Well my aquarium has gone drain. I have had a problem getting my calcium up. So i started adding kalkwasser with vinager at night. But my alkalinity is not staying up today i tested it was down at 0.8 i was like OH MY GOD i literly jumped at my driper to turn of the kalk. So i then tested my PH it was at 8.5 and my calcium was at 250. I just almost took my axe to the tank right then. I knew something has been wrong the last few days green star didnt come out brain coral was sucked up and xenya sucked up. Ironicly bubble coral was open and ready to eat. So i went to local super market and bought 20 gallons of R/O water to mix salt tonight and then tommorow i am going to do a large water change before school. Is there anything else i can do to maybe lighten the load. I turned off all my lights so algaes will start using oxygen. That is about it. How am i ever going to get my calcium up with out lowering my PH. If many of you recognize my name you know i have been having problems lately. Thanx so much in advance.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
My aquarium has gone to hell!!!!
- Thread starter kipreefer
- Start date
I used alot of my test on things that i was positive would have high figures like freshly made kalk or things of the sort. I am pretty sure they aer accurate because when the numbers got crazy my aquarium did too. I just know it isnt right. YOu have probable felt the same way before. Does B-ionic really work that well i have never used it but always hear good things about it. I am just not really into the quick fix products and i dont want to use it if that is what it is.
For quick rise in Ca and Alkalinity add CaCl2 and Na2CO3. These chemical are easily dissolve in water. They can be expensive if you use this as the only way to replace CaCO3 in a large tank. You can add as need to bring the Ca and Alkalinity up to where you want. I would make sure you test are accurate and reliable first.
Stop dosing everything.
2nd, please tell us what types of corals you are keeping. If you don't have SPS's you are not going to need to drip kalk on a daily basis. I read on an old thread related to kalk, that you can actually lower your calcium level by adding too much kalk. What you have described sounds like maybe you are adding excess kalk.
Do the water change. Don't throw in the towel. Be calm. Remember to make slow changes to water perameters.
2nd, please tell us what types of corals you are keeping. If you don't have SPS's you are not going to need to drip kalk on a daily basis. I read on an old thread related to kalk, that you can actually lower your calcium level by adding too much kalk. What you have described sounds like maybe you are adding excess kalk.
Do the water change. Don't throw in the towel. Be calm. Remember to make slow changes to water perameters.
Originally posted by Danny via email
Hi, I saw your post on reefs.org about Ca problems. I
couldn't remember my password to logon, so its just
easier if I emailed you. If you are mainly keeping
lps and softies, take it slower. You do not need to
get your Ca up that quickly. Even with sps you don't
have to pull your Ca up that quickly. Large changes
to a reef are the most detrimental. Take temperature
for example. If your tank gradually goes up to 85-86,
no sweat. But if it jumps up quickly, you better
watch out. Same goes for pulling the temperature
down.
Are you kind of new to reefing? If not, please do not
take offense at my suggestions. Seems like you are
having water chemistry problems. I would stop using
kalk w/vinegar. It is not difficult, but its real
easy to overdose kalk which causes great harm. Can
you say snow storm? Here are the actions I suggest
you take.
25% water change once a week for the next three weeks.
This should get your calcium back to the appropriate
levels. Keep in mind that if your Mg levels are low,
no matter how much Ca you add, your Ca levels will not
increase. Mg should be ~1200ppm. If you don't have a
Mg kit, you'll be okay as long as you do those large
water changes. Water chemistry should be balanced via
waterchanges.
Get the 2 gallon size of B-Ionic. Mail order should
be around $30 and should last you at least 4-8 months
depending on the size of your tank and type of corals
you keep. B-Ionic is a two part supplement. One part
is the Ca, and the other part is the Alk. They cannot
keep both in the same bottle or else all the Ca would
precipitate out. Add the amount according to
instructions in a high current area of your tank. It
also contains all trace elements in the proper ratio.
This should keep your tank stable while you understand
your tank chemistry. B-Ionic is dosed daily.
CaCl2 (Calcium chloride) and Na2CO3 (sodium
bicarbonate) are quick fixes to chemistry problems,
and does not take into account any deficiencies in Mg.
Only use these products when you are very familiar
with your tank chemistry. Also do not use them on a
regular basis as your chemistry will become out of
balance. Regular use of CaCl2 will increase your
salinity (due to the extra chloride ions when CaCl2
dissolves) without regular water changes. Common
products of these are Kent's Turbo Calcium, and Kent's
Supperbuffer. These are very potent products also. I
like them very much, but use them only occasional to
get my Ca and alk levels up (1x every month or two).
Remember if Ca is too high, then your alk will never
increase and vice versa. If you stick with water
changes as suggested about, you can't go wrong. Good
Luck Feel free to post this on the bb for me if you
want.
Thanx everyone once you all put the same thing down i realized that maybe i should stop being a idiot and slow down some. I will order B-ionic in a few days and today im doing a 20% water change. For those who am afraid im will through in the towel dont worry i wont im addicted. TAnks for all the support makes me feel like i have reef angels watching over my shoulder. Thanx again.
Hi, I saw your post on reefs.org about Ca problems. I
couldn't remember my password to logon, so its just
easier if I emailed you. If you are mainly keeping
lps and softies, take it slower. You do not need to
get your Ca up that quickly. Even with sps you don't
have to pull your Ca up that quickly. Large changes
to a reef are the most detrimental. Take temperature
for example. If your tank gradually goes up to 85-86,
no sweat. But if it jumps up quickly, you better
watch out. Same goes for pulling the temperature
down.
Are you kind of new to reefing? If not, please do not
take offense at my suggestions. Seems like you are
having water chemistry problems. I would stop using
kalk w/vinegar. It is not difficult, but its real
easy to overdose kalk which causes great harm. Can
you say snow storm? Here are the actions I suggest
you take.
25% water change once a week for the next three weeks.
This should get your calcium back to the appropriate
levels. Keep in mind that if your Mg levels are low,
no matter how much Ca you add, your Ca levels will not
increase. Mg should be ~1200ppm. If you don't have a
Mg kit, you'll be okay as long as you do those large
water changes. Water chemistry should be balanced via
waterchanges.
Get the 2 gallon size of B-Ionic. Mail order should
be around $30 and should last you at least 4-8 months
depending on the size of your tank and type of corals
you keep. B-Ionic is a two part supplement. One part
is the Ca, and the other part is the Alk. They cannot
keep both in the same bottle or else all the Ca would
precipitate out. Add the amount according to
instructions in a high current area of your tank. It
also contains all trace elements in the proper ratio.
This should keep your tank stable while you understand
your tank chemistry. B-Ionic is dosed daily.
CaCl2 (Calcium chloride) and Na2CO3 (sodium
bicarbonate) are quick fixes to chemistry problems,
and does not take into account any deficiencies in Mg.
Only use these products when you are very familiar
with your tank chemistry. Also do not use them on a
regular basis as your chemistry will become out of
balance. Regular use of CaCl2 will increase your
salinity (due to the extra chloride ions when CaCl2
dissolves) without regular water changes. Common
products of these are Kent's Turbo Calcium, and Kent's
Supperbuffer. These are very potent products also. I
like them very much, but use them only occasional to
get my Ca and alk levels up (1x every month or two).
Remember if Ca is too high, then your alk will never
increase and vice versa. If you stick with water
changes as suggested about, you can't go wrong. Good
Luck Feel free to post this on the bb for me if you
want.
Thanx everyone once you all put the same thing down i realized that maybe i should stop being a idiot and slow down some. I will order B-ionic in a few days and today im doing a 20% water change. For those who am afraid im will through in the towel dont worry i wont im addicted. TAnks for all the support makes me feel like i have reef angels watching over my shoulder. Thanx again.
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Kipreefer:
<strong>where should i go to get Calcium Chloride and sodium carbonate. Would my chem teacher be able to get it for me.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Na2CO3 and CaCl2 are the major component in the two part Reef additive like products from Seachem Reef Advantage (mainly CaCl2) and Reef Builder (mainly Na2CO3). There are other brands that produce similar products.
BUT, Check and make sure your Alkalinity and Ca level are accurate first. Really go over the procedures of the test to make sure you are doing it correctly. Regarding the titrating agents you aded last, did you barely added before the color turn, or did you use almost all of the reagent in the syrine befor the color change? With the high pH you measured I don't think you Ca and Alkalinity is low. Specificly, I think you are calculating the concentration of Ca and Alkalinity wrong because you used the amount lelf over in the syrine to calculate the concentration. You should use the amount of reagent used. This is just a shot in the dark but what you tell us did not make sense.
<strong>where should i go to get Calcium Chloride and sodium carbonate. Would my chem teacher be able to get it for me.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Na2CO3 and CaCl2 are the major component in the two part Reef additive like products from Seachem Reef Advantage (mainly CaCl2) and Reef Builder (mainly Na2CO3). There are other brands that produce similar products.
BUT, Check and make sure your Alkalinity and Ca level are accurate first. Really go over the procedures of the test to make sure you are doing it correctly. Regarding the titrating agents you aded last, did you barely added before the color turn, or did you use almost all of the reagent in the syrine befor the color change? With the high pH you measured I don't think you Ca and Alkalinity is low. Specificly, I think you are calculating the concentration of Ca and Alkalinity wrong because you used the amount lelf over in the syrine to calculate the concentration. You should use the amount of reagent used. This is just a shot in the dark but what you tell us did not make sense.
well i just went to my room and tested my water. It is quite confussing i can tell you that.
PH 8.0
Calcium 350
Now it gets weird.
I tested Alkalinity with red sea test kit and got 1.1 mill/per litter i tested with MAster test kit and got 15 dkh i dont know they are so far apart i cant figure it out. I think i am just going to trash all my test kits and buy new ones. Salfriet since that is what it seems are the most accurate.
PH 8.0
Calcium 350
Now it gets weird.
I tested Alkalinity with red sea test kit and got 1.1 mill/per litter i tested with MAster test kit and got 15 dkh i dont know they are so far apart i cant figure it out. I think i am just going to trash all my test kits and buy new ones. Salfriet since that is what it seems are the most accurate.
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Kipreefer:
<strong>
....I will order B-ionic in a few days and today im doing a 20% water change. For those who am afraid im will through in the towel dont worry i wont im addicted.....</strong><hr></blockquote>
Get the powder additive. It is cheaper and shipping is less. Essentially, it is the same thing just without water.
I disagree with Danny. I think you can continue to use Reef Advantage and Reef Builder indefinitely without problem. Of course you have to remember that you are adding a little NaCl every time you add the two-part additive and have to do minor adjustment accordingly. Just follow your tank salinity and make sure it does not increase (we are talking here over a year or more)
I use a Ca reactor and Kalk reactor. In the past I have added the two-part additive for several years when I still have a small tank. It just get too expensive and too time consuming with a large tank like mine.
<strong>
....I will order B-ionic in a few days and today im doing a 20% water change. For those who am afraid im will through in the towel dont worry i wont im addicted.....</strong><hr></blockquote>
Get the powder additive. It is cheaper and shipping is less. Essentially, it is the same thing just without water.
I disagree with Danny. I think you can continue to use Reef Advantage and Reef Builder indefinitely without problem. Of course you have to remember that you are adding a little NaCl every time you add the two-part additive and have to do minor adjustment accordingly. Just follow your tank salinity and make sure it does not increase (we are talking here over a year or more)
I use a Ca reactor and Kalk reactor. In the past I have added the two-part additive for several years when I still have a small tank. It just get too expensive and too time consuming with a large tank like mine.
Sponsor Reefs
We're a FREE website, and we exist because of hobbyists like YOU who help us run this community.
Click here to sponsor $10:
