Raising calc to fast?

[dad]

Thanks everyone,
Yes it was Kip who did the article. I have read it but will go back and read again.
I was hoping he would see this post,

 

[dad]

Just some info; I now have it up to 190 in a 24 hour period, :cheer:
Not sure if that is good or bad really?

 

[steven's un]

You should really consider using oceanic salt for water changes. It has the proper amount of calcium and it dissolves much better that instant ocean. I just got some. It seems like its going to work out great. I just thought that would be helpful.

 

[dad]

ok one step here: the salifert test kit expires"28 sep 2008".
I add 3ml of water, 6 drops of cal 1, 1 spoon of cal 2, with 1ml drip until it turns blue. right?
I have no lfs to compare it or test it?
I am dripping around 3 gallons with 3 teaspoons of kalk every two days(rough guess). This is only around 1/2 the water evaporation. I use r/o top off water.
My ph and all other readings are fine?
I agree that something is not right here!
Should I test my r/o water or what?

 

[neoreef]

Originally posted by H2OENGR
I'd use some sort of Kent Calcium or something similar to get SOME cal back in there. You're pH must be fluctuating also, no? Ca helps add alkalinity which stabilizes pH. Keep an eye on your pH also if your Ca stays low.
Dear H2OENGR,
Your advice to Dad is to add Calcium. You did not suggest to him that adding Calcium Hydroxide would "add alkalinity", just that adding Calcium would do so. One should be careful when giving advice to use precise language. It is easy to be confused in this hobby.

 

[neoreef]

Originally posted by H2OENGR
Alkalinity is a measure of the buffering capacity of your water. Primarily contributing are Ca(OH)2 and Mg(OH)2 - calcium and magnesium hydroxides.
Sorry Neo, you can research all you want, but it'll take an engineer to figure out how to make it work.
Dad, I would strongly urge you to read about the benefits of a kalk drip. I think it was either Bang guy or Kip that did a killer article on kalk about a month or so ago. You may be able to find it. Good luck.
H2OEGR,
Nice to see you've been doing some research!
I agree that alkalinity is a measure of the buffering capacity of your tank's water, as would anyone with a basic (primary) understanding of saltwater chemistry. The hydroxides you mentioned contribute hydroxide ions to the water chemistry, but do not by themselves constitute a buffer. You have to have carbonate and bicarbonate (or borate) ions in the water to establish a buffer upon which the basic (pH basic) hydroxide ions can interact, as well as the CO2 (pH acidic) that fish and corals respirate. So you are at least partially correct this time.
I feel that alkalinity is a bit of a misnomer, in that when we measure alkalinity, we do not measure how many alkaline ions such as hydroxide we have. The definition of alkalinity is the amount of acid it takes to drive the pH of a buffered solution to 4.5 (not perfectly sure of this number, but I know I am close.) The more highly buffered the solution, the more acid it will take and the greater the buffering capacity. We wish for a high buffer capacity for our tanks so the pH does not fluctuate when our fish and corals breathe, or when the lights go out and our algae stop photosynthesizing and consuming CO2.
Kip did a fine write up on kalk dripping that I learned from, and encourage others to read, except for one itty bitty thing. He suggested that hydrogen ion from kalk contributes to the formation of carbonate when he meant to say hydroxide ion. Hydrogen ion is acidic, and would lower pH and you won't find much H+ in kalk, it being a very basic thing. Probably just a typo, 'cause unlike some, Kip knows his stuff.
Gentle H2OENGR, I hardly think there is a book you've read on saltwater aquarium keeping that I haven't. And I do hope you won't mind my suggesting to you that since I have yet to have a serious failure in my little 55, I can make it work.

 

[dad]

Now Now,
Let's get back to my problem, :thinking:

 

[dad]

Tomarrow I am going to do every test I have and post the results. Maybe the answer is in there some where?
Thanks.

 

[neoreef]

Sorry Dad,
This WAS your thread, and a baffling problem..I look forward to seeing your test results. I do hope we can help.
Best of luck!

 

[bang guy]

Sounds like an ALK/Ca balance problem.
Did you list your alkalinity or did I miss it?

 

[dad]

Ok here goes.
I went out and bought some new test kits(just in case the others were bad.
Test results:
alk=3.6
ph=8.6
nitrite=0
nitrate=2.5
calc=190
magnisiun=930
temp=80deg
sg=1.024
I stopped dosing until I find more info as of last night.
I have a total of around 255 gallons of water. I dip out two gallons a day and replace it with water i mix days ahead of time consisting of r/o water and instant ocean.
The r/o water is tested weekly with tds meter.
The r/o water also is hooked to my refugium with an auto float valve for evaporation.
I have about 300lbs of lr, a 4" dsb, a few shrooms, about 14" of fish(not including the 10" snowflake eel), 2-4' 50/50 and 2-4' actinics, and a 400w MH.
My refugium is a 55g(not sure of the overflow rate).
It has a few rocks and a 3" dsb.
I am running 4 powerheads at 300gph each.
Medium cleanup crew(ordered more snails)
Any Ideas or did I leave something out?
BTW hust added a LARGE skimmer last week to help out lol

 

[bang guy]

Originally posted by dad
magnisiun=930
Bingo! This level needs to be 1250-1350 IMO

 

[dad]

OK, I think I understand where I am confusing everyone.
I have a new drip system and not sure how to calculate it because of my r/o water being controled from a float switch.
When i do water changes; I turn it off. I have had it off for a few days trying to figure out how much kalk mix to add each day due to evaporation....aaaarrrrggggg
My new skimmer also has been taking away about 1/2 gallon a day.
Yes;I have been adding a mixture of "oceans blend calcium" and 2 tablespoons of kalk per 2 gallons at a rate of 75ml per hour rate.
Or at least I was till last night.
I will do as Kip says and get back in a week.
Thanks everyone! I still do not understand what I am doing wrong or what has happened.
I will also do test on the water I am dripping and give you the results.
I will just bump this thread when I can give you more info.
Thanks again..........

 

[dad]

Quick question: Should I be looking at my magnisium more than my calcium at this point?
Should I try to raise it?
Sorry guys. If I knew I would not ask.
Changing my handle to "mr confused"

 

[neoreef]

Thanks for an interesting thread. I hope this solves your problem, and now, I'm going to read up on magnesium. In this hobby, the learning never ends!
Best of luck.