high calcium

horsemen

horsemen

Member
tank is 120 saltwater tank
how do i lower my calcium it was a little high but i had high nitrates. so i did a water change about 30 gal and now my calcium is off the charts. the nitrates are high still also.
at what point is to much calcium? i know the new salt adds more calcium to the water. so i am at a loss on how to lower the nitrates with out making my calcium go even higher?
 
horsemen

horsemen

Member
Originally Posted by JerryAtrick
http:///forum/post/2889250
Water changes are the safest and easiest way. How high is your calcium?
i dont know for sure, i have the api test kit the top of the chart is 25 drops = 500 ppm it took me 28 drops
so if i do the math to ad to the chart its 560.
how dose water changes lower the calcium? i know there is more calcium in the new salt so wouldnt that just raise it more like the last water change?
full test rusults
caulcium is about 560ppm
kh is 12
ammonia was 0 or less then .25
nitrate are high 120 ppm
phosphate 1.5
ph 8.2
Specific Gravity - 1.023
________________________________________
12o gal
50 pounds of fine crushed coral
50 pound live sand
60 pounds live rock
fish
9 damsels diff kinds all about 1-2 in in size
1 lawnmower
1 sand star
est 20 hermit crabs
9 snails
about 5 baby snails very tiny
___________________________________
7 mushroom corals
_____________
lights are T12 but are the 3- 20k high intensity 1 blue-03 all 48 in long
______________________________
filtration
1 110 gal hang on the back
1 100 gal canister filter
1 10 gal over flow with 10 pounds of refugium mud with about 3 pounds of live rock rubble
 
jerryatrick

jerryatrick

Active Member
If you take out water that is high in calcium and add water that is lower in calcium you are essentially lowering calcium. Assuming that the water you are adding has a calcium level in the 350-450 range. Your ALK and PH levels seem fine so personally I would not worry about the high calcium.
Do you test magnesium? If not, do your fish look as if they have become lazier?
 
horsemen

horsemen

Member
nna the fish seem to being doing about the same maybe the lawnmower but he never moved around much other then feeding time he likes his rock and stays on it most of the time.
every now and then ill seem him biteing that the glass or swiming arond the rocks.
but everything else seems about the same.
should i do a 50% water change to lower the nitrate and caulcium. or just stick to the 10-15% range every other day.
forgot to to reply to the question . no i dont have a magnesium test i can pick one up tho if the local store has one.
i know the star cannt take a big change thats why i said every other day
 
jerryatrick

jerryatrick

Active Member
The starfish would not do well with drastic changes. Do yourself a favor and have someone else check your nitrates. That is high and hopefully it is a bad test kit. Have you figured out why your nitrates are that high? Overfeeding?
 
rotarymagic

rotarymagic

Active Member
Get a fuge or turf scrubber and quit using tap water to drop the nitrates and phosphates. get the salinity up to 1.025 and your starfish and the other inverts will thank you.
 
horsemen

horsemen

Member
Originally Posted by Rotarymagic
http:///forum/post/2889373
Get a fuge or turf scrubber and quit using tap water to drop the nitrates and phosphates. get the salinity up to 1.025 and your starfish and the other inverts will thank you.
i have a phosphate remover pad.
and i have the 10 gal i know to small for my tank refugium under the tank with mud......it was a after thought i am moving with in a yr and have a 35 gal one ill add then but right now no way to get under the tank.
i get most of my water from a water dispensing machaine....you know the ones that 25-50 cents a gal.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
The Calcium is high but just let it come down naturally as it gets consumed.
Make sure your RO filter is operating properly.
*** edit, I see you use a vending machine. What is the TDS of the water from there? Is it supposed to be RO water or drinking water? You need to test that water, vending machines can be worse than tap water.
 
horsemen

horsemen

Member
Originally Posted by JerryAtrick
http:///forum/post/2889311
The starfish would not do well with drastic changes. Do yourself a favor and have someone else check your nitrates. That is high and hopefully it is a bad test kit. Have you figured out why your nitrates are that high? Overfeeding?

mabe a little they eat most if not all of it with in 5-10 min they hide shoot out grabe a moth full go back eat and repeat lol.
i use flake food most of the time and about 2 times a week i give them frozen food. nor thats more for the crabs to make sure they have enough to eat.
i have another test kit ill use to check the nitrates with. i have a kit that has like 5 test in it and a single nitrates test i had b4 i got the kit
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Originally Posted by horsemen
http:///forum/post/2889561
mabe a little they eat most if not all of it with in 5-10 min they hide shoot out grabe a moth full go back eat and repeat lol.
i use flake food most of the time and about 2 times a week i give them frozen food. nor thats more for the crabs to make sure they have enough to eat.
i have another test kit ill use to check the nitrates with. i have a kit that has like 5 test in it and a single nitrates test i had b4 i got the kit

Stop using Flake food if you're concerned about Nitrate & phosphate, it's the worst thing you can feed as far as water quality is concerned.
Feed what they will eat in 5 - 10 seconds, not 5 - 10 minutes.
 
jerryatrick

jerryatrick

Active Member
Originally Posted by Bang Guy
http:///forum/post/2889638
Stop using Flake food if you're concerned about Nitrate & phosphate, it's the worst thing you can feed as far as water quality is concerned.
Feed what they will eat in 5 - 10 seconds, not 5 - 10 minutes.
I would also feed every other day until everything is straightened out. Do a search for "home made food".
 
horsemen

horsemen

Member
Originally Posted by Bang Guy
http:///forum/post/2889638
Stop using Flake food if you're concerned about Nitrate & phosphate, it's the worst thing you can feed as far as water quality is concerned.
Feed what they will eat in 5 - 10 seconds, not 5 - 10 minutes.
well they look at it and make sure no one is around for at least 5 min then like i said they will make a dash for a bite go hide look again then another dash that why it takes about 10 min its not like they are eating for that long.
thanks for all the help
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Originally Posted by horsemen
http:///forum/post/2890179
well they look at it and make sure no one is around for at least 5 min then like i said they will make a dash for a bite go hide look again then another dash that why it takes about 10 min its not like they are eating for that long.
thanks for all the help
You really should let them get a bit more hungry then. When you go to feed them they should be VERY happy to see you.
 
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