Just about had it with Alkalinity

[stubbsz]

I have a LaMotte Alk test and a CA test by Sailfert . I have a hard time reading tests but I've run them a few times and I get
130ppm Calcium and 125ppm Alk.

Both seem Way lower than everyone else reports and I don't get it. I have a calcium reactor... horrible K2R that never drips at a slow enough rate and I can never keep the CO2 constant either. I also dose about a gallon of Kalk or less a day in my 100g tank.

What's the deal. Should I care. Is it all BS because I've NEVER got a high or even acceptable low reading yet I have growth of coraline and corals.

Mystified by this subject as ever,

-Adrian

 

[pwj1286]

Dose Bi-Ionic and Kalkwasser as your top off in a slow drip. You wont have Alk problems anymore after those.
_________________
obama stimulus package

 

[stubbsz]

Oh good. I'll throw the reactor out then

 

[pwj1286]

keep the reactor, and do B Ionic and Kalk.
_________________
Honda Activa

 

[dhoch]

130 ppm calcium on a salifert test? Thats what 5 drops?

On a serious note... are you sure you are performing the test correctly? Have you independently verified the test?

Dave

 

[Anonymous]

get a crappy tetra test kit, it works on the same principle, 1 drop = 1 dKh.

Btw 130 ppm isn't bad for alk, that's a little over 7 dKh, but that calcium is something I'd get fed up with! Sounds like a shotty kit, again get another brand of test kit and test it (aquarium pharmacudicals or something).

Problem is your calcium reactor will not fix that problem if that is infact accurate numbers, the calcium reactor will add keep a nice ballance of calcium and alk, so if you raise calcium you'll be raising alk to extremely high levels. You might want to use a calcium only suppliment to bring that up (over the course of a week) and while letting the reactor continue to go.

 

[stubbsz]

I'll re-read the Calcium test and re-try...

I've mentioned it before but I can't figure out where my flourishing Coraline algae is getting its calcium from...Maybe that's the issue, it's just getting used up.
-Adrian