Calc is @ 560.....

[Bumgrundle]

.....and as of yesterday, I've stopped any changes to let this settle....Is this a sound maneuver? Or is there something I need to do ASAP?

My parameters are well out of whack as i'm dealing with a bonehead move where I was trying to raise the salinity from 1.020 to 1.024 through my ATO. Maybe this is what raised my Calcium into the 500+ range?
I started dosing for Alk which was 6 dKH to 9+ dKH. I stopped dosing about 5 days ago, and did a 40% water change. Only thing that changed was my Calcium went up to 560 ppm! I checked the Calcium level in my WC mix and it's 485 ppm.
2 - half inch Percs,/ 1 - Ocellaris/1 - 3" Orange shoulder Tang/1 - 1" Hippo/1 - Dinner plate Green striped Carpet Anemone/ 2 Cleaner Shrimp/ 1 - peppermint Shrimp/ 1 - Randalli Pistol shrimp/1 - Rainbow BTA.
Since these params went from perfect across the board, to whacked, I wanted to attempt to get everything back into normal numbers on my own (1st Aquarium ever) through looking up things as they came along on Google, and using the search function here. Now having said all that. I've stopped any attack on numbers in any shape or form, just letting it all settle down on it's own till this saturday when my scheduled WC is due.
I'm on the fence as to if I should stop the Reef Crystals, and purchase a different brand of salt that may contribute less Calcium. Truth be told, I'm not convinced that the Reef Crystals are what has jumped the Calcium up.
Any and all advice is welcome. And reading over this, I really would rather not change from Reef Crystals as Most all of my Params have been spot on up until this point.
Again, sorry for the novel!

All readings are from 11:00am today, as I do them at the same time each day just before feeding.
Temp = 79 f
Salinity = 1.0245
Ammonia and Nitrites = 0 (consistently 0 for a month and a half)
Nitrates = 20
pH = 8.2 (that also never changes)
Ca =560
KH = 9.63
Mg = 1440

Also I have 5 frags of LPS corals, some free and some came on the rubble. All are doing great, full extension, great color etc..

I'm well aware I did what I swore I would never do and that's add livestock too early.....please don't beat me!!!!
Anyway, thanx for any advice, comments be them critical or not, I'm here to learn.

 

[Humblefish]

I would just let everything ride for now, cal should come down naturally (as it gets used up) if you aren't dosing or anything. Maybe start doing water changes using Instant Ocean for the time being. Cal in that is only 400 last time I checked.

 

[Bumgrundle]

I would just let everything ride for now, cal should come down naturally (as it gets used up) if you aren't dosing or anything. Maybe start doing water changes using Instant Ocean for the time being. Cal in that is only 400 last time I checked.

Awesome, I spose it's a good time for this to happen as i'm hopeful to find the Instant Ocean on sale this weekend. As always...thanx for the info my friend.

 

[Bumgrundle]

Also, I was looking into dosing vodka....after I get everything in check...my nitrates have always been 20 ppm, never up, never down. Even after a wc it may get to 15 ppm, but then goes right back up to 20 ppm. would you Vodka dose? or save that for much higher levels of Nitrate? I have some unobtrusive short green algae on the tops of my Live Rock, and the system is still in it's infancy. Lawnmower and snails do a decent job of keeping it in check. I'm one of those who can't wait to get Coralline Algae all over the rocks. So will dosing Vodka inhibit Coralline growth?
At the end of the day, is this a "If it ain't broke...." situation?

 

[BluewaterLa]

For now I would say not to start any vodka dosing just because it's another thing to learn about and you still have some things to get used to in the water chemist career for reefing.
Your nitrates staying at a 20 ppm constant may be due to feeding the fish a little more than you should. More eating equals more pooping, more poop equals more nitrates.
Do you have a skimmer rated for the tank ? Protein skimming helps remove excess nutrients.
Maybe you have a larger fish population than the tank can handle. Smaller volume of water should have less fish.
I am just bringing up some obvious things here as I don't know how large your tank is and what equipment you have.

One over looked or mis understood things about nitrates and water changes is that 10% water changes only dilutes the amount slightly.
For example a 100 gallon tank with 20 ppm nitrates.
You change 10 gallons of water that's 10% of the volume and will remove or dilute the nitrates by 10 %
So to reduce the amount of nitrates mor effectively by water changes you have to change a larger volume of water.
Same tank, same nitrates, with a 50 gallon water change you will see a larger reduction of nitrates.
Just don't perform such large changes so you don't remove most of the nitrates in one water change and possibly shock the corals.

Try to up the percentage of water change volume weekly and test after to see how much ppm of nitrates were removed. Usually when you get nitrates in check, 10% weekly water changes will maintain stable low numbers of nitrates. Testing will help determine if you are doing enough volume of water changes to keep nutrients in check.
5-10 ppm is ok for most tanks, 5 ppm or slightly less is targeted by most persons.
If you are doing 20% weekly and still having 15 or 20 ppm nitrates you may want to consider a few sources.
1) nitrates in top off water, RoDi
2) type of food or quantity of food fed daily
3) skimmer undersized or performing poorly
4) to many fish in the system
5) organic waste built up in the rock, sand or tank ( detritus, in eaten food, or dead or dying organisms)

about the calcium and other like parameters.
I agree with letting the calcium come down naturally from consumption and water changes when done.
Keep an eye on the alkalinity and try not to let it drop too low while not dosing.
Test daily and keep a log of the consumption rate of calcium and alkalinity as this will give you an accurate rate of how much the tank is using daily and will be valuable for you to use for dosing.

Good luck and happy reefing

 

[Bumgrundle]

Tank is 90g display, 36g sump net volume of water is 115g after sand, LR etc...
Livestock: All posted in starting post.

feeding the fish a little more than you should

Yeah, as of today I plan on putting everyone on a strict diet! I'm consistent if nothing else as feeding is always the same. Daily: @ noon they get 1/2 a cube of frozen Mysis in a magnetic tube dispenser.
About 8pm I do a 1x lick index finger, touch surface of Soft clownfish food and this goes into a feeding ring. The little Piggies get at least 90% of that.
2 anemones get a sliver of fresh frozen shrimp, about the size of a peanut. Always one or the other, never both the same day, 2 - 3 times a week.
Reef-Roids target feed corals and Anemones. (I use probably less than a 1/3 of what they recommend) every other dayish.

Do you have a skimmer rated for the tank ?

Yes, an Octo 150int Classic. Tho I changed from a slow skim, approx an inch per day, to a little bit faster skim of 4" per day...tho I just started this yesterday so that volume could be off, but not by much i'd think.

water changes

Every Sat without fail, I do a 25 to 30 gallon wc. I have not been stirring up or "vacuuming" the substrate. (80lbs of live sand. depths vary from 2" to 1")

nitrates in top off water, RoDi

My eyes went saucer size when I read your suggestion....I was hopeful....but newp not detectable.

Here is my Aquatic Log
Thanx for all the help mate!

Oh and i've been reading for the last 2 hrs or so on a DIY Sulfur Denitrator. Looks interesting. I'd go the Pr. Jaubert's method. Meh, hope it doesn't come to that.....or do I? I already have the unit planned out in my head as I was half way through the writeup. Muwahahahaha ***wrings hands together and plots***

 

[Bumgrundle]

Ohh and I forgot, Late last night I removed my filter socks, 200 micron 4" by 14" Felt type....in the hopes these ain't helping my nitrates come down. (I cleaned it, I only used one on the main and not the overflow, But I cleaned them soon as I saw the level in the sock got at about an inch above sump level. Used Peroxide, then machine washed)
I ordered some Mesh ones to replace the felt....if I go back to them at all as I see no difference in DT clarity. So why use em' eh? Oh and if I had been using them on the overflow I woulda lost my lil' buddy Pistol Pete! found him in the fuge to return weir filter last week.... I woulda cried! and I'm 6'[1" 230 all tatted up etc... Hahaa

 

[Bumgrundle]

Just a quickie update.

Previous Numbers from May 26, 2016 11:25

Temp = 79 f
Salinity = 1.0245
Ammonia and Nitrites = 0 (consistently 0 for a month and a half)
Nitrates = 20
pH = 8.2 (that also never changes)
Ca =560
KH = 9.63
Mg = 1440

Tonights measurements May 27, 2016 20:45

Temp = 83 f
Salinity = 1.0238 (Stopped the increase of Salinity from ATO to 0)
Ammonia and Nitrites = 0
Nitrates = 15
pH = 8.2
Ca =527
KH = 8.29
Mg = 1430

Enjoy your Memorial weekend all! Have a safe and happy weekend.
"Freedom: All gave some, some gave all"

 

[Bumgrundle]

Nitrites should read = 0.05

 

[Bumgrundle]

Awesome, I spose it's a good time for this to happen as i'm hopeful to find the Instant Ocean on sale this weekend. As always...thanx for the info my friend.

Nice....
Instant ocean $19 purple bucket and $24 orange bucket at petsmart"

 

[Bumgrundle]

Nice....
Instant ocean $19 purple bucket and $24 orange bucket at petsmart"

And I....MISSED IT! I checked when I posted this, but like an ejit, I didn't place the order, was just gonna go in this morning....went online prior to heading there and all stores within 100mi were out. AND they've blocked the online orders of the 160g bucket. /facepaln /sigh /eatlead

 

[Bumgrundle]

Something just occurred to me, if even after a <50% waterchange, there is only a slight reduction of nitrates (keeping in mind after my tank cycled, it has been 20ppm EVERY time i've tested) maybe i've got a wonky test kit? 0.o I'm using the Red Sea kit. gonna order a different brand tomorrow. I prefer not to get the hanna as my wife had a fit when she found out about the 2 kits I ordered >,< Suggestions?

 

[Humblefish]

Something just occurred to me, if even after a <50% waterchange, there is only a slight reduction of nitrates (keeping in mind after my tank cycled, it has been 20ppm EVERY time i've tested) maybe i've got a wonky test kit? 0.o I'm using the Red Sea kit. gonna order a different brand tomorrow. I prefer not to get the hanna as my wife had a fit when she found out about the 2 kits I ordered >,< Suggestions?

Check your readings against a friend or LFS's test kit.

 

[Bumgrundle]

Friends? my friends can't afford this hobby! Errrr...wait, neither can I! =(
Yeah, i'm gonna do that tomorrow at a "LFS" tomorrow. (Closest lfs to me is 40 miles) heh
thanx