Calcium

[brownsalt92]

Hello Randy I have finally gotten back on since I forgot my pass word. I have a 29 gal long tank has roughly 21 gallons of water in it. 40 lbs of live rock. Coral compulsion lighting lots of fish. a boat load of coral soft and sps lepto Monti... I have been struggling to keep my calcium up. I use reef Chrystal's instant reef a five gallon water change every 2 week top of with ro.
My parameters:
Salt 1.025
Cal: 360
Mag: 1400 (nyos)
Nitrite: 0ppm (api)
Nitrite: 0ppm (api)
PH: 8.2 (api)
Water temp is: 79
I dose around a 100 milliliters of Kent calcium part a and 100 milliliters of kent calcium part b.
My dad has a 300 gallon tank and he told me he uses what I use in one day in a week of his tank. Is this normal?
I have been ramping my lighting up 5 percent a week because I was only running it at 20 %. I killed a expensive clam due to low lighting Currently highest white light is a hr at 45% I'm taking it up to 65 %
And blue is 75%
The corals have never looked so good and have a lot of growth.
I have started this hobby 6 months ago and just wanna know if this is normal or if I'm doing something wrong?

 

[brownsalt92]

Here are 2 pictures of my tank
Scully
Acans
Favia
Zoas
Tenius
Digi
Milli
Lepto
Blasto
Frogspawn
Toad stool
Hammer coral
Monti ( red Monti, 2 god of war monti that has very little growth)

 

[Pete polyp]

There's definitely something going on here because that's way too much 2 part for that size of tank. Most likely is that you're adding so much its precipitating. Do you have a test for alkalinity? Alkalinity is probably the most important parameter to be looking at.

 

[brownsalt92]

Is that dkh?

 

[twilliard]

Is that dkh?

Yes it is more than likely too low.
Just a balance issue easily fixed

 

[brownsalt92]

I had tested the dkh with the api test kit and I stopped at 19 drops it was still blue? That make sense

 

[Pete polyp]

If I remember correctly 1 drop=1 dkh with that kit. I think you really should take some water samples to a lfs and have them test it.

 

[brownsalt92]

I will re test it Sunday night. It's driving me up a wall tho testing 10 times a week. Dosing. And not going over a 360. When I did a 5 gal water change I for sure figured it would go up to at least a 400 but it actually had dropped it to a 340. I waited a hr to test it after that water change. Does that make sense reef Chrystal's is high in calcium. A 25% water change should have bumped it up

 

[brownsalt92]

I am going to Monday and see what they say.

 

[brownsalt92]

Yes 1 drop = 1 dkh

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

If you have been dosing too much of both parts of a two part to try to correct a low calcium problem (whether real or a testing issue), the alkalinity will get too high and you will not be able to raise calcium.

So getting an reliable alk measurement is the key. It may well be above 19 dKH. Keep going until you get to the endpoint, and confirming with another test is a good plan.

 

[brownsalt92]

Okay I will do that Sunday night and post my results on a water test and Monday from the lfs
if it's to high which i know it is what would I need to do?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Depends on how high.

Choices are water changes, or just waiting for it to come down on its own (supplementing calcium alone, if needed).

 

[brownsalt92]

Alright thanks I will know tommaro night and get more advice

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Sounds good.

Good luck.

 

[brownsalt92]

I can Still dose vinegar and vodka tho?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Yes, but I'd be careful to not drive nutrients too low.

 

[brownsalt92]

Yea my dad has me dosing just 1 ml vodka and 1 ml vinegar is that to much?
On his 110 tank I dose 10 ml vodka and 20 ml vinegar dose that sound about right

 

[Marquiseo]

What's your expiration date on your test kits?

 

[brownsalt92]

I'd have to check I'm not sure we have 3 different tanks in my dad's house so I don't think it's outta date