Help raising calcium and alk

[JaimeAdams]

I don't know what you mean by normal. People generally keep their tanks between 7 - 12. It seems that the higher the nutrient level (nitrate/phosphate) the higher you can keep the alkalinity (simplified). 10 or 11 is a fine range to shoot for. It's more about keeping it stable than it is trying to hit an exact number, although you can with dosing. In ultra low nutrient systems people generally shoot for 7 or 8. With mostly soft corals, your system should use more alkalinity than calcium, but the relationship between calcium, alkalinity and magnesium seem to be important especially for stability.

 

[Popeye]

Ok, I got my calcium up to 420 and my alkalinity is rising but only at 8.5, shooting for 10. Do I stop dosing calcium now?

 

[JaimeAdams]

yes you can stop dosing calcium until of course it is used and needs replenished.

 

[Popeye]

I now have both numbers where I want them. Thanks for the help. Is it a good idea to use kalkwasser in my top off water now?

 

[acer]

I think you should wait a few days , maybe a week- retest to determine how much ca/alk you system uses up. Then do a week of using kalkwasser water top off and retest - see how much it makes up for . Then you can figure out how much you need to supplement on a dayly/weekly basis with a) not using kalkwasser top off, and B) if you do use kalkwasser top off.

Obviously as corals grow the demand for supplements will increase slowly.

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