Calcium won't budge

[tankstudy]

IO actually starts closer to normal salt water levels. Reef Crystals is actually quite elevated. IME, not all corals like the elevated salt levels. In the past, I mixed 50/50 IO with Reef Crystals to get levels right in the middle.

SG - specific gravity of your water.

 

[Sabellafella]

Reef crystals is good too, i stopped using it because of the brown it leaves in the buckets overtime

 

[Pete polyp]

This is probably your problem, crappy salt

How is io crappy exactly. Have you ever thought there's a reason it's the #1 selling salt on the market?

 

[Justiful]

I would just do a 20% water change twice this week with any of the three major brands of salt and stop dosing anything.

*Edit* I am horrible at explaining why. Bottom line the calcium is still in your tank forming precipitates. You need to fix this. Best way is water changes. After two water changes PPM should be higher than it is now, and higher than the concentration of the sea salt mix you use. Check after each water change it might only take 1. Or you can do 10% changes daily until it is in balance, checking 24 hours after each one to see if concentration went up.

I explained that horribly... http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-07/rhf/#14 here is an article I found on it that explains things better probably. Or you can ask Randy-holmes in the chemistry forum for help.

(also do a test on your sea salt mixed water. Check the box. If your calcium test is significantly off from what the box says it should be... get a new test or figure out what you are doing wrong with your test)

 

[Sabellafella]

How is io crappy exactly. Have you ever thought there's a reason it's the #1 selling salt on the market?

I use redsea coral pro and esv and still somehow found my way back to using IO lol

 

[cplatts32]

How is io crappy exactly. Have you ever thought there's a reason it's the #1 selling salt on the market?

Let me clarify and retract my statement. I have nothing against instant ocean, in fact, that's the brand I use in my tanks. In my experience, I have had better luck with reef crystals, its parameters seem to be a little more on point for the REEF tank. Their common salt I think is a better FOWLR tanks.. The regular IO seems to have lower levels of cal, mg, alk.. Just my experience and opinion..

 

[Sabellafella]

sg? sorry new to reef tanks.
specific gravity? refractometer

Yea so u deffinitly got to get a mag test, i wouldnt dose anything for a while, you dont really have that much in ur tank, if you see more then a 2 dkh drop in alk every 2 3 days then i would, just do waterchanges till u get the test and grab some mag also youll need it in the future, as i wouldnt recommend using api test kits, i would double the reagent and testing water so you can measure down to .5 dkh instead of 1,

 

[Sabellafella]

Mag is one of the first things to get inline when starting a new build then alk then calc then nutrients

 

[Whatnow]

do a test on your sea salt mixed water

good idea

 

[Justiful]

Yea so u deffinitly got to get a mag test, i wouldnt dose anything for a while, you dont really have that much in ur tank, if you see more then a 2 dkh drop in alk every 2 3 days then i would, just do waterchanges till u get the test and grab some mag also youll need it in the future, as i wouldnt recommend using api test kits, i would double the reagent and testing water so you can measure down to .5 dkh instead of 1,

API test kits are fine. I test my water before I put it in the tank, and it is within 10% of what it says it should be on the box. They may not be the most accurate, but honestly all major inaccuracies are human error or expired kits.

 

[Whatnow]

wouldnt recommend using api test kits

yeah I've been slowly finding that out.

 

[Whatnow]

some API tests are hard to judge the color on like nitrates.

 

[Whatnow]

something like this decent?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004GBS556?keywords=magnesium test&qid=1450757061&ref_=sr_1_cc_2&s=aps&sr=1-2-catcorr
or
http://www.amazon.com/Red-Sea-Reef-...qid=1450757270&sr=1-8&keywords=hanna+test+kit

 

[Justiful]

something like this decent?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004GBS556?keywords=magnesium test&qid=1450757061&ref_=sr_1_cc_2&s=aps&sr=1-2-catcorr
or
http://www.amazon.com/Red-Sea-Reef-...qid=1450757270&sr=1-8&keywords=hanna+test+kit

The foundation kit is a better value.

 

[Sabellafella]

Get outaa here the reef foundations only 40 bucks on amazon?!? Yea u are better odf with that

 

[Sabellafella]

API test kits are fine. I test my water before I put it in the tank, and it is within 10% of what it says it should be on the box. They may not be the most accurate, but honestly all major inaccuracies are human error or expired kits.

You wanna hear somthing funny, i think i have about every test kit for every parameter and they all give me different readings, i triton test monthly and still dont believe it and honestly still to this day dont kno the real parameters on my tank other then what triton tells me, i dont even care i just test for consitant readings thats all

 

[Whatnow]

okay I just tested my salt mix in my that I use for WC's(been mixed for 3 days with a powerhead in it to keep ready) and my salinity was 1.023 and calcium was at 420 ppm.....? now why is it that after its been in the tank for a week the calcium is down to 340ppm and doesn't change?

 

[Sabellafella]

okay I just tested my salt mix in my that I use for WC's(been mixed for 3 days with a powerhead in it to keep ready) and my salinity was 1.023 and calcium was at 420 ppm.....? now why is it that after its been in the tank for a week the calcium is down to 340ppm and doesn't change?

Api calc has to many drops= greater margarin of errror

 

[Whatnow]

I'm gonna order the red sea kit

 

[Sabellafella]

API test kits are fine. I test my water before I put it in the tank, and it is within 10% of what it says it should be on the box. They may not be the most accurate, but honestly all major inaccuracies are human error or expired kits.

By the way dont rely on what it says on any box of salt unless your using esv that u mix 2 parts wet 1 part dry