Added Kent Marine liquid calcium and...

[Reef.ductionist]

Hello fellow reefers,
I tested my calcium a few days ago and my reading was 300

All my perimeters are spot on.
I began using an ATO with kalkwasser
last week but I chose to only add 1
teaspoon per gallon. I have started
using 2 teaspoons per gallon since then but yesterday I decided to add the Kent
liquid calcium as well
however today I noticed this...

it looks like brown diatoms from poor water circulation around the liverock piece so I have changed the direction of the powerhead so that more waterflow also hits the front of this rock where the diatoms are.
So I'm wondering if I should dtop with this liquid calcium or throw my skimmer back in
Or turn off lights sooner they are on from 11:30 am to 9:30 pm

What should I do next?

 

[DSP]

You need to get your calcium and alk levels where you want them before starting kalk.your calcium is pretty low,

 

[Singlefin]

What are your real numbers? Can't tell what spot on numbers are. How old is your tank? Livestock? Feeding? More information would help us better help you. Calcium alk and mag need to be balanced. 300 is low. Water changes?

 

[Reef.ductionist]

14 gallon/ with 8 pounds live rock
Been up for one month
Amm/0
Nitrate/0
Temp/78
Ph/8.1 - 8.2
Alk/7.5
Bioload/one snail pictured here

I started the kalk 4 days ago
I started the lights 3 days ago
I think my water circulation might be a bit on the low side because i can barely
Feel the return jetstream from my
chiller so i added a second powerhead in tank.
Uhmmm...oh my sandbed is 2 1/2 inches deep because I thought it might
Look nicer, however I have noticed the trend with the 1/2 inch sandbeds.

 

[Reef.ductionist]

I had an old used bag of phoszorb in chamber 2 ...nuff said
Thanks for your help

 

[Singlefin]

Do you have any livestock or corals consuming your calcium? If not, you might want to check if you're mixing your salt properly.

 

[Reef.ductionist]

Hi no this is a fresh build /up for 30 days now. My livedtock consists of one snail and 4 hermits. Im using red sea salt mix and RO/DI the wster. Now ghat I have removed that phosphate pouch(which was previously used and was 8 years old) and the crabs and snail have eaten what little brown diatomic algae there was the rock is looking good again. But Im keeping my eye on it
Thanks.
But could you clarify/ by salt mix do you mean correct use of filtered water along with good salt mix?

 

[Singlefin]

You shouldn't have a drop in calcium if you have nothing in your tank consuming it. Mainly SPS. If you calcium is low, you probably aren't mixing the correct amount of salt mix in your Rodi water to make a batch. What is your salinity at? I doubt Red Sea mixes calcium to 300ppm. If you are mixing it properly and your salinity is spot on, I would think your test kit is off. Is there a lfs or a friend you could take a sample to for comparison?

 

[Reef.ductionist]

Omg I have completly overlooked that sailfin, you are spot on. I have been testing every day for the past 4 days and yup, your correct the salinity has been 1021, in fact about an hour ago I
did another series of tests and I was thinking the salinity was too low so I should raise add more salt mix to the tank but I completely overlooked that.
Thanks.

 

[Singlefin]

If you have inhabitants in your tank, you probably shouldn't add salt directly to your tank. Slower the better. Or during water changes. Slowly raise it.

 

[Singlefin]

Also are you using a refractometer? Calculated properly? The swingarm type are pretty worthless.

 

[Reef.ductionist]

Yes Im currently using the refractometer,
will be getting a SL2 module soon so ill
be able to use this salinity probe I paid
a small fortune for.
I have four crabs and a snail.

 

[shred5]

Liquid calcium is junk. Try a good two part to get things in check.
Also Kalkawasser is used to maintain calcium and alkalinity levels not raise them.
Diatoms are from silicates in your water supply. Most snails will eat them and they usually go away and are not a problem..
Do you use a r/o d/i unit?

 

[Mike J.]

IMO you shouldn't be dosing anything, yet. Get you salinity correct and do regular water changes until you have livestock that depletes your cal/alk.

 

[Reefing Madness]

AH, but if he just mixed up a batch of SW and its only one month old, how did it come out so low?, and how would doing regular water changes get it back up if came out that low?
I use Calcion to raise my Calcium up. Should be maintained between 400-460
I use Baking Soda to raise my Alk up. Should be maintained between 8-12
I use Magnesion for Magnesium. Should be maintained between 1250-1350.
Hope this helps you out a lil better.

 

[beaslbob]

Follow the diy 2 part of which the first step is gettng calcium, alk, and magnesium correct. Then dose calcium and alk when alk drops down.

Reference:

https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/reef-chemistry-forum/39332-do-yourself-two-part-links.html

 

[Mike J.]

Ah, but do you know of any salt that mixes that low?
And, his tank is one month old and has no livestock. I think it's bad advise to tell OP to start dosing. Advice should be getting salinity correct or maybe using test kit properly.

 

[Reef.ductionist]

Hmmm....
OK.
I was mixing the salinity at 1021 that must explain the low calcium

According to my refractometer(which I am replacing in several days with a probe) as of yesterday, I, (following your advice singlefin), have raised the salinity to 1023/I am leaving it there until I get the more accurate readings ...should be a day or so.

Shred5/ I am going to discontinue the calcium supplement for now/but I have read that calcium chloride is a very safe way to increase it/Kent brand can also be used in conjunction with kalkwasser.

MikeJ/ The reason I began using kalk early for top off was because I want my live rock covered again in green and purple corraline algae.
(One week in I accident ly plugged the heater in when I thought I had plugged in a light to my controller and woke in the morning to discover tank temperature was 99.6 -cooked my tank/two days later all corraline was white.
So my intention was initially to speed up the regeneration of the corraline/testing revealed the low calcium levels/low salinity from under mixing the cause.

Reefing Madness- / Yesterdays test revealed my calcium at 340/alkilinity at 9/Ph 8.2/buying magnesium test kit next day or two.

So I have now the four crabs and one snail /

In a few days once I have the salinity probe connected and I know the exact salinity then I'll raise it to 1025.5
However guys/Top off with kalk? It won't harm anything will it other then speeding up the regeneration of my corraline algae?
Magnesium will be tested tomorrow then I'll know the three are in check. Calcium by then should be near 400/talk hopefully will be 10
What are your thoughts about this strategy?
Thanks .

 

[Reef.ductionist]

Oh yesterday's calcium test was done before the increase in salinity.(sorry)

 

[Reef.ductionist]

And...tomorrow I'll be performing my next water change at 1023 salinity.
Let me know what you think /thanks folks.