CAl and alk levels

[Skimmerking]

that is what I figured I didn't think you could bring CAl down..

[BC564]

and if you dont have a reactor? Just wait it out?

[Megalodon]

My calcium is off the scale, more than 500ppm as per my Salifert test kit. And that's the case for freshly mixed saltwater too. Something about Tropic Marin.

[scumchug]

For what its worth, My target for calcium is 500. I don't see a problem?

[mseepman]

I too have the problem of ALK and CAL being too high. I use AquaCraft Biosea and out of the bucket, I get ALK levels of 7 and CAL levels of 450 very consistantly between bags. Somehow over the last 3 months, my tank has crept up to ALK of 9-10 and CAL of 500. I use both Salifert and Hagen test kits with similar results. I don't have a reactor and I don't dose for Calcium or ALK.

Any suggestions would be great.

[untamed]

Originally Posted by BC564

and if you dont have a reactor? Just wait it out?

Yes...or add slightly less of whatever balanced supplement you are adding. Natural usage in the tank will bring the levels down if you don't supplement.

Originally Posted by scumchug

For what its worth, My target for calcium is 500. I don't see a problem?

Yes, that's why I thought it was debatable as whether he has a problem that needs fixing...or not. Although his problem may not be so much that the Ca is too high...it might just be that the Alk is too low to be "balanced" with a Ca that is that high. Even that is debatable.

Originally Posted by mseepman

I too have the problem of ALK and CAL being too high. I use AquaCraft Biosea and out of the bucket, I get ALK levels of 7 and CAL levels of 450 very consistantly between bags. Somehow over the last 3 months, my tank has crept up to ALK of 9-10 and CAL of 500. I use both Salifert and Hagen test kits with similar results. I don't have a reactor and I don't dose for Calcium or ALK.

Any suggestions would be great.

How's your salinity? Maybe you've gotten over-concentrated. You do have an unusual problem, to be sure. You are not dosing anything to supplement Ca/Alk, yet your Ca/Alk is RISING. That suggests that you have nothing in the tank that would use up Ca/Alk. Even a normal growth of coraline aglae would eventually use up Ca/Alk in a tank if there were no supplementation.

Do you happen to have a very clean, fish-only system? I'm baffled by that one.

[mseepman]

To give you a little more info, my salinity is a 1.023. I have not been dosing anything for quite a while now, although I did up until about 7 months ago using Reef Complete. I have mostly softies, but a few SPS as well. I also have a reasonably decent Bio-load with 10 fish in a 70 Gallon tank. I don't have an RO/DI myself, I purchase RO water from a local vendor (same stuff I drink). I don't use any tap water and have not used any in 2 years. I don't have a lot of new coraline algae growth, but my rocks are nicely purpled up from the last few years.

Any other suggestions?

Originally Posted by untamed

How's your salinity? Maybe you've gotten over-concentrated. You do have an unusual problem, to be sure. You are not dosing anything to supplement Ca/Alk, yet your Ca/Alk is RISING. That suggests that you have nothing in the tank that would use up Ca/Alk. Even a normal growth of coraline aglae would eventually use up Ca/Alk in a tank if there were no supplementation.

Do you happen to have a very clean, fish-only system? I'm baffled by that one.

[scumchug]

Originally Posted by mseepman

I too have the problem of ALK and CAL being too high. I use AquaCraft Biosea and out of the bucket, I get ALK levels of 7 and CAL levels of 450 very consistantly between bags. Somehow over the last 3 months, my tank has crept up to ALK of 9-10 and CAL of 500. I use both Salifert and Hagen test kits with similar results. I don't have a reactor and I don't dose for Calcium or ALK.

Any suggestions would be great.

I'd be willing to bet that your not using RODI water for top offs, or your DI filter is done. As you keep adding water, it evaporates leaving behind calcium among other things. Eventually the calcium builds up.

[Farrmanchu]

Mike, why not take the Kalk Reactor off line for a bit, while dripping Baking Soda or other Alk supplement until Ca gets used up. I have the same problem, when I use Kalk alone, Ca rises and Alk drops slowly. The fish and other bioload use up Alk. I find my tank uses around 10ppm a day of Ca, so when I stop Kalk, it drops 10ppm per day, but I keep Alk high with baked Baking Soda dissolved in RO. Once the SPS and Clams get bigger, you may get away with Kalk alone, just more of it, with a bigger demand on Ca from Corals.