Zero calc a couple different test kits

Rob77 · Oct 9, 2019

Ok for a friend , 200 gallons water nitrate 10 ppm phos .003 or so , dkh 9 , calcium zero , mag not sure , changed 100 gallons of water , calcium still reading 0 , cant figure this out

fcmatt · Oct 9, 2019

You have to be using the test kit improperly. What brand of test kit please?

Rob77 · Oct 9, 2019

Salifert and red sea , yes this is really for a friend I have tested it also

fcmatt · Oct 9, 2019

I know this sounds anal but can you describe exactly the steps you are doing to test with the red sea kit? Are you missing the A or B step before tritration?

Have you tried the test kit on some water and a diff brand of salt? What kind of salt is it btw?

Steelheader09 · Oct 9, 2019

There must be an issue in testing or you got a bad batch of salt. What brand salt?

Rob77 · Oct 9, 2019

I use salifert , my calcium spot on 400 , he uses red sea , yes tested instant ocean 380 or so , I thought he was doing it wrong also but , I know my kit is right

Steelheader09 · Oct 9, 2019

If you are 100% sure the testing is right, then it has to be bad salt. There is no way for it to all just disappear. How long was it mixed

fcmatt · Oct 9, 2019

What kind of salt?

And once again this is going to sound anal. Without you describing what is actually happening in detail with the testing we cannot help.

For example.. what if the Ca is so high that you use a full syringe full of solution... and you do not see the color change.. and you think to yourself what the heck.. no Ca! Yet if you used another syringe full you would eventually see the color change and realize the Ca was 600 ppm or something wild.

DMG Reef · Oct 10, 2019

For the Red Sea test, the sample should be a bright pink after the spoon of powder is added. Then you add titration fluid until the sample is dark blue. For him to have a zero reading, the sample would have to already be dark blue without the addition of titration fluid.

Doesn't seem plausible. Are you sure you're not testing rodi water?

Rob77 · Oct 10, 2019

Maybe 8 hours he said , makes no sense

fcmatt · Oct 10, 2019

Sorry. I will have to bow out of this thread unless you start making sense. This post is going like an April fools joke.

Rob77 · Oct 10, 2019

fcmatt said:
Sorry. I will have to bow out of this thread unless you start making sense. This post is going like an April fools joke.

The calcium will not come up in this tank , this is an older system as you can see , I am 100% on testing , where can calcium go like that and how can it just go away that fast , the guy had a calcium reactor for about a year and all was well he is very lazy on testing , he tested a few weeks ago and called me and said I have no calcium , I told him no way , I teated it myself last week and salifert showed it very very low , I said do a water change and test your saltwater , so he made a 100 gallons of water it tested 350 /380 , he done the water change and tested after a few hours and still very very low , where can calcium go ?