high calcium api test kit

floridabob

floridabob

Member
hi all have a 75 gallon reef tank,
and to tell you the truth not doing as many water changes as required maybe 15 gal per month
have 20 gal refuge with mangroves.diy protien skimmer in display have a few mushrooms a colony of zoos and 6-8 assorted fish
question is just purchaced api calcium test and tested twice because it read 600 ppm using instant ocean to me this is not
..possible people dose calcium daily to keep at 500 ANY OPINIONS -COMMENTS

THANKS FLORIDABOB
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
Are you using ro/di water for your water changes and top offs?
It doesn't really sound like you have anything in the system that utilizes much calcium so the concentrations build up.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Hi, just tossing out s few thoughts....

Are you certain you did the test exactly as instructed...one drop at a time, a little shake and add another drop...I have seen the LFS fellow drop a whole bunch of drops in at a time, and when I pointed out that wasn't how the instructions read, he said it didn't matter...but it does.

I no longer trust API kits, I know their nitrate test is completely unreliable. There is the possibility that the kit is expired, there should be a date on the kit somewhere, they are only good for a year.

Next, another possibility is if you are using anything like Purple up, it's pure calcium, and if you don't know that (says it right on the bottle) and use it with a normal calcium level, it will make the calcium levels climb.

Can you take your water into the LFS to have them check it with any kit besides API? This is why I like Seachem kits, they all come with a regent so you can double check to make sure the kit is good.
 
floridabob

floridabob

Member
yes rodi for 5-6 years
I know if anything mangroves in fuge suck up more calcium than any of the soft corals so im told
 
floridabob

floridabob

Member
no additives except salt for water changes did exactly as instructed 1 drop at a time both tests both had readings of 600 and over.
test was purchaced today and has an experation date of 5/2016
im not new to this hobby have my reef tank for 6or 7 years. been slack on testing figured calcium would be around 200 -300
was amazed when it read 600
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by floridabob http:///t/396307/high-calcium-api-test-kit#post_3530743
no additives except salt for water changes did exactly as instructed 1 drop at a time both tests both had readings of 600 and over.
test was purchaced today and has an experation date of 5/2016
im not new to this hobby have my reef tank for 6or 7 years. been slack on testing figured calcium would be around 200 -300
was amazed when it read 600

If I were you...I would get another test kit (not API) and see if it reads high as well. The API kits are just so unreliable. Years ago that was the kit to get, I don't know if they changed their formula or what, but I no longer trust them at all.
 
floridabob

floridabob

Member
thanks flower... could ph and alk afect it being high havent tested yet as of today
will let you know numbers if its abnormal
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
+1 to Flowers' comment. If you haven't already then I'd definitely re-test again. Those kits require so many drops and shaking I can't tell you how many times I've gotten distracted and questioned my count.
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
Well it's certainly a lot higher than what you need that's for sure. Unless you're seeing a problem with the live stock or calcium is precipitating out of solution I wouldn't stress it too much. Just do some water changes and see if you can get those levels down a bit. Wouldn't hurt to check Mag. either.
 
floridabob

floridabob

Member
yes 2 quills within the past 6 months all filters,resin and membrane..... do you think its the resin causing problem or lack of changing ???
 
beaslbob

beaslbob

Well-Known Member
I would test alk and magnesium per the holmes-farley diy 2 part.

I suspect your mag and alk are low.

bringing up the alk will cause cal to drop.

but then the cal will drop over time anyway and is probably not causing any harm anyway.


my .02
 
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