whats the best way to dose calcium

[Anthony.Luciano710]

ok so i just got some stony corals in my 125 gallon and i think its time to start dosing calcium. im using ro/di water with reef crystals salt. right now my calcium level is about 520 ppm and i never added calcium yet so i guess its just from the salt but now im waiting for the corals to start absorbing it then im going to need to start to dose. i do not want to get involved with reactors their just to complicated and expensive. i was thinking about kalkwasser but my auto top off is just a bucket with no top so and i know kalk can be exposed to air that long. i also have a kent marine dose bottle thing so maybe i can use that but i think it would be to small unless i put extra kalk into it but it might settle at the bottom. then for right now i have instant ocean calcium booster so i was also thinking of putting that stuff in the drip dose bottle but im willing to change stuff for what you guys think is the best because i know your experienced and know what will work better. thanks

 

[KathyC]

First off if your Ca is already at 520 you don't want to be dosing more right now.

You also need to know what your Alkalinity and Magnesium levels are - the 3 work in conjunction with each other.

Before you dose, you need to know how much Ca & Alk the corals (and coralline) is using up. You figure this out by testing - say today- and then testing again in 3 days to see if the Ca & Alk dropped. If they haven't then you don't need to dose. Try again 2 more days after that.
If still no change, don't dose.
You also need to know how much your levels change when you do a water change - so check after doing that too!

What do you plan to dose with - ESV ? Or something else.

..and according to many here, it is not an issue if Kalk is exposed to air, but the same folks will tell you that you MUST stay on top of equipment maintenance as kalk tends to clog up pumps after a period of time.

i also have a kent marine dose bottle thing so maybe i can use that but i think it would be to small unless i put extra kalk into it but it might settle at the bottom.

Just also want to mention - the slurry that settles to the bottom is NOT the part that you want going into your tank! Better to mix it in a different container and then pour off the portion that you want into your doser..if you decide to go in that direction.

 

[DrHarryLopez]

+1 Kathy

I would nt dose anything right now, that 500+ Ca will take a few months to come down even with water changes.

Buy yourself some good test kits and begin logging your Ca, Alk, Mg, Nitrates, Phos, SpGr, and Temps. Get to know your reef's demands.

When you have become familiar with your tank you'll know how to manage its demands.

Read the threads, and ask questions.

Good Luck

 

[Anthony.Luciano710]

ok so i just set up an auto top off system and i have kalk but im not dosing it yet because all my levels are high except my nitrate and ph. my calcium is still at about 520ppm and i dont know why because i had a tremendous growth in coraline algae and i have a brain coral that should be taking in calcium, a frogspawn, an birdsnest. i do have more but those are the main ones i think will take the calcium. my alkalinity is about 11/12 somewhere in the middle but my ph keeps going back down to around 8.0 maybe a little less. i had a coral die because of the low ph and i also need the calcium for my ph to go higher but for now i just keep putting baking soda in. im not sure if thats really heathy but it does work. so any tips on how to fix the level?

 

[DrHarryLopez]

Do things sloooooooowly, too much fluctuation is bad.