so high. What will high calcium do? Will it kill stuff being high or is it just not good? As for nitrates im not worried about them I know a water change will help with that. And I have started lowering my food output lol only every other day. My phosphates will be gone soon because im getting a filter "a tap water filter". What about alkanlinity will a water change help it?
 
annanymous

annanymous

Member
IMO i dont see how a water change will lower Ca. the new made up water will have Ca elements in it already to replenish the depletion of it, so you will take some Ca out of your system, but you will also add more Ca to the system.
though i have no idea how to help ya out. are u sure its 800, i've never heard of such high Ca. can u retest it just in case?
 
tinyreef

tinyreef

Member
waterchanges would lower the calcium concentration. you're replacing x-volume of sw that's at a higher calcium concentration with x-volume of freshly mixed sw at a lower concentration. it's the whole basis of pollution control thru dilution.
altho i agree with anna that 800 is hella high for calcium. it should precipitate out of solution especially with your alk so high too. i'd suspect (like anna does) that there's something wrong with the test kit or procedure.
 
tinyreef

tinyreef

Member
hmm, actually your alk is ok. i thought it was 14.0 dkh. i often read faster than my brain can digest. :notsure:
 
snipe

snipe

Active Member
yeah my alk isnt to high it is suppose to be around 125 at the most and its at 140 so it isnt that bad. I know how my caclium got to high. I use coral vite and it has high amounts of calcium in it.
 
reefnut

reefnut

Active Member
What type of test kit are you using Snipe?? Like the others with a alk of 140 a PH of 8.2 I can not see the water holding 800ppm calcium...
 
snipe

snipe

Active Member
Hagen master test kit. It was working fine my calcium has been 400 for ever and my ph is 8.4 I dont know if that makes a diffrence but it is 8.4. I think the problem was the coralvite it is really high in calcium and I put to mutch in there I think that is why its high. Im doing a water change tomorrow have the water getting ready right now and we will see if it is lowered after the change or not.
 
snipe

snipe

Active Member
I feel about retarded. On the hagen test kits for some of the bigger tests "phosphates, iron, nitrate,amonia" have 3 tubes of chemicals to tes on every test the small tube of chemicals in #3 well wouldnt you know it on calcium it is #2. I was using the small tube to do the multiplying buy "adding the one drop at atime" so I just wasted alot of calcium test for nothing.
I retested and my calcium is 460. It could be lower since it was 23 drps times 10 "you cant do like half a drop or anything". But my calcium is good just alittle mixhap with placing the chemicals in the right place lol.
 
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