ph, cal problems, help!!!

[rosco]

I've been having troubles with raising my ph and cal. My ph is stuck around 7.8 and 8.0 depending on how much additives (seachem reef complete , calcium, and iodine). My calcium cant get past 360 -380 and my alk. is high. I dont have a decent alk test so theres no exact #s and I also dont have a magnesium test kit. Ive tried ph buffers and my shipped macroalgae arrived dead and its been hard to get it locally. I only have 2 tomatoe clowns and 2 damsels with a combination of 40 snails and crabs in a 55 gal. tank is 6 months old please help

 

[jugger]

i would get a good ALk test kit....one that actually gives #s.... i had a cheap one that had a color range that indicated low-ideal-high and when i finally got a real one it was measuring the ALk to be LOW.... and i also think that because if your haveing a hard time getting Calcium up then your Alk is probly low because they work together like a sea-saw to balance each other..... and what do you use to increase the ALK???