is high calcium a bad thing???

[mmkeeper]

Before I invested in anymore livestock and put its life a risk, I would read and learn the importance of your water parameters. If you rush things you will cost your self a small fortune. I cost myself alot of money and lost a lot of fish, coral and introverts by rushing things. I found this wonderful community and stopped the lost and learned a lot. I first thing I did was quit adding anything till I learned why and how to do it.

 

[drummereef]

how do you know which is the right calcium to use and which is not???

and why should i not use my seachem reef calcium???

what about BUFFERS???

do those do a good job???

You want to choose a Calcium Chloride product. Kent Turbo Calcium or similar is acceptable. I use Prestone Driveway Heat. It's an anhydrous form of calcium chloride. Seachem Reef Calcium is a polygluconate formula. Not really the same. Buffers aren't acceptable as they will negatively effect pH. Buffers are basically bicarbonate for the most part (baking soda). The use of plain old Arm & Hammer baking soda is preferred.

ok its coming to get her now

so is a kalkaliser like a calcium and a alk, balancer???

ok ill have to read more of that thread and ask ALOT of ?s on it later it was a really good read from what i read of it ill have more time to read it later on tonight!!!

thanks alot paul, and mm

Kalkwasser and 2-part additives deliver a balanced ratio of 'calcium' and 'bicarbonate'. They will keep your levels in balance which is key to avoiding overdose or precipitation.


Here's a good basic article that will explain everything.

The “How To” Guide to Reef Aquarium Chemistry for Beginners, Part 2: What Chemicals Must be Supplemented
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/rhf/index.php

 

[trillyen]

dude< that article sounds like just what i need, im gonna print it out and read it on my breaks tomorrow

thanks so much to all of you hopefully i can return the favor some how!!!

hope fully i wont need a reactor cause i just plan to add maybe 2 or 3 more little frags of sps, may be 2 clams, some kind of spagetti leather, and polyps, some kind of brain, candy cane, hammers, and some kind of anemone, hopefully a heractis mag for my percs to host.

that may get a lil demanding but i bet that article will help alot!!!

 

[drummereef]

dude< that article sounds like just what i need, im gonna print it out and read it on my breaks tomorrow

thanks so much to all of you hopefully i can return the favor some how!!!

hope fully i wont need a reactor cause i just plan to add maybe 2 or 3 more little frags of sps, may be 2 clams, some kind of spagetti leather, and polyps, some kind of brain, candy cane, hammers, and some kind of anemone, hopefully a heractis mag for my percs to host.

that may get a lil demanding but i bet that article will help alot!!!

Sounds with that kind of load you'll be able to get by with either 2-part or Kalk. Glad to help. Just for your reference, all the articles you've been given can be found here...

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=102605

 

[trillyen]

thanks again, boy do i got alot of reading to do!!

mean while, while im reading up on my params and the tec stuff i hope my sps and xenias aint in there dieing

whats a real quick fix i can do for my sps if the cal is to low again without effecting my ph

the kalk was a good choice i think right i just gotta test tomorrow to see what my cal is exactly at before i start dosing

but im getting more comfortable with the terms, and trying to start doing some stuff hands on

so my guess to answer my own ? would be to check my params first, and if they are still a little low then maybe add a lil kalk, by using the calc. that you guys so nicley showed to me, and maybe even try a water change before i do that.

i would also like to learn how to use iodine, and things like that for my xenias and leathers, or what ever else in the tank needs it!!!

photoplankton, also comes into play with feeding the photosynthetic creatures in my tank correct!!!

 

[drummereef]

The best way to help normalize a system is to do a water change. But, some salt mixes, such as Instant Ocean, run chronically low in calcium. That is where it needs to be supplimented. As for the Kalk... Never try to adjust calcium by adding Kalkwasser. This will ultimately end up with overdose and high pH issues. The best way to manually adjust your levels are as follows...

Acceptable products for adjusting alkalinity and calcium:
Calcium = Kent Turbo Calcium or a calcium chloride equivalent
Alkalinity = Arm & Hammer Baking Soda
Magnesium = Kent Tech-M

Don't worry about iodine at this point. If you are doing weekly water changes you shouldn't have to add it, imo. All you need to do is suppliment alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium. And, keep up on weekly water changes.

 

[drummereef]

For my tank, here's what I do on a daily/weekly basis.

Daily:
I dose a measured amount of Randy's DIY 2-Part each day to keep up with alkalinity/calcium demand. I found out my tanks demand by testing then using the calculator to dial in the dosage.

Weekly:
I do a 10-15% water change with Instant Ocean Salt every 7 days. I bolster the Calcium of the water change water by approx 70ppm with calcium chloride.

As for testing... I test for alkalinity weekly, calcium weekly, magnesium monthly. More frequent testing is a good idea until you get comfortable with your tank.

 

[plack]

You Probably wont need any of this though yet !!!

Once you add a small amount of calcium and get it up to the right ratio.
Measure it 1 week later and if it is unchanged then you will just need to add it to your new salt water and thats all for now until the corals need more and the test kit says it is gettin lower

Paul

 

[joker577]

I use kent marine buffer for nano tanks part a and b

 

[NaH2O]

i never test my water when i do water changes, i just make sure the salinity level is right, and i make sure it is the correct temp, but from now on i will try to make sure to look at the type of concentration of cal, mag and other stuff my instant ocean has in it.

I agree with everyone else in testing your newly made water prior to water changes. If you change the same volume of water for every water change, you will get your supplementing down. You'll know how much of your supplements will be required for each batch....it may vary slightly as you go through your salt, but I've found that each bucket I buy, the supplement amount doesn't change much with that particular bucket......BUT when you purchase a new bucket/bag of salt, the deep testing has to start again.

so that would mean that i would basically have to try to get all my levels around what the new tank water is gonna be at the time of all water changes

Yes . You have to watch your tank parameters to know what your calcium and alkalinity consumption is. You may not need to supplement very often, if you don't have alot of critters using calcium and alkalinity. If you do your water changes often, and make sure the newly made water is balanced, then your tank may be golden. As you get more calcium demanding invertebrates (corals, clams) in there, this will change. Test often (get a good quality test kit!), and you'll figure it out. Don't worry about your coralline yet either....from what I remember isn't your tank on the young side? Are you using RO/DI water??

Here is some more homework for you. Don't think I won't quiz you...the only reason I didn't quiz you on Saturday about ich was because I didn't get a chance Reef Aquarium Water Parameters

Loads of articles can be found here: Calcium, Alkalinity, and pH Research

and some kind of anemone, hopefully a heractis mag for my percs to host.

Before you go jumping in with a Heteractis magnifica anemone....I'll need to give you alot more homework and reading .

Another good long read on tank chemistry: Let's Talk About ~Reef Chemistry~

Hope this helps!

 

[trillyen]

im not sure what scheme im gonna go with yet, but to day i added less than a half of cap ful of seachem reef cal to my tank and when i came home my xenias were pulsing again i dont know if the cal helped or not

i wouldnt think so since i think the xenias like iodine any way..

i think my params are getting worse now

it only took 15 drips to turn my tester water blue, and i think that is only like 300 ppm of cal, not sure though, my directions are in my car

im using a api reef master test kit!!!

do i need to raise it bit by bit???

what can i get to raise it bit by bit, to about 420, that wont mess with the other params like my ph, ammonia, mag etc....

thanks

wow naH20 thats alot of reading, im gonna have to get more ink for my printer!!!, lol

i was ready for the quiz i had cliff notes, lol, and every thing, i was hoping you or kim would call me but i wasnt that fortunate

and i just checked yes my cal is at 300 ppm for sure

im not gonna be able to do a water change, until this weekend so is there any other thing i can do to raise it gradually to around 420

i printed out abd read alot of the info that you guys gave me today at work, but i dont remember reading any thing that would gradually raise my cal without spiking everything else on my params

i may have did the test wrong though, im gonna re test everything in the morning, and make sure i do it right, but i may have to do a serious dose scheme if my cal is that low

sorry for the stupid ?s but i just dont want my frags to croak, they looked sooo, good when i came home from work

could a little sps frag and a xenia be sucking up cal like that cause when i 1st tested it like yesterday it was like 380!!!!

thanks guys, and ladies!!!

 

[drummereef]

If you know for sure your testing results are accurate you can do this....

Kent Turbo Calcium or equivalent calcium chloride to raise calcium levels. You can safely raise calcium by 100ppm per day, but would be better over two days if it's that much. Again, use the calculator to aid in dosing.

Reef chemicals calculator
http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chem_calc3.html

It is highly unlikely that your xenia and one frag of SPS is using that much calcium. More than likely, you have a magnesium issue. I would get a Salifert Mag test kit. If your mag is low it will drive calcium down.

Recommended levels:
Calcium 380-450ppm
Alkalinity 7-11dkh or 2.5-4meq/L
Magnesium 1250-1350ppm

 

[james734]

im using a api reef master test kit!!!

You might want to invest in a good quality test kits like Salifert. Not trying to put the the API kit down. but I don't think there the most accurate IMO. Might be good for doing a quick and dirty test, but good quality test kits can and will save some headache in the future.

 

[NaH2O]

trillyen - as mentioned get a good calcium test kit. If your kit is bad, then the calcium may not be as low as you think. Then use the calculator to figure out how much of your supplement you need to dose (you can find the calculator several times in this thread).

When was the last time you did a water change?

BTW - I'm glad you came prepared for the quiz. Kim and I set up a little desk and everything. Remember to bring a No. 2 pencil!!

 

[trillyen]

BTW - I'm glad you came prepared for the quiz. Kim and I set up a little desk and everything. Remember to bring a No. 2 pencil!!

LMAO, thats funny for a min io thought you was serious, you gotta watch it im really nieve

man i wish i would have known that the test kit i got wasnt worth a D#(N

i would have waited, and i probably wont be able to make it to pa this weekend or next, so im kinda screwed for a few weeks on testing my cal, i dont know though i may pull something out of the hat though

um the last time i changed my water was the weekend before this last weekend

Hey how much is a good quality test kit with mag, cal, and alk and stuff??

thanks james and drummerreef, drummereef, when i find out that my cal is really that low ill use that method you mentioned, and keep my fingers crossed.

sounds like it may work!!

thanks my friends!!!

 

[NaH2O]

trillyen - I would purchase the test kits separately. Go with a Salifert Calcium and Magnesium, then a LaMotte for alkalinity. Salifert has had some problems with their new batch of alkalinity test kits, otherwise I'd recommend them for alk, too. The nice thing about LaMotte is you can buy the reagents instead of a new kit when you run out. For prices, you'll have to look where you shop . At this point, Calcium and alkalinity kits should come first if you're on a budget.

 

[trillyen]

ok then thats what ill do, that would probably be the best..


yeeeeaahhh, no home work this time,lol

thanks!!!

 

[trillyen]

kinda contradicting my self but today i went out and bought:

kent marine Concentrated Liquid Calcium
Seachems Reef calcium Maintains Calcium
kent marine Phytoplex (phytoplankton)
kent marine Zooplex (Zooplankton)

I didnt see anything about the zooplank, or the photoplank in the notes you guys gave me, would it be ok to add this to my tank to feed my sps, and xeniasa??

did i waste my money on this stuff???

im about to go use the calc you guys gave me to measure how much i dose with cause i wanna get my cal up to 420.

then again, i think i need to read more before i do so i dont know what the heck im gonna do, i think i may just wait till this weekend til i do a water change

my cal is somewhere around 300 to 320, i know im not suspose to raise it that fast either

i dont know

i guess i got some more reading to do!!!

what is a "meq/L"

 

[trillyen]

i just read over alot of my home work and one of the articles said that if i have a imbalance in my tank then i need to adjust it before i need to start tring to maintain a balance i try to keep my tank at

it sounds alot easier then i thought

since i have a low calcium ratio should i try messing with my calcium levels 1st then, some one told me that i could use kent marine turbo cal, and it would safley rasie my cal and nothing else

would Kent marine cal be ok to use??

it says its concentrated and bio-available, that means that its basically already broken down and ready for the consumption by the corals correct, in which i would think that it would leave the calcium levels in my tank alone possibly causing them to rise????

that dont sound right though!!!

Does it just raise the cal or what

I really like the read so far, but i got a long way to go

but its really coming to gether

thanks,and usually i dont read links people send me but you guys send some good, interesting links!!!

thanks again peeps, i may read a lil more and have a few more????s

 

[trillyen]

what is, and how can you tell if you have calcium carbonate build up on heaters or something

will it build up on titanium heaters or glass heaters???

will the kent turbo cal buffer mess with ANY thing else if raised over a 5 to 6 day period, i know you said you can safely add it but i just wanna make sure cause ill be getting some this weekend!!!

basically a kalk just keeps your cal, and alk levels as they are, and dosent cause your mag, or your ph to swing either correct
a 2 part system is kalk correct???

and the corals intake bicarb and then turn it into carb, that produce a cal carb skelton right

so i dont understand why my cal level is soo low if my alk level is like 196 ppm, which is right at normal conditions

since my alk is basically what the bi carb is made up of is it possible that my corals are getting enough intake, but for some reason the magnesium molecules are forming crystals on my calcium ions, causing them to go neutral, or to deplete???

could this be the cause??

if so the kent turbo should do the trick correct???