Calcium hardly dropping

[Pricey95]

Hi guys and gals.

My calcium is staying at a near perfect 450 constantly during the in-between two week water changes. I'm dosing red sea kh at 10ml as it drops 0.7 in 24hrs. My Magnesium drops 60ppm per 24hrs. The tank drinks Magnesium like its water.

Tested with hanna and salifert

But my calcium does not drop all all. How come this is?

Parameters
Mag - 1380
Kh - 10.9
Calcium- 450
Ph - 8.2
Nitrate - 8
P04 - 0.5

Mixed reef tank and is 350l

 

[Fish Think Pink]

Hi guys and gals.

My calcium is staying at a near perfect 450 constantly during the in-between two week water changes. I'm dosing red sea kh at 10ml as it drops 0.7 in 24hrs. My Magnesium drops 60ppm per 24hrs. The tank drinks Magnesium like its water.

Tested with hanna and salifert

But my calcium does not drop all all. How come this is?

Parameters
Mag - 1380
Kh - 10.9
Calcium- 450
Ph - 8.2
Nitrate - 8
P04 - 0.5

Mixed reef tank and is 350l

what else is in your tank? corals? sand type?

Argonite may be buffering your calcium uptake - its why I have the crushed coral sand I have - its my "safety net" but it doesn't mean your corals are not uptaking calcium

Also coral skeletons will breakdown and act as buffer. Anyone today in hobby shouldn't have any new skeletons ones, unless something in their own tank died... TX Ice Storm wiped out a lot of tanks and there are now a lot around DFW... but I come from the 80s when those white skeletons were 'decorations' in our tanks... before we realized we were impacting nature by taking them out... Now people use fake ones if any - better for wild nature

Maybe clam shells if you have those may do similar buffering... but never had those in any quantity

Some montipora use a LOT of magnesium vs alk and calc... but again, you only list water parameters and not what is in or going on in your tank...

 

[Pricey95]

what else is in your tank? corals? sand type?

Argonite may be buffering your calcium uptake - its why I have the crushed coral sand I have - its my "safety net" but it doesn't mean your corals are not uptaking calcium

Also coral skeletons will breakdown and act as buffer. Anyone today in hobby shouldn't have any new skeletons ones, unless something in their own tank died... TX Ice Storm wiped out a lot of tanks and there are now a lot around DFW... but I come from the 80s when those white skeletons were 'decorations' in our tanks... before we realized we were impacting nature by taking them out... Now people use fake ones if any - better for wild nature

Maybe clam shells if you have those may do similar buffering... but never had those in any quantity

Some montipora use a LOT of magnesium vs alk and calc... but again, you only list water parameters and not what is in or going on in your tank...

Thanks for the response. I keep TMC fine coral sand and have 4 torches a big hammer Duncana, 3 nems a few zoa rocks and a few mushrooms/leathers and a fair bit of GSP.

Decent clean up crew hermits, sifting star and conch. Running a refugium also

Two black storms, coral beauty, yellow tang, goby,

 

[Arego]

Just sounds like a well balanced system. What test kit are you using and how often between changes do you test? You could be catching it at the right time each time where variability may not be easy to see.. just tossing thoughts out.

 

[Pricey95]

Just sounds like a well balanced system. What test kit are you using and how often between changes do you test? You could be catching it at the right time each time where variability may not be easy to see.. just tossing thoughts out.

I will test twice in between waterchanges

Calcium just stays smack on. Probably nothing to worry abouts but just curious to see if anyone has any thoughts.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

The magnesium drop of 60 ppm in 24 h is 100% error.

With an alk drop of 0.7 dKH, magnesium is not even dropping 1 ppm.

I'd just keep monitoring the calcium. it may be dropping too, but too slowly to readily detect over short periods of time, and water changes may be helping to keep it up.

 

[X-37B]

Mag is test error.
It impossible to drop 60ppm in 24hrs so test must be off.

 

[Pricey95]

Mag is test error.
It impossible to drop 60ppm in 24hrs so test must be off.

Do you reccomend just testing cal,mag,kh everyday and see what it's dropping for 7 days?

To be honest the mag powder looks like it's had a drop of water in it.

 

[Lavey29]

Hi guys and gals.

My calcium is staying at a near perfect 450 constantly during the in-between two week water changes. I'm dosing red sea kh at 10ml as it drops 0.7 in 24hrs. My Magnesium drops 60ppm per 24hrs. The tank drinks Magnesium like its water.

Tested with hanna and salifert

But my calcium does not drop all all. How come this is?

Parameters
Mag - 1380
Kh - 10.9
Calcium- 450
Ph - 8.2
Nitrate - 8
P04 - 0.5

Mixed reef tank and is 350l

My calcium did the exact same thing for months while I needed to add some alk daily. Only recently with coraline and adding more corals am I started to see some cal drop and dosing requirements. Water changes are not enough now.

 

[X-37B]

Do you reccomend just testing cal,mag,kh everyday and see what it's dropping for 7 days?

To be honest the mag powder looks like it's had a drop of water in it.

I would check alk daily but Ca and mag weekly as they wont change that fast.
Make sure SG is stable.

Also check and verify mag levels. If you have been adding mag daily it is most likely elevated.

I only check alk in my systems. Ca and mag never vary much at all.
I check them every couple months honestly.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Do you reccomend just testing cal,mag,kh everyday and see what it's dropping for 7 days?

To be honest the mag powder looks like it's had a drop of water in it.

I'd stop testing magnesium entirely. it is a wasted effort until calcium consumption is high. It's depletion is not more than 1/10th of the calcium depletion rate.

 

[Pricey95]

I'd stop testing magnesium entirely. it is a wasted effort until calcium consumption is high. It's depletion is not more than 1/10th of the calcium depletion rate.

Okay sounds good thanks.

Thank you. So I'll stick with the two week water changes and tests every week but jack the mag test off until I see a significant drop in calcium. I've never had to dose calcium once since the tanks ran.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Okay sounds good thanks.

Thank you. So I'll stick with the two week water changes and tests every week but jack the mag test off until I see a significant drop in calcium. I've never had to dose calcium once since the tanks ran.

OK, in that case you do not need to test magnesium and that sounds like a fine plan.

 

[Pricey95]

I would check alk daily but Ca and mag weekly as they wont change that fast.
Make sure SG is stable.

Also check and verify mag levels. If you have been adding mag daily it is most likely elevated.

I only check alk in my systems. Ca and mag never vary much at all.
I check them every couple months honestly.

How often are pu water changing?

 

[Pricey95]

OK, in that case you do not need to test magnesium and that sounds like a fine plan.

What would you consider a big drop in calcium to start consider testing mag?

 

[X-37B]

How often are pu water changing?

I do 10% once a month and I also dose trace elements.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

What would you consider a big drop in calcium to start consider testing mag?

10-20 ppm calcium drop a day, every day.

That would make magnesium drop 1-2 ppm a day. In a month or two like that it will need a boost to get back to normal.

 

[Fish Think Pink]

Do you reccomend just testing cal,mag,kh everyday and see what it's dropping for 7 days?

To be honest the mag powder looks like it's had a drop of water in it.

Get replacement powder. Perhaps thats all that is going on is reagent contamination.