High Calcium & Alk
Hello & Good Day!
<Good day to you>
I’ve read all through the Calcium and Alk FAQs and they’ve added to my confusion.  Here’s the scenario;
Tank is 75gal with 75lbs LR and DSB.  Tank completed it’s cycle 10days ago.  Since then I’ve added 2 dozen snails and 1 dozen hermits over the course of seven days.  A few days ago I decided to start testing Calcium and Alk to see where I stood and to make sure my Coralline was going to do well.
Day 1 of testing Calcium / Alk in main tank = Cal 210, Alk 11.5   So I added some Tropic Marin Bio-Calcium. “Contents are calcium ions, hydrogen carbonate and all 70 trace elements found in natural sea water.”
Day 2 of testing Calcium / Alk in main tank = Cal 300, Alk 13.8    tested Replacement Water ( 10gals ) = Cal 270, Alk 9.9  Added Tropic Marin to both.
Day 3 ( Today ) of testing Calcium / Alk in main tank = Cal 315, Alk 15   tested Replacement Water = Cal 255, Alk 12.2
…So…
I –thought- that as one raised the other would lower but it actually looks like both are rising in my main tank.  I’m adding the Tropic Marin as directed but now that my Alk is out of the recommended range I’m leery of adding anymore.
<The Tropic Marin could be raising both.>
What should I do?  Wait a couple days and test again?  Use a product to lower Alk?  If so, what?  I’d like to start placing some actual fish in the system but not until I can understand and handle what I’ve bitten off so far.
Thanks for your time!
Scott
<I would start by doing several large water changes (25%-50%) over the next 7 to 10 days, without adding supplements.  This should dilute the imbalance.  Then resume supplementation with a 2part calcium supplement, Tropic Marin, or Kalk.  Best Regards, Gage>

Smooth sailing on Ca & ALK? 5/5/03
What is your take on this?  For months I used two part b-ionic with good success in my 29 gallon reef tank.  (Prior to that, for a couple of years, I tried the balancing act of adding calcium and buffer separately.)  Anyway, out of the clear blue sky, I have found the calcium and PH levels staying extremely stable and I have stopped adding the bionic.  (Will continue to monitor of course.)
<Hmmm... you haven't mentioned you ALK (hardness dKH) and I wonder if your test kits are accurate (over 6 months old for reagents?). Before you stop any crucial supplementation... please confirm you water quality on other test kits for reference>
The tank is skimmed, strong circulation, constant small water changes, live rock/sand and the best husbandry possible. (Bordering on obsessive.)  No supplemental additives. only corals are corallimorphs, no algae. light fish load,  no problems whatsoever. Could this be the reasons the tank stabilized?
<perhaps... simply a low demand/bio-load>
Thanks for the input. William
<best regards, Anthony>

- Ca/dKH Questions -
Dear WWW Crew,
<Greetings, JasonC here...>
Thanks for your advice in the past and the great web site.
I have looked through all of the calcium FAQ's and am unsure how to proceed with my own reef.
I have a 4 year old 75 gal reef with 80lb live rock and a 30 gal refugium with a 7 in DSB. I have several LPS corals and a variety of soft corals with a few small fish. The corals are doing very well (I've divided my frog spawn several times). I have a Turboflotor 1000 skimmer and a Korallin calcium reactor. I do 5 gal water changes monthly and top up water with a "NURCE" device using buffered R/O water. My chemistries are pH 8.3 (day)/ 8.0 (night), dKH 9.0, Ca 400, Mg 1300, nitrite/ammonia/nitrate 0.
Since getting the Ca reactor the Ca/dKH have been much more stable (compared to chasing levels with supplements alone) but NOT optimal-Ca 325 and dKH 8. To boost this up I use Kent Super buffer 4 tsp. every 4 days and add Kent turbo Ca to the make up water (~3/4 tsp. per day).
I have tried Kalkwasser repeatedly in the past with unimpressive results. In addition I frequently work over night and cannot dose stuff when the lights go out very often. This winter I tried 3 months of Warner's 2 part buffer and had o.k. results (Ca 400, dKH 8.5) but needed to use maximum amounts (estimated to cost >$300/year).
I am concerned about my calcium and alkalinity supplementation. I have noticed some bad mouthing of the Kent products in the FAQs...any specific problems? <Well, in most cases they are the great imitators... copied products from other companies that did the actually research.> Will this amount of Turbo Calcium cause an ionic imbalance and how do I recognize the symptoms? <One or the other [ph/dKH] will be very high, much higher than they are now.>
What Ca reactor media do you like the best? <Knop Korallith.>
How would you recommend I proceed? <I would consider two things... first, unless you've done this already, you should replace at least half of your live rock and sand bed. This is a process that should be done once a year in smaller percentages, but I get the feeling you've never done this... your alkaline reserve is really embodied in your sand bed and live rock, and over time it gets used up. Adding supplements is only useful to the point that they actually have a place to go. Also, if you don't run your refugium this way, pack it with macro-algae and light it during times when the tank is dark - this would help keep your pH a little higher and also allow you to turn up the calcium reactor a little bit. Do start with swapping out some rock and sand - this is the best place to start.>
Thank you for your response...you guys do a great job!
Sean
<Cheers, J -- >

- Ca & Alk, Calcium Reactor -
Hello again and thanks for all the past help. My system has been running at pH 8.2, Ca 320ppm and Alk 10-11dKH since installing calcium reactor three months ago. I have tried to increase Ca by increasing bubble count to 120/min (started at 60) while keeping flow constant at manufacture's recommended starting point of 2-3l/hr. Effluent is close to ph 6.5 and 40 dKH. Trend seems to be that as I increase bubble count, alk increases but not Ca. I understand that Ca is necessarily lower when alk is high. Is this just a function of reactor media (ARM) and will I have to supplement Ca or will I eventually be able to dial in Ca to 350-400ppm with the right combination of CO2 and flow. <Well, two things come to mind - first, the ARM media is notoriously impure, which means you really can't rely on it for consistent results. Second, calcium reactors are 'really' alkalinity reactors, and by boosting alkalinity promote better availability of calcium - of course it helps that the effluent is calcium carbonate, but really, I don't see anything wrong with those numbers. Do also use the growth of your calcium consuming organisms as a guide.> Perhaps I need different media (suggestions?), <Knop Korallith.> or is 320ppm & 11dKH just fine and I should leave it alone? <Yes to that as well.> A. yongei frag is doing well so far but want to get everything right before starting to stock in earnest. Regards, George.
<Cheers, J -- >