Mobile Bay Reef Keepers

A couple of questions here for the more experienced. I have been using grocery store pickle lime for my top off water as a calcium additive. I only use about 1 teaspoon per 2.5 gallons which just about disolves to clear water. I drip this in my system and have to reup about every two days. When I checked my calcium levels they read 700! So I went to water world and told the guy about it and he said my test kit was wrong. That there is no way it could be that high. So I bought a more expensive test kit and retest my water.....650.

Okay so first, is this toxic to my fish/shrimp/hermit/worm/snail population? And second, how the hell am I getting that much calcium in the water in the first place. The top off water is relatively clear after mixing with the lime mix and the water is RO/DI. Can anyone help me here?

Its very possible, but I would bet anything your alk level is VERY low. Look up one of the Randy Holmes Farley articles on Alk/Ca relationship for a better understanding of the saturation level for Salt water.

AFAIK, it's not toxic to any of your fish, shrimp... but your corals would appreciate your alk/ca levels being more balanced.

At 1 time I had a 75gal set up and was reading levels above 500. If your calcium is that high, you will most likely have a hard calcium buildup in your tank (like on the heater etc). I honestly do not think your water can hold a calcium level that high without the calcium prec from it. I had no fatalities with any of my fish, inverts, or corals when the levels were over 500. I have heard that adding alot of lime water to a tank will "melt" the aroginite sand into clumps.

My suggestion would be to bring a sample of your water to a well experienced person and have them do a water test. Also, order a salifert test kit. I am not putting the others down, but the salifert is so easy to read.

1 other thing to check, normally when the calcium rises, the Alk decreases. Check your ALK next chance you get.

Just a note...I dose about 6 gallons of kalkwasser a day (1 tea spoon per gallon). I also give about 50 mils of Part A and Part B. I also give 1 teaspoon of calcium chloride. I also run a calcium reactor. My levels have been very stable at 485.

Hope this helps,
Jeremy

ReefBert wrote:A couple of questions here for the more experienced...When I checked my calcium levels they read 700...So I bought a more expensive test kit and retest my water.....650

This isn't too uncommon to get a high calcium level, but yes, if you tested your alkalinity, then it would be low. Read this article by Randy Holmes-Farley http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm. It will tell you to use either baking soda or washing soda (cooked baking soda) to raise your alkalinity. Don't add any more pickling lime until your calcium levels are more normal.

If you cook baking soda at about 425 F in your oven for at least an hour, you'll have a very high quality washing soda...and cheap. Test your alkalinity first though. You need to determine your calcium demand of your system too.

LoneStar wrote:...Also, order a salifert test kit. I am not putting the others down, but the salifert is so easy to read...

IMO, you need a nitrate, calcium, and alkalinity test kit! I also agree with Jeremy...the Salifert test kits are very good & easy to use.

Okay just check alk and reading 3, which I thought was a good reading. I have a test kit for just about everything imaginable. My ammonia, nitrites and undetable and my nitates are usually almost undetable. My calcium, which I just checked again, reads 650. I have been adding from time to time baking soda, but have not put it in the oven like KrazyPlace suggested. I have read an article similar to Randy Holmes Farley's article, and have a basic understanding on how alkalinity effect calcium absorption in the water colum. No more lime water till I figure this one out. Could anyone bring in their calcium test to the meeting so I can test it on a third kit?

BTW, thanks for the replies!

Just went to the hyperlink and discoved that the article is in fact the same one I read. I went ahead and read it again and to no surprise I just need to lay off the calcium since my alk is in range. I do want to test my water on another kit to confirm my calc level really is this high first.

alk = 3? is that dkh? If so you'd want to shoot for 8-14.

If that is DKH, it is really low. If it is meq/L, it is (IMO) still fairly low. I try to keep my dkh at about 12.5 (4.46 meq/L).

Jeremy

Here is a Balancing table.


alk dkh calcium

0.00 0.00 360
0.50 1.40 370
1.00 2.80 380
1.50 4.20 390
2.00 5.60 400
2.50 7.00 410
3.00 8.40 420 near sea water
3.50 9.80 430
4.00 11.20 440
4.50 12.60 450 my average
5.00 14.00 460
5.50 15.40 470
6.00 16.80 480 great for frag tank
6.50 18.20 490
7.00 19.60 500

Ah sorry that is Meq/L. If this water really does have 650 ppm without precipitating, I can sell it on ebay as super kalkwasser. No really I will see what it reads at the meeting if some of you guys will bring a test kit and I will bring mine. I have read the intructions several times but who knows, maybe I am color blind

Which kit are you using?

Well I figured out my calcium readings. Since all my kits are below the tank I would usually sit on the ground in front of my tank to do the measurements. Also down below is a power compact to light my fuge. Well the pc was throwing a spectrum that was completely changing the color of the test. It would look purple near the tank, but when I brought it in the kitchen near sunlight it was blue. So anyways to make a long newbie story short, my calcium readings are 460.

You will also find out that if I test you water and someone else test the water at the same time with the same kit we will get slightly different results....this is because some call it when it first starts the change color others will wait till it completly changes....it really does not matter....460 or 480 as long as you are close and do it the same way every time. The trick is to be constant. Tanks hate changes....

The same thing happend to me. I would always have the door to my hood opened when I would check mine and the VHOs would make the color different looking.