So my Reef is a Little Off

[Gimpster]

After not testing for a long time and neglecting water changes in the recent past I have start to get back on track with the water changes and just tested my water today to see where I am at.

20g display, 3g HOB fuge with little if any macro

Livestock:
1 Common Clown
1 Decorated Goby
Kenya Tree
Toadstool
Frogspawn
Button Polyps
GSP
Mushrooms

4x39w T5, Anitics on for 10 hours Daylight on for 6 hours.

5g of water changed weekly

SG: 1.024 - I will raise this slowly with SW evap top offs to 1.026
PH: 8.4 - This seems a little high and was 8.2 last week.
Amonia: Not Detectable
Nitrite: Not Detectable
Nitrate: <5ppm
Temp: 79.5 high 77.5 low
Calc: <300 - This is low and will need to be raised.
Alk: 4meq/L

I have a fair amount of green red and purple film algeas that mostly grow on the back wall and on some rocks. This is most likely due to tap water I use for top-offs, it is filtered buy the higher grade PUR on tap filter but the algea mush be feeding on something it does not remove. That will be addressed soon with the use of RODI from the LFS in the comming weeks.

Now I am on a fairly tight budget and don't have much money to spend on this aquarium at the present time but that will change shortly as I hope to get a job closer to home saving me some $200 a month in fuel. What are the best/cost effective options to bring the Calc up in to the 420 range while also bring the PH and Alk down a little to ballance it out?

 

[Herefishyfishy]

You can add Calcium chloride which can be purchased cheaply from many sources.

 

[Gimpster]

Do you know where in the Tacoma area one can obtain a variaty of this suitable for use in an aquarium?

 

[Boomer]

Before you dump in a bunch of Ca++ check your Mg++ first. That low 300 ppm Ca++ bothers me. Are you sure it is not a testing error ? Who's kits are you using. Please do not say Red Sea And how did that Alk get that high ?

 

[Gimpster]

It could be a testing error and I would never think of dumping in all that Calcium all at once and plan to verify the results again before dosing anything. I am using Aquarium System's Fast Test brand of test kits. I do not have a Mg++ test kit.

I have used a few No28 blocks in the past as they were recomended to me by my LFS but I have since stoped as I can not find any info as to what is in them. That has been the only dosing I have don to the tank in the three years I have been running it. I have also been using PUR filtered tap water for top offs, my water comes from an aquafir deep underground and does have a high mineral content.

My salt water comes from Indoor Reef in Tacoma and I have never tested that water from them other then to adjust Sg. Thanks for taking an interest in this thread Boomer. I very greatfull for any advice you have.

 

[Boomer]

Although I am a big AS fan I do not care for their Ca++ test kit and would try to get the water tested with some other kit. I would stop using the 28 blocks, that may be part of you problem. They do not do what is claimed by a long shot.

Indoor Reef in Tacoma

Don't they test their water ?

 

[Gimpster]

I am sure they test their water, their coral tanks always look healthy.

I tested again tonight to see if I made a mistake yesterday.

The Alk test was the same.
4meq/L or 11.2DKH

The CA++ test had a different result which is closer to where it should be.
345mg/L - 360mg/L

My daughter was dugging me when I performed the test last time and I may have miscounted the drops.

Based on those numbers and the calculator HERE I shoudl be at 440mg/L to have my CA++ and Alk in ballance. Using the supliment I have that will require 3tsp of dosing, which I intend to spread it out over 3 seperate doses checking the levels before each dose and adjusting as nessasary.

One I find a ballance point I will start using a ballance CA++/ALK supliment such as C-Ballance.

 

[Boomer]

You are on the right track Gim with your procedure and doing it the right way. You do not have to bring the Calcium up to 440, 420 or so is fine but so is 440.

 

[Gimpster]

The only reason I was going to bring it up to 440 was because the calculator in your linked article about Reef Chemistry for Beginers Part 2 shows that for my current Alk level the correct ammount of CA++ was 440. Once ballance is reached I can then allow the two to fall evenly threw use and then maintain the ballance by using a ballanced dosing product.

If my testing shows that Alk is doping as I add CA++ then I will re-adjust to find the new ballance point. I will also pick up a Magnizium test and start to mesure that in addition before dosing it.

Next is my lights. I noticed that when the antics were not on last night when I got home the daylight bulbs were a bit yellow shifted from white. Time to replace them and then start building the aquarium new setup.

 

[Boomer]

You are doing a good job on your own Gimp. I'm just saying Alk does not HAVE to balanced just close.