super high calcium or BS test kit

jason604 · #1 05-08-2013, 05:57 AM

hey guys ive tested my calcium about 10x now and each time im getting a reading well over whats even on the chart for the API test kit... if i were to guess it would be over 600-640.... my tank is about a lil over a month old now and i have quite a bit of corals so they should be draining my calcium lvls and all i did was put 2 caps of purple up in total... is my calcium lvl really that high or is API test kits just a piece of shyt? Cuz i know it reads my ammonia lvl as 10 when i have 0..

mrhasan · #2 05-08-2013, 06:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jason604

hey guys ive tested my calcium about 10x now and each time im getting a reading well over whats even on the chart for the API test kit... if i were to guess it would be over 600-640.... my tank is about a lil over a month old now and i have quite a bit of corals so they should be draining my calcium lvls and all i did was put 2 caps of purple up in total... is my calcium lvl really that high or is API test kits just a piece of shyt? Cuz i know it reads my ammonia lvl as 10 when i have 0..

Did you check the expiry date on the test kit? No matter what people say, API kits are quite accurate to their resolution. I use both API and salifert calcium and the results are within 10ppm difference (the difference between API and salifert resolution).

I had a hit of 500ppm+ when I started my tank because my salinity was aboe 1.030 while hydrometer was showing 1.026 (don't know whether you use it or refractometer).

Just as a heads up, don't use purple up. They are a total waste of money (and a big amount). Corallines will come up automatically when things get in the right range in your tank.

jason604 · #3 05-08-2013, 08:47 PM

Yup I too had the same problem with hydrometer. I just bought a refractometer this week and my salinity was at 1.030. I'm slowly bringing it down. At 1.028 right now. Even with high salt lvl wouldn't 600+ calcium reading massively high?

mrhasan · #4 05-08-2013, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jason604

Yup I too had the same problem with hydrometer. I just bought a refractometer this week and my salinity was at 1.030. I'm slowly bringing it down. At 1.028 right now. Even with high salt lvl wouldn't 600+ calcium reading massively high?

My reading at 1.030 (or something a bit above that) was around 550ppm with IO. With high ca concentrated salt (h2o ocean, salinity, etc.), I guess it can be well over that.