Calcium and Kh loss

[Moistparts]

My 55gal reef tank has been running for about 6 months, about a month ago my Kh and calcium levels started dropping faster than usual. Kh will drop from 10 to 7 in a day, I dose with Reef Builder to raise it. Then the calcium dips from about 420 to about 360 the next day so I dose with Turbo-Calcium. I'm now adding 15g of Reef Builder one day and 15g of Turbo-Calcium the next day and still I can't keep the levels where I want them to be. Ph has been stable at 8.3. I am not running carbon at this time. Is the deep sand bed eating it? I'm at a loss. Any idea what is going on??

 

[Spare time]

You have stony corals right ? That and coralline algae consume both when growing. Other things use both too but these are the largest sinks of either/both calcium and carbonate

 

[Moistparts]

You have stony corals right ? That and coralline algae consume both when growing. Other things use both too but these are the largest sinks of either/both calcium and carbonate

You have stony corals right ? That and coralline algae consume both when growing. Other things use both too but these are the largest sinks of either/both calcium and carbonate

I definitely have a healthy amount of coralline algae growth and several soft coral frags. Is this a normal amount of consumption?

 

[Spare time]

I definitely have a healthy amount of coralline algae growth and several soft coral frags. Is this a normal amount of consumption?

I wouldn't say normal for only coralline. It might be precipitating. Are you slowly adding the reef buffer and spacing it out from when you add calcium? Sounds like they could be precipitating. Fo you notice and hard patches of sand or brown crusty stuff forming anywhere such as heaters or pumps?

 

[Moistparts]

I wouldn't say normal for only coralline. It might be precipitating. Are you slowly adding the reef buffer and spacing it out from when you add calcium? Sounds like they could be precipitating. Fo you notice and hard patches of sand or brown crusty stuff forming anywhere such as heaters or

I wouldn't say normal for only coralline. It might be precipitating. Are you slowly adding the reef buffer and spacing it out from when you add calcium? Sounds like they could be precipitating. Fo you notice and hard patches of sand or brown crusty stuff forming anywhere such as heaters or pumps?

 

[Moistparts]

 

[Moistparts]

Cyano bacteria is what I thought the brownish algaeish stuff was

 

[Moistparts]

I just dosed for cyano hence bubbles in the pic, now I'm really second guessing myself

 

[Moistparts]

I do calcium/buffer opposite days or at least 6hrs apart. I add the calcium/buffer to the canister bag

 

[Spare time]

I just dosed for cyano hence bubbles in the pic, now I'm really second guessing myself

It would be crust flakey stuff

 

[Spare time]

What test kit are you using?

 

[Spare time]

@Randy Holmes-Farley Anything I'm missing here?

 

[Moistparts]

Yeah, not crusty. API reef and saltwater kits

 

[Spare time]

Yeah, not crusty. API reef and saltwater kits

Hmm, I had some accuracy issues with the api KH test.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Then the calcium dips from about 420 to about 360 the next day so I dose with Turbo-Calcium.

Calcium did not drop that much in one day. It would drop alk by about 8 dKH. I expect a lot of it is test variability/error.

I'd slow down on calcium testing, and make much smaller calcium additions. I'd also strongly recommend a calcium and alk method like a two part, and base the dosing on alk alone until calcium became too high or too low after monitoring it for a while.

2 dKh per day is attainable in a soft coral tank with just coralline. 3 dKH per day is pushing it.

Are you doing anything to keep the pH at 8.3?

 

[Moistparts]

I'll start doing duplicate tests to prevent human error. About once week I have been using 5g Reef Buffer with the Reef Builder. My local aquatics store suggested to dose by adding it into the canister filter, so I've been doing that. I'm not familiar with the two part alk and calcium method, can you elaborate on that a bit?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I'll start doing duplicate tests to prevent human error. About once week I have been using 5g Reef Buffer with the Reef Builder. My local aquatics store suggested to dose by adding it into the canister filter, so I've been doing that. I'm not familiar with the two part alk and calcium method, can you elaborate on that a bit?

The Many Methods for Supplementing Calcium and Alkalinity - REEFEDITION

There is no aspect of reef aquarium chemistry more important than calcium and alkalinity. Many of my previous articles have described various aspects of these systems in detail. In reading those articles, aquarists will note one pervasive theme: that maintaining appropriate levels of each are...

www.reefedition.com

 

[RedG]

Calcium did not drop that much in one day. It would drop alk by about 8 dKH. I expect a lot of it is test variability/error.

I'd slow down on calcium testing, and make much smaller calcium additions. I'd also strongly recommend a calcium and alk method like a two part, and base the dosing on alk alone until calcium became too high or too low after monitoring it for a while.

2 dKh per day is attainable in a soft coral tank with just coralline. 3 dKH per day is pushing it.

Are you doing anything to keep the pH at 8.3?

Unrelated to dKH, but what is the max ppm you should safely adjust calcium and magnesium in a day?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Unrelated to dKH, but what is the max ppm you should safely adjust calcium and magnesium in a day?

In general, I do not think it matters much, except that there may be impurities in the additives that might best be spread out. Maybe 25 ppm a day. There's rarely a rush to raise them.