184g basement 8ft reef

[Myka]

Originally Posted by Roskoreef

i still need to pick up a magnesium tester, but im not dosing right now so that can wait. My levels are:

Calcium 550
Alk 132 ppm - 7.39 dKH - 2.64 meq/l

My calcium is high, could be the tester (Hanna) so 500-600, still high. Tonight i will dose only alk when ph drops at about 10 or so to bring calcium down slightly, then i will be able to dose calc and alk and figure out what my tank is using on a daily bases. is this correct?

Yes, you are correct. Calcium will not drop a lot, but it will a little. You should raise alkalinity to get closer to balanced calcium and alkalinity ratio. It should always be balanced, but calcium at 550 ppm is off the chart, and I wouldn't raise alkalinity more than about 10 or 11 dKH with that many SPS in the tank, and I wouldn't increase more than 1 dKH per 24 hours. Then dose neither until they fall together down to where you want them. You will need to make sure you magnesium is at least 1300-1400 ppm to have elevated calcium and alkalinity. If magnesium is low then you risk calcium carbonate precipitation (aka snow in your tank).

Although I agree with you that it could be the Hanna Calcium Checker. I find it very easy to get a false high reading on that device.

Here's a really good article by Randy Holmes-Farley on calcium and alkalinity. Scroll down about halfway and read Corrections for Zone 4. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/11/chemistry