salt
- Thread starter aspen
- Start date
jumpfrog
Active Member
20 dkh?
That's off the chart!!
It may be worth your while to take a sample to your LFS and ask them to test for calcium and alk. You may be chasing a problem that doesn't exist.
Extremely high calcium and alk levels at the same time shouldn't take place. And certainly not if all you're doing is making water changes with no additives.
My guess is your numbers are questionable.
That's off the chart!!
It may be worth your while to take a sample to your LFS and ask them to test for calcium and alk. You may be chasing a problem that doesn't exist.
Extremely high calcium and alk levels at the same time shouldn't take place. And certainly not if all you're doing is making water changes with no additives.
My guess is your numbers are questionable.
merredeth
Active Member
Originally Posted by aspen
okay my calcium is very high and i can not find the source but it is high in both of my tanks i know it is not an oxygen problem so could it possibly be my salt? i use the same salt in both tanks,oceanic. should i switch or not and if so how do you switch?
Some people claim Istand Ocean and Oceanic salt have conflicting readings when tested after 24 hours. I honestly don't know if that is true or not as I have never had a problem with either salt.
To switch salts all you do is measure out and start the process. There is no waiting period or different way to do it that I am aware of. I go back and forth using Instant Ocean or Oceanic - using whatever is on sale. I've never had any problems going back and forth and never read of anyone else having problems switching back and forth.
Denise M.
okay my calcium is very high and i can not find the source but it is high in both of my tanks i know it is not an oxygen problem so could it possibly be my salt? i use the same salt in both tanks,oceanic. should i switch or not and if so how do you switch?
Some people claim Istand Ocean and Oceanic salt have conflicting readings when tested after 24 hours. I honestly don't know if that is true or not as I have never had a problem with either salt.
To switch salts all you do is measure out and start the process. There is no waiting period or different way to do it that I am aware of. I go back and forth using Instant Ocean or Oceanic - using whatever is on sale. I've never had any problems going back and forth and never read of anyone else having problems switching back and forth.
Denise M.
lion_crazz
Active Member
Yes, sometimes Oceanic has a high calcium, but if that is the case, it will have a low alk. I cannot see how both are high at the same time. You are not adding any buffers or anything to your tank?
aspen
Member
for a while there i was adding buffers, the lfs told me that my ph needed to be raised to 8.2 and that i needed to keep it there and to add a buffer every 3 days. i did that for a while until i asked around to other people and they said not to add buffers and to try to find the source of the problem. so here i am now....
lion_crazz
Active Member
so when did you stop adding the buffers?
lion_crazz
Active Member
Your high alk is from adding the buffers then. I would just make sure you do weekly water changes to get it down. I would do weekly 30% water changes to get the levels down to where they should be. With Oceanic, since it does have a low alk and high(er) calcium, I only add the buffer when I am putting water into the tank. Also, you do not want to use pH buffer. You want to use kH buffer, as that is what Oceanic is low in.
lion_crazz
Active Member
Until you get the alk down, do not use any kind of buffer at all. However, when you get the alk between 8 and 12, begin to use the dKH buffer.