Calcium at 800!!!

[Andrew Sizemore]

I'm about to need a lot tho cause I'm upgrading to a 200 gallon system

 

[HOOPDEEZ]

Is there any calcium precipitation on your heater? Seems like a bad test kit. I haven’t had success with api kits.

 

[Andrew Sizemore]

I don't use a heater it always seems to make my tank over heat or at least the one I have

 

[PapaWhisky]

+1 on the RO filter. IMHO any tank over 30 gallons requires one. Under 30 you can get away with mixing your salt with conditioned tap water and topping off with Distilled water from the grocery store or getting water from your LFS. Over 30 and this just isn't feasible over time. And you definitely do not want to be using your tap water for top off water - you will just slowly be concentrating the mineral components over time, especially with the low number of corals you have in your tank.

 

[beaslbob]

read up on the dr randy holmes-farley inproved diy two part system. Just to get an understanding of calc, alk, mag.

Check alk. And get a second reading from another source on the calcium. If alk is below 4 dkh the use baking soda to bump it up to 8-10 dkh. the increased alk will lower calc.

Finally, initially set up tanks can have high calcium. But it comes down on it's own with little to no ill effects over a period of several weeks. So if it is high perhaps the best thing to do is nothing.

my .02

 

[BestMomEver]

Your well water may be pure, but I can guarantee you it has calcium in it. Calcium is not considered an impurity in drinking water unless it were to get extremely high.
You combine that with the calcium in your salt mix and now you have too much calcium. Test it and you will know for sure.

Actually, I have a LOT of trouble keeping my Calcium level up. Even using Kalk it was only 430. If I dose two part it rarely goes to 410. Drives me crazy.

I agree, well water will almost always be far cleaner with far less impurities in it compared to municipal water, and in cases like yours buying RO would be a waste as you would have to run tens of thousands of gallons through it to see a return in your investment. Well water is on a different level than your average municipal water supply and if I could I would have a well drilled on my property. For those of us on Municipal or city water, adding an RO unit just makes sense as we all know how bad city water can be.

For example here is the 2017 test results for Houston municipal water
https://www.publicworks.houstontx.gov/sites/default/files/images/utilities/wq2016.pdf

Looking at that, there's so much in there I don't want to drink, nor would I want to combat it in my reef tanks.

We were on city water when we had the 500 up and going. There was no way I was gonna put city water in that tank. We had a rather large RO/DI unit plumbed into the walls and emptying into a barrel in the equipment room. I'm not saying RO isn't desirable or for some, absolutely necessary. I'm only trying to point out that not all well water is bad (although I'm sure there is some that is). There are many people that lump well water and municipal water in the same category when arguing for the importance of purchasing RO/DI equipment. I think the smart thing to do....no matter where you get your water... is to test it before you put it in your tank!

 

[laverda]

Some things that contribute to TDS in tap water are calcium, sodium, chloride, bicarbonate, potassium, phosphate, silicate, etc. Ammonia and carbon dioxide also contribute to TDS although usually in minor amounts in drinking water.