Need some advice regarding Calcium dosing

HiddenUser · May 10, 2016

So I have a small amount of small SPS frags in my tank. 400G of water volume total in the system. I just hooked up my automated dosers last night and I'm a bit concerned that I can't get the calcium to go up.

Here are the parameters I'm shooting for...
7.3-7.5 dkh
450 Calcium

Using Hanna Checks for Calcium and Alkalinity I tested parameters on Friday and then I dosed and tested again 2 hours later and I verified that my parameters were within the range I'm looking for. I then waited 72 hours and tested again yesterday...

Alkalinity was 6.78dkh. Calcium was 422. I figured out the 3 day averages and configured my dosers, then I did one last manual dosing adjustment to what should have brought me back up to the parameters I was looking for.

I tested again today and my alkalinity was 7.06, but my calcium had dropped to 380. I tested three times with a Hanna checker and got 380, 381, and then 379. I then thought that maybe I don't have enough magnesium so calcium wasn't able to maintain what I'm looking for. I just tested Magnesium with a Red Sea Pro kit and I got 1440ppm.

I'm using BRS 2-Part for my dosing and the calcium mixture was just freshly made.

Looking for some advice on what I need to do to bring my calcium levels back up and to maintain them. Last night I manually added 1146ml of the 2 part calcium solution (nearly 40oz) and for some reason my calcium went from 422 to 380 overnight.

tomtom2245 · May 10, 2016

Just checking but did you prime the dosing lines by turning the pumps on manually to clear all of the air out?

HiddenUser · May 10, 2016

tomtom2245 said:
Just checking but did you prime the dosing lines by turning the pumps on manually to clear all of the air out?

Yep. I did that so that I could calibrate the dosers as I've found that BRS dosers aren't always 1.1ml/minute.

Either way that shouldn't have mattered as I did a manual dosing before turning on the dosing pumps today. I went from 455 to 422 over 3 days, then I did a manual dosing last night which should have brought me back up to 450, but instead my calcium is 380 today.

Should I just do another manual dosing again today, test in a few hours to make sure I'm at 450-ish, then restart the calcium doser tomorrow?

Downbeach · May 10, 2016

You might want to get a second opinion on the Ca test, I know in the past, Hanna had some issues with their Ca checkers.

jsker · May 10, 2016

What brand of salt are you using? And this also is a question for @Randy Holmes-Farley tomchime in on.

HiddenUser · May 10, 2016

jsker said:
What brand of salt are you using? And this also is a question for @Randy Holmes-Farley tomchime in on.

Plain Instant Ocean.

HiddenUser · May 10, 2016

Downbeach said:
You might want to get a second opinion on the Ca test, I know in the past, Hanna had some issues with their Ca checkers.

I think you're right. I just used the Red Sea kit to test and I got 440. I just hate using it because its hard for me to tell when the end color has been reached. So I guess I'll just leave everything alone.

I wish there was a reliable digital test kit for this stuff as I find it difficult a lot of the time to compare the colors...always end up having my Fiancee double check my work.

jsker · May 10, 2016

ChukeeR said:
Plain Instant Ocean.

Instant Ocean has had issue with the constancy with there salt mix of late, hence for my question

jsker · May 10, 2016

ChukeeR said:
I think you're right. I just used the Red Sea kit to test and I got 440. I just hate using it because its hard for me to tell when the end color has been reached. So I guess I'll just leave everything alone.

I wish there was a reliable digital test kit for this stuff as I find it difficult a lot of the time to compare the colors...always end up having my Fiancee double check my work.

That is one reason I went with all Red Sea test kits, there pretty consistent on results.

HiddenUser · May 10, 2016

Yeah...Just sucks being a bit color blind when it comes to doing some of these tests. Very hard for me to tell the colors apart sometimes, which is why I've liked the Hanna Checkers.

I use to use Red Sea and the Marinemix salts when I had my 90G...but that became very expensive when I upgraded to my new system doing 10% water changes every week. So far I'm having good luck with IO. I know @Randy Holmes-Farley uses it as well...Just need to supplement what it lacks a bit more.

I'm just going to test every 3 days and make sure that my parameters are staying in check and adjust the dosages as needed until I can start increase the amount of time between checking the parameters (maybe like once a week or so).

FcSteve777 · May 10, 2016

The red sea alk pro kit isn't my fav, it never gets as dark as the card and red sea confirmed it just goes orange.
Sounds like you are on the right track tho. when i know i have to make adjustments i test every day or 2 and keep track of whats going in (using the brs calk to give me amounts to add) Then just adjust my doser. I find keeping an excel spread sheet that averages the additions makes it easier to keep track of what to set the doser to.

Randy Holmes-Farley · May 11, 2016

ChukeeR said:
Looking for some advice on what I need to do to bring my calcium levels back up and to maintain them. Last night I manually added 1146ml of the 2 part calcium solution (nearly 40oz) and for some reason my calcium went from 422 to 380 overnight.

You probably just need to add more. The problem with relying on a test where you let alk drop is the demand for calcium and alk drops as the alk drops, and nearly stops at alk below 7 dKH. So you may have calculated too low of a daily dose.

Randy Holmes-Farley · May 11, 2016

jsker said:
Instant Ocean has had issue with the constancy with there salt mix of late, hence for my question

I used plain IO for 20 years, but recently took my tank down, so haven't been making new salt water lately.

HiddenUser · May 11, 2016

So far so good...The Hanna Checker for calcium just seems to be all over the place. I ran two more tests with the Hanna Checker last night...Calcium was 446, then 484. So I did 5 tests yesterday with the Hanna Checker and it came back with 380, 381, 379, 446, and 484...LOL.

My Red Sea Calcium test says 440, so I'm going to go with that and test daily to make sure that I'm stay around the levels that I want to be at.