How fast can you raise calcium?

[((FORDTECH))]

I don’t think it can just go down without using up over 10dkh in alkalinity. You checked salinity?

This is huge. A huge drop in salinity could cause this for sure good question

 

[Riotjj21]

It is on topic to very strongly drive home the potential for it to be test error, because you will create a problem that didn't exist.

If you do not know how it got there, it is likely a test problem. Calcium does not just drop 200 ppm overnight.

It would take a massive amount of alk dosing without any calcium. Like about 30 dKH worth.

But, if it really is that low, I'd raise it higher than the normal rate because it is very stressful. Maybe 50 ppm per day.

I got the answer I was looking for. I'm back in the 400s. Feel free to delete the thread. It's no longer useful

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I got the answer I was looking for. I'm back in the 400s. Feel free to delete the thread. It's no longer useful

Yes, you got the answer you were looking for. I hope it is the right answer too. lol

Reef2Reef never deletes threads. They are useful to others reading them.

 

[((FORDTECH))]

I got the answer I was looking for. I'm back in the 400s. Feel free to delete the thread. It's no longer useful

So you went today from 200 back to 400 just like that with 1 huge dose and yet still don’t know how it got that low to start with ?

 

[Riotjj21]

So you went today from 200 back to 400 just like that with 1 huge dose and yet still don’t know how it got that low to start with ?

I

It is on topic to very strongly drive home the potential for it to be test error, because you will create a problem that didn't exist.

If you do not know how it got there, it is likely a test problem. Calcium does not just drop 200 ppm overnight.

It would take a massive amount of alk dosing without any calcium. Like about 30 dKH worth.

But, if it really is that low, I'd raise it higher than the normal rate because it is very stressful. Maybe 50 ppm per day.

It didn't drop 200 overnight. Over three or four days. My corals consume 30 ppm per day. Go see what Gbroadbridge wrote. He was probably correct. I dosed 100 ppm per day so two days

 

[Garf]

I

It didn't drop 200 overnight. Over three or four days. My corals consume 30 ppm per day. Go see what Gbroadbridge wrote. He was probably correct. I dosed 100 ppm per day so two days

I wish folks would admit an error, it helps others in the long run. Anyhow, glad you’ve cleared it up. Happy Reefin

 

[Riotjj21]

I wish folks would admit an error, it helps others in the long run. Anyhow, glad you’ve cleared it up. Happy Reefin

With wishes like that all your doing is preventing people from posting. I certainly won't again. On advise from another post in another forum it was suggested that I do a 50 percent water change to drop my nitrates. Just didn't take into account the new salt. Adios

 

[Garf]

With wishes like that all your doing is preventing people from posting. I certainly won't again. On advise from another post in another forum it was suggested that I do a 50 percent water change to drop my nitrates. Just didn't take into account the new salt. Adios

Lokoking g forward to your build thread. You will find most folks on here are just trying help.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I

It didn't drop 200 overnight. Over three or four days. My corals consume 30 ppm per day. Go see what Gbroadbridge wrote. He was probably correct. I dosed 100 ppm per day so two days

No, a water change with Red Sea coral pro is not the explanation for your observation. That cannot possibly be the explanation for a 200 ppm drop over 3 days unless alk dropped 30 dKH (how could it???; was it ever that high?) neither is a salinity change unless it dropped from SG 1.026 to 1.013.

I am more than happy to keep trying to explain and get at the real reasons for this observation, but it does not appear that you are interested in further discussion.

FWIW, the likely explanations are alk overdose, or test error.

 

[((FORDTECH))]

No, a water change with Red Sea coral pro is not the explanation for your observation. That cannot possibly be the explanation for a 200 ppm drop over 3 days unless alk dropped 30 dKH (how could it???; was it ever that high?) neither is a salinity change unless it dropped from SG 1.026 to 1.013.

I am more than happy to keep trying to explain and get at the real reasons for this observation, but it does not appear that you are interested in further discussion.

FWIW, the likely explanations are alk overdose, or test error.

This is exactly what I was thinking

 

[ganreef]

No, a water change with Red Sea coral pro is not the explanation for your observation. That cannot possibly be the explanation for a 200 ppm drop over 3 days unless alk dropped 30 dKH (how could it???; was it ever that high?) neither is a salinity change unless it dropped from SG 1.026 to 1.013.

I am more than happy to keep trying to explain and get at the real reasons for this observation, but it does not appear that you are interested in further discussion.

FWIW, the likely explanations are alk overdose, or test error.

Hi, this thread has been extremely helpful. This happened to me two days ago. Accidentally overdosed alkalinity two part (human error not apex) which dumped 1.5L of the solution overnight in a 45g. PH shot up over night, killed all inverts and 2 fish (incredibly 4 survived) - leaving a dust storm of Calcium Carbonate all over the tank. Felt very bad for myself, then got into action to clean up. Two large water changes (40% first and 15% after) over 36hrs, seems to have stabilized PH but everything else is a bit crazy. Calcium dropped to 220ppm (from 450), Alkalinity is 14 (Don’t know what it was before wc) and Mg at 1250. Need some advice if you can on two things:

1. how fast can I build up calcium ?

2. will the left over calcium carbonate dust be harmful in anyway ? Cleaned up a lot with filter socks, but still have it on rocks, sand, parts of sump.

 

[Sasquatchv]

Ouch what was the error? Dosing quantity programmed in liters instead of milliliters?

General consensus is to rise CA no more than 50ppm a day.

The dust, not a clue.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Hi, this thread has been extremely helpful. This happened to me two days ago. Accidentally overdosed alkalinity two part (human error not apex) which dumped 1.5L of the solution overnight in a 45g. PH shot up over night, killed all inverts and 2 fish (incredibly 4 survived) - leaving a dust storm of Calcium Carbonate all over the tank. Felt very bad for myself, then got into action to clean up. Two large water changes (40% first and 15% after) over 36hrs, seems to have stabilized PH but everything else is a bit crazy. Calcium dropped to 220ppm (from 450), Alkalinity is 14 (Don’t know what it was before wc) and Mg at 1250. Need some advice if you can on two things:

1. how fast can I build up calcium ?

2. will the left over calcium carbonate dust be harmful in anyway ? Cleaned up a lot with filter socks, but still have it on rocks, sand, parts of sump.

The problem is that you have massive amounts of seed crystals of calcium carbonate in the water just waiting for mroe calcium and carbonate to come along and precipitate onto it.

I'd raise calcium pretty fast (2 days), but you may need to allow alk to drop fairly low (6-7 dKH) for a while to break the cycle.

The particulates are not a concern aside the ongoing precipitation issues.

 

[ganreef]

Than

Ouch what was the error? Dosing quantity programmed in liters instead of milliliters?

General consensus is to rise CA no more than 50ppm a day.

The dust, not a clue

Ouch what was the error? Dosing quantity programmed in liters instead of milliliters?

General consensus is to rise CA no more than 50ppm a day.

The dust, not a clue.

No. It was programmed well but a very basic program to dispense in auto mode. I noticed that alk was reaching 9.8 and turned off dosing for a day. And then when I turned it on, instead of putting it in “Auto” which goes back to table dosing, I accidentally made it to “On” and went to bed. Woke up to alarms of high PH and drained DOS. Stupid me.

 

[ganreef]

The problem is that you have massive amounts of seed crystals of calcium carboante in the water just waiting for mroe calcium and carbonate to come along and precipitation onto it.

I'd raise calcium pretty fast (2 days), but you may need to allow alk to drop fairly low (6-7 dKH) for a while to break the cycle.

The particulates are not a concern aside the ongoign precipitation issues.

Thanks. This is helpful. ALK is still high at 13. Can I drop to 7 without dropping PH ? If so, other than water changes what would help in dropping ALK ?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thanks. This is helpful. ALK is still high at 13. Can I drop to 7 without dropping PH ? If so, other than water changes what would help in dropping ALK ?

I'd focus on the alk rather than what that temporarily does to pH. Any way of lowering it will have some pH effect.

 

[thrillreefer]

Well, I’m embarrassed to say I’ve found this thread helpful too… spiked my Alk up to 15 by overdosing Alk 2-part when my LEDs died, and T5s likely only supported much slower calcification. A combo of work/life/travel kept me from discovering I had failed to turn down the Alk dose for at least 2 months. Strangely, while my corals are not happy nor growing well, nothing has died.

Parameters on 1/23 were: Alk 15.5, Ca 180 , Mg 1050, pH 8.6. All Salifert, and another tank is testing ~normal so I believe these numbers.

Via water changes, stopping Alk dosing and increasing Ca dosing, last night I’m back to:
Alk 9.9, Ca 270, Mg 1260, pH 8.3. Salinity has held steady at 1.025.

I’m guessing I could increase Alk and Ca faster, so I’ve increased my Ca/Mg part dosing (ESV 2 part). So far, 20 ppm Ca/day and 40 ppm Mg/day, expecting will now go to double this rate but will watch how corals respond. And will restart Alk dosing probably today when I hit 9 dKh.

I’m pleasantly shocked I haven’t lost corals from this (yet). I even added a couple softies and LPS on 1/19 before I discovered my error. I have a good mix: SPS (Acros, Montis, and a Stylophora), tons of LPS (Euphyllias, Acans, Favias), and softies (Sinularia, Sarcophyton, Zoas, Gorgonians). My guess is the low rate of change was the only savior? Wild.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I’m not seeing how an alk overdose can get you to these values (the mag drop is way too large relative to the calcium drop) but if new salt water reads normal with these same kits (not just another tank which itself may be way off) then it is more likely they are real.

 

[thrillreefer]

The Mg drop is a little baffling. Probably a combination of underdosing Ca/Mg part while massively overdosing Alk. Calcification + precipitation (although I don’t see obvious signs of precip) explains the Ca number, but yeah where did the Mg go? Will double check kits on new SW, mixing another batch now. Ca kit (hopefully) reading low, although I do expect Ca to be depleted with that much Alk going in.

Heavy bubble algae growth too - could this consume Mg? Doubtful.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

No, bubble algae does not appreciably use any of these.