Calcium sky high

[zoanutty]

My calcium has been steady at 500 for the past week and I can’t understand why. I have a ton of sps and lps in my 300 gal system, I have manually dosed 100 ml each calcium & alkalinity every night (made with RO/DI & BRS prepackaged pouches) and up until now my levels were stable. I also manually dosed Magnesium (ME brand) every 3 days.

All of a sudden my levels are all out of whack: cal 500, alk was at 6.1 and I was able to slowly raise to 8, it is now at 9, and mag at 1500. What gives? And what do you suggest I do in order to get it all straightened out again. All corals look ok with great PE.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

500 ppm calcium is fine, and no action is needed. Some salt mixes start that high or higher.

What salt mix are you using?

 

[Diesel]

What ever you do do it slow.
When Cal is high and ALK is low you dose slowly some extra ALK that will make your Cal come down slowly.
Don't worry about your Mag at 1500.
Balance is off and it will correct with using common sense.

 

[zoanutty]

I’m using Fritz salt

 

[rtparty]

I’m using Fritz salt

New batch?

It's becoming very common for fritz to have jacked up parameters. When this bucket I have is gone, not a chance I'm buying another.

 

[zoanutty]

Not sure if it’s a new batch since the box looks like the older boxes, but it is a new box that I did my last water change with. I still have some of the water I made last time. I’m going to check it when I get home.

 

[Robink]

I'm using Fritz. Only issue I have is my magnesium stays at 1500, no dosing. Do you check your ak daily? I do dose calcium and alk daily right about 100 or so mls, on a doser.
If your dosing that much daily maybe you should look into a doser.

 

[zoanutty]

I have been checking alk daily since it started fluctuating.

I don’t trust dosers. One malfunction and they can nuke your tank. My hand won’t malfunction. And since I dose every night when I go to bed and every day when I come home from work, I don’t forget.

 

[sghera64]

I have been checking alk daily since it started fluctuating.

I don’t trust dosers. One malfunction and they can nuke your tank. My hand won’t malfunction. And since I dose every night when I go to bed and every day when I come home from work, I don’t forget.

What test kit r u using?

 

[zoanutty]

Hanna checkers, API and Red Sea for redundancy