Very high calcium

[AJ460]

My calcium is over 600 I have used a Red Sea test kit and a Hanna checker. I'm not sure why it's so high

Magnesium is 1360
Alkalinity is 8.12
Salinity is 1.025
Using Red Sea coral pro

Please help

Thank you
AJ

 

[joekool]

This is the only salt I use.

Is that alk dKH or PH?

Is this from your batch or from the tank.
Do you have much coral in your tank? Could be you just aren't using enough Ca and it's building up. If you can get the alk up so that they are in ratio than than you should be fine.

Did you just start using RSCP

Mixing at 35ppt or 1.026 your dKH should be around 12.4 sorry you said 1.025

Mg looks good.

 

[joekool]

Oh yeah how far over 600 on Ca

 

[AJ460]

Not sure how much over everything I have to test stops at 600 I have been using Red Sea salt for 1 yr now my ph is around 8.40 the all is 8.12 dkh

 

[joekool]

Do you have a tank thread so I can check out your tank. Do you have much coral in there.

Hard to bring alk up with a PH of 8.4 and not raise it. You don't have any calcium reactors correct?

I use salifert test kit never steered me wrong. Heard that rd sea kits hard to get accurate readings by design not that they don't work.

 

[AJ460]

No tank thread

 

[mike007]

If you are not dosing for calcium I think your test results may not be correct. Can you have your lfs test your water? Red sea salt will not bring your level up that high.

 

[joekool]

Looks like you got some nice coraline algae growing.

So you don't dose any Ca or Alk you just use salt and water changes?
You can have a high calcium as long as the alk is in the right range. I would like to see you in the 12.5dkh range with that high of calcium.

 

[joekool]

+1 on that too

If you are not dosing for calcium I think your test results may not be correct. Can you have your lfs test your water? Red sea salt will not bring your level up that high.

 

[AJ460]

Looks like you got some nice coraline algae growing.

So you don't dose any Ca or Alk you just use salt and water changes?
You can have a high calcium as long as the alk is in the right range. I would like to see you in the 12.5dkh range with that high of calcium.

I am dosing Alk .25 ml a day but I do not dose calcium normally run around 9 dkh on Alk but I shut down my doser thinking I may have a problem and it was dosing calcium also

 

[joekool]

I would buy a different test kit or go to a LFS that does a good test. Then get back to this thread.

Also do you have a PH probe or how are you getting your PH number?
If it turns out that your calcium is in fact that high than we need to get your alk up to balance it out. But we have to watch your PH.

Let us know what your Ca is after having a LFS test it or other kit.

 

[AJ460]

I would buy a different test kit or go to a LFS that does a good test. Then get back to this thread.

Ok I will try that and see what happens

 

[mike007]

Are you dosing calcium with your dosing pump? If so you need to adjust it down and let the calcium come down on its own. Nice looking tank you have there.

 

[AJ460]

I am setup to dose calcium but I am not dosing it because it never comes down

And then just a pic of my sump

 

[zesty]

I'm taking a stab here, but what do you have in your tank that would eat up the CA? If you had a forest of SPS colonies, your CA would drop in minutes. I see mainly softies, which from what I understand don't take up that much CA.

So, either go buy some SPS!! or IMO just get a different salt that mixes a lower CA and see what the other two fall at then.

 

[Noob]

i use RSCP and my Alk has never been that low in any batch. i'm usually above 11. My Ca is usually around 450 too.

 

[Mstanker]

I have the Red Sea reef pro what happens if you miss read the test and dosed cal and mag. And now I used 95 and 94 % of the test to get my blue color at the end??? Thanks

 

[joekool]

AJ pull your line going into sump and place in bottle. This will let us know if your dosing pump is dosing even if you have it off right now. Try it for a day or two and see if you get anything in the bottle. Also test your Ca with a different kit or a reputable LFS.

I'm hoping that we can figure it out quickly for you. Once we know for sure your Ca is that high we should do some water changes 2 5% a week and bring up your alk with out affecting your PH to much. Are you having much of a PH swing or is it staying close to 8.4?

 

[AJ460]

AJ pull your line going into sump and place in bottle. This will let us know if your dosing pump is dosing even if you have it off right now. Try it for a day or two and see if you get anything in the bottle. Also test your Ca with a different kit or a reputable LFS.

I'm hoping that we can figure it out quickly for you. Once we know for sure your Ca is that high we should do some water changes 2 5% a week and bring up your alk with out affecting your PH to much. Are you having much of a PH swing or is it staying close to 8.4?

I will do as you have said and take it to my LFS to be checked as far as PH

 

[fishroomlady]

I am curious about whether you need to be dosing at all. If what you have is mainly soft coral that don't use that much calcium, you could probably just keep your parameters in check with regular water changes. Are you adding anything else?