Calcium

[Jeffrey1]

The saga continues.... I can't get my cal levels up beyond 330ppm. My alk. is ranging between 3.5 and 4.0. And my PH is consistantly 8.2. My salinty is on the lower end...1.022. Could the lower salinity be preventing the calcium levels increasing.

I have been dosing with C-balance two part system, the maximum daily recomended dosage for the past 1.5 weeks. Recently, I have been dosing only the calcium at the max daily dosage.

 

[Ben1]

Low magnesium can suppress CA, test that and let us know.

Try some dry calcium additive like kalkwasser, srip the kalk with all top off water. If that doesnt work and mag levels are good you can try turbo calcium from kent marine.

 

[Ijkreef]

How big is your system? Agree on the magnesium.

If Ca level has been rising and then stagnates at 330 despite adding mega doses, be careful of overdosing when the test kit is not working properly. I would first check the test kit (eg. reliability, expiry date etc). Then double-check the levels with another test kit before dumping more calcium in.

 

[ChrisRD]

I agree - make sure the test kit is accurate first. If so, check Mg levels as mentioned above.

I agree that an SG of 1.022 is on the low side for a reef and if you're targeting NSW levels of Ca (ie. 400-450 PPM) then it makes sense to raise SG to NSW levels as well.

If all else fails a few large water changes with a good salt mix (preferably one that has decent Ca levels) and purified water can always put your water chemistry back in line.

HTH