My 180 Gal reef. Some New Pics
- Thread starter -JB
- Start date
my Ca dropped to 310, my Alk droped down to 7.5 dKH as well. I tested my Magnesium at 1250 so no problems there. I had a coralline explosion in my tank and some problems with my nilsen reactor. The combo sucked a ton of calcium out out the water. I've been slowly trying to get the CA in line. As of two days ago it was Ca 350 and 11 dKH Alk. So I'm slowly getting it in line.
clownfishking
Clownfish breeder
- Location
- Westchester/ Mt Vernon
Very healthy! Looks awsome. How long she's been up? :lol:
8O Sweet tank! Looks great. That's alot of coraline on the back wall and left side; it looks alot better than a backgraound.
About your Ca level: I've noticed by testing mine both with the quick tests and an ICP that the tests can be up to 200mg/l off. I try to keep mine over 1350mg/l just to be on the safe side.
On another point, do you think with a 180g and all those corals that maybe the Caliumhydroxide reactor is not enough?
Brian
About your Ca level: I've noticed by testing mine both with the quick tests and an ICP that the tests can be up to 200mg/l off. I try to keep mine over 1350mg/l just to be on the safe side.
On another point, do you think with a 180g and all those corals that maybe the Caliumhydroxide reactor is not enough?
Brian
dsstroyer, The tank has been up for 20 months.
kanapino, your right, Kalkwasser is not enough for the tank. I have a dual chamber Calcium reactor running as well. The Nilsen is a new addition added only about 6 months ago. I have been using it specifically to help pH swings as well as supplement my Calcium needs. I have the Nilsen running 24/7 and use it for all water lost to evaporation.
I had a bunch of Alk and Calcium problems back in September. My ph swings started getting really out of hand 8.3 to 7.8. Testing my Alk found it was low around 7.5 dKH. I started treating the tank with buffer to try and raise the Alk, not testing the Calcium. After a few weeks of not seeing my Alk move much, I tested my Ca and found it around 300-310. I know, I should have tested the Ca right away but my life was extremely busy that month and I had little time for tank maintenance. Also, to add to my woes, in September my Nilsen reactor stopped working, causing some more problems. So when I finally started fixing my Calcium/Alk again my tank was out of balance as their was too much ALK relative to Ca in the system. So that has taken me a while to get straight. Now it looks as if I am finally on the right road as my Alk is around 11 dKH and Ca at 380.
kanapino, your right, Kalkwasser is not enough for the tank. I have a dual chamber Calcium reactor running as well. The Nilsen is a new addition added only about 6 months ago. I have been using it specifically to help pH swings as well as supplement my Calcium needs. I have the Nilsen running 24/7 and use it for all water lost to evaporation.
I had a bunch of Alk and Calcium problems back in September. My ph swings started getting really out of hand 8.3 to 7.8. Testing my Alk found it was low around 7.5 dKH. I started treating the tank with buffer to try and raise the Alk, not testing the Calcium. After a few weeks of not seeing my Alk move much, I tested my Ca and found it around 300-310. I know, I should have tested the Ca right away but my life was extremely busy that month and I had little time for tank maintenance. Also, to add to my woes, in September my Nilsen reactor stopped working, causing some more problems. So when I finally started fixing my Calcium/Alk again my tank was out of balance as their was too much ALK relative to Ca in the system. So that has taken me a while to get straight. Now it looks as if I am finally on the right road as my Alk is around 11 dKH and Ca at 380.
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