All levels are ideal, but Ca is falling?

[waverider]

All levels are good. But Ca is falling on an 8 week old Reef.

My reef is 8 weeks old Soft Coral and LPS with only 6 fish. 3 baby clowns, a goby, a Neon Dottyback and a tiny little Scooter Dragonet

Established with aged cultured rock and cycled using Dr. Tims. Additional Brightwell Aquatics bacteria. I started with Gorgeous long established coraline encrusted rock from display tanks at my LFS.

System is looking AWESOME. Fish are healthy, Corals are growing under a pair of AI Prime 16 HD's.

Im dosing small amounts of VIBRANT now every other week.

In 8 weeks I did my first 15% water change of Instant Ocean at week 4. Then another small 10 gallon water change at week 6.

Week 8 -tonight and I found my Calcium levels were beginning to fall. Calcium has been at 400-420 all along, but tonight was 380

Im running 50lbs of quality LR in a 65 gallon. No sump. But I have a huge Cannister with Bio Media, Carbon & Floss, a Hang on Refugium with crushed LR, CopePods and Cheato Algae. Plus a Reef Octopus HOB Classic 90 Skimmer that is on day 5 of break in not yet producing Skim (because Im letting it break in)

Tank is Nutrient LOW. I spot feed my corals and fish with a baster.

Tonight my readings were:

Salinity 1.025
PH 8.2
dKH 9.0
Nitrates 7ppm
Ca 380 ***

Should I just do water changes or start dosing for Calcium?

I haven't dosed a thing in this system yet. But over the last two weeks I have added 6 Zoanthid frags, 2 Acans, 1 Blastomussa Frag, a Hammer and a few small LPS. (and the 6 small fish). -So my bio load has increased. Yet no big hits in Nitrates!

Everybody is happy.

Please advise me on if its soon going to be time to start dosing Ca and Alk.

Thanks!

 

[hds4216]

This isn't directly related to your problem, but I would personally slow down on the new livestock/corals for a minute. I know it's super exciting to buy new things and see them do well, but nothing good happens fast in this hobby. Take a minute to slow down, see how your parameters are affected on a longer term basis, and wait at least a few weeks before buying more.

Also, if you're not quarantining fish, you probably should be imo. It's vital to preventing disease.

Good luck with the new tank! Hope someone else can answer your CA question.

 

[waverider]

This isn't directly related to your problem, but I would personally slow down on the new livestock/corals for a minute. I know it's super exciting to buy new things and see them do well, but nothing good happens fast in this hobby. Take a minute to slow down, see how your parameters are affected on a longer term basis, and what at least a few weeks before buying more.

Also, if you're not quarantining fish, you probably should be imo. It's vital to preventing disease.

Good luck with the new tank! Hope someone else can answer your CA question.

Well said. (and YES... In know, I need to hit the brakes! That time is upon me now!)

But lets talk water chemistry basics and proof read my understanding thus: Rock and minerals in water raise PH. -imagine a Limestone quarry reservoir. Decaying organic material create acidic water -imagine a still pond with fallen rotting trees, mud and weeds.

Im thinking that the introduction of "life" to my system which was initially robust in terms of PH, Calcium and dKH (all indicators of strong mineral water) will see those stats falling as life continues to grow in my system because I am feeding that life organic material. Sure, my LR processes the amonia, nitrites and my Refugium is consuming the nitrate. But somewhere in the chain, life is either directly absorbing the mineral content of my water (which Im referring to as PH, Ca, dKH..) or the byproduct of life -the Nitrogen cycle somehow is reducing the mineral content of the water.

This applies right? Although simplified?

 

[LegendaryCG]

Usually you want to dos based on your alkalinity consumption. Your alk of 9 Is a little elevated, you could add a little calcium it’s not gonna hurt. I wouldn’t really dos anything regularly until you see that alk is dropping daily and you have a value you want to maintain it at. 7-9 are common, RS Pro salt puts You up at 12 but assumes you have a high uptake system that really needs it (lots of hard corals).

 

[waverider]

Usually you want to dos based on your alkalinity consumption. Your alk of 9 Is a little elevated, you could add a little calcium it’s not gonna hurt. I wouldn’t really dos anything regularly until you see that alk is dropping daily and you have a value you want to maintain it at. 7-9 are common, RS Pro salt puts You up at 12 but assumes you have a high uptake system that really needs it (lots of hard corals).

Triton Method. All water parameters are stable but one. Triton method says correct the one. Were my system a 300 Gallon it would take sheer huge amounts of new saltwater to balance a single parameter.
My water has perfect PH 8.2 Nitrates <7 , dKH 9.0. -All levels in well acceptable range. And I use Red Sea Pro Test kits. I document everything week by week. . but Ca is 380 and falling. Therefore I either water change. -And if my Ca is at 380, how many gallons of fresh saltwater it would take to get to 400? -Alot. Is this not a sign and opportunity to start small calcium dosing? Its not like I can just leave the calcium deficiency alone and it will go away. Calcium either comes back into the system via alot of water changes or I dose it into the system.. Im thinking everything else is golden. Just add Ca. While I am a quick learner and I feel gifted as a biology major, I am looking for consensus. Bottom line is I am wondering why Calcium fell while PH and dKH and all other parameters are stable. Or is it just because my biological stock are consuming Ca. -A few tiny Acanthastrea? 3 or 4 5 polyp Zoanthids? one Candycane LPS? My few fish? This is my Reef guys. Thanks for any tips regarding my Calcium question or other observations. Im here to learn and I love it! -JT

 

[blasterman]

Sorry, but no way that tank is consuming 20-40 points of calcium in a short period. Not possible.

Even assuming you had Coraline algae and lots of fast growing LPS your alk would be dropping like crazy. Calcium doesn't get consumed in a vacuum. You can precipitate it , but thats not on the table here.

 

[waverider]

Sorry, but no way that tank is consuming 20-40 points of calcium in a short period. Not possible.

Even assuming you had Coraline algae and lots of fast growing LPS your alk would be dropping like crazy. Calcium doesn't get consumed in a vacuum. You can precipitate it , but thats not on the table here.

Yes, in fact it was 50lbs of heavily coraline algae encrusted LR that was consuming my Ca. This rock is thickly encrusted, bursting purple, red and pink. It had been absorbing my Ca over a 3 month break in period of this tank where I only did 2 water changes. -And I was only doing 10 Gallons Instant Ocean which is not a heavy Calcium Salt. My tests of fresh water change Instant Ocean mix at 1.025 Salinity reveal IO to contain <= 400ppm Ca. By the 3rd month my Ca dropped to 370ppm (while dKH fell to 8). Thats 30ppm over 3 months. My LR Coraline algae consumed that Ca or somehow it vanished. I started dosing Red Sea foundation a week ago at 2-3ml/day and Ca/dKH are back to 420ppm/9.8. Most people including myself, forgot to account for the Ca consumption of healthy Coraline rock.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Coraline is a big user of calcium and alkalinity, but it CANNOT consume calcium alone. It is fine to boost the calcium. But don't expect it is an ongoing demand without alk being consumed.

Either the alk was added back some other way, it was declining by about 2.8 dKH for each 18-20 ppm calcium decline, or it was test error.