Calcium Issue

[Myka]

I don't like the Hanna checker for calcium either. I think the trouble is with the very tiny amount of sample water (0.1 mL). Measuring such a tiny amountis difficult - even with a 1 mL syringe. If you're off by 0.01 mL that's 10% which accounts for 40-44 ppm +/-. So if your calcium is 440 you could easily get a reading anywhere from 400-480 ppm. I don't like that. I don't doubt the test kit is accurate, I think there is a high rate of user error.

[reefwars]

If day 1 is 520 and day two is 580 and your not dosing anything or doing a water change then thats a big red flag that there's a testing error .....because that's physically impossible without manually adding the calcium

Testing your calcium daily is also not really all that possible or at least accurately anyways unless your dropping 2 to 3 alkalinity dKH perday which heavily stocked tanks can do but without the alk drop calcium won't be dropping that much in a day without a noticeable drop in alk and the average kits margin or error is to high for daily calcium adjustments (that's where the saying dose on alkalinity number not calcium numbers comes from )

[Snufflupagus]

Great advise guys. Thanks. Very true I should have know it was the test (or could be the test, I'm getting a new tester tomorrow) I sure hope that's what the issue is. I'll get a better judgement after testing tomorrow. Thanks for the advise so far.