High Calcium and Alkalinity

[Rgarcia80]

I tested my Ca and Alk this evening and it came back at over 500 for the Calcium and the Alkalinity was at 19-20 dkh. What can I do to bring these back down to more manageable readings? My PH has also read below 7.8 on 2 different test kits (Red Sea and API).

 

[Martin Kuhn]

A) wait
B) water changes with a salt mix low on Ca/Alk

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Did you overdose on alkalinity?

Did it take more than 1 syringe of titrant to get to that level?

 

[Rgarcia80]

Did you overdose on alkalinity?

Did it take more than 1 syringe of titrant to get to that level?

I have the Red Sea Marine care kit with the pipette. Not the pro kit with the cool syringe. So I was literally counting drops 1 at a time.

 

[Nellynel21]

Red sea no good for alk.. I did a test with 5 bottles of red sea alk test kit and all gave me different reading .. since then I use Hanna ultra low alk test kit ..

 

[RyanCSGO]

out of curiosity, what salt mix do you use and how often do you do water changes, if you do them?

 

[lariat8099]

Wait a day then retest. If still to high do A small water change and retest after a few hours.

 

[Rgarcia80]

out of curiosity, what salt mix do you use and how often do you do water changes, if you do them?

ATM hot salt reef and 2 gallons weekly on a 13.5 gallon system.

 

[DarkSky]

Are you dosing 2 part or kalkwasser?
Are you topping off evaporation with fresh RODI water or salt water?
Did you test the salinity of your salt water when you last did a change?
Did you retest your alkalinity after the first high result?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

You didn't answer if you are dosing alkalinity?

Is this a new tank? Do you use artificial rock?

Don't bother doing water changes until you figure out if the result is real, and where it came from, because the salt mix is a possibility.

 

[Rgarcia80]

Are you dosing 2 part or kalkwasser?
Are you topping off evaporation with fresh RODI water or salt water?
Did you test the salinity of your salt water when you last did a change?
Did you retest your alkalinity after the first high result?

NO Kalkwasser

RODI freshwater and I check salinity after topping off

I check salinity when i mix the water and right before I change it

I've been testing daily for alkalinity

I finally bought a test kit for calcium yesterday and have had the alkalinity one since June. It came with the Red Sea Marine Kit.

 

[Rgarcia80]

You didn't answer if you are dosing alkalinity?

Is this a new tank? Do you use artificial rock?

Don't bother doing water changes until you figure out if the result is real, and where it came from, because the salt mix is a possibility.

I was using the Seachem Reef Fusion 2 part. Should I stop using it?

Live rock was used in the tank, it's been running for 3 months.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Stop adding anything. The Reef Fusion is boosting both alkalinity and calcium.

How much have you added?

 

[Rgarcia80]

Stop adding anything. The Reef Fusion is boosting both alkalinity and calcium.

How much have you added?

2 days worth of dosing at 1 ml for each one. Should I let the tank settle or do a water change?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

That amount of the reef Fusion is not the source of the seemingly high alkalinity.

Try measuring the new salt water.

 

[Rgarcia80]

That amount of the reef Fusion is not the source of the seemingly high alkalinity.

Try measuring the new salt water.

2 gallons of water mixed (thats all the RODI water I had at the moment)

PH-8.4
Alk-7.5
Ca-440-460

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I've been testing daily for alkalinity

How has it been changing?

 

[Rgarcia80]

How has it been changing?

It just steadily climbs while my PH drops.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Forget the pH for now. Never add chemicals specifically to boost pH as they always also boost alkalinity.

What exactly was the source of the live rock?

 

[Rgarcia80]

Forget the pH for now. Never add chemicals specifically to boost pH as they always also boost alkalinity.

What exactly was the source of the live rock?

Unfortunately at the time of buying the rock was Petco. So most of the rock is from there but 1 piece which I bought from a lfs in RIchmond, VA (an hour from me), this piece is the biggest piece in the tank.