CA and DKH will not rise no matter what

[blazin'reefer]

Which, if you did the math correctly (how much alk are you dosing in dKH per day?), suggests precipitation of calcium carbonate, not the cause of it. Precipitation is common with normal magnesium if pH and/or alk are high, or the sand is new.


I'm not especially knowledgeable on bacterial infections in anemones. Do you have a problem with one?

Ok sounds good, i will not guess at the cause anymore and just test so i know. I actually havent used the calculator yet or any equations to figure out how much to dose which is probably dumb on my part. I just noticed it was low and started with .5 tsp per gallon of kalk every few days at night and kept testing both after. It wasnt doing anything, so i moved up until i got to like 1.5 tsp per gallon every day or 2 and then tested a few hours after and it was the exact same dkh and calcium as before when i was adding nothing at all. I also tried like 1tsp of baking soda for 50 gallons of water and i think it was like 20ml of liquid calcium i dosed a few hours apart and it didnt raise the levels at all either, no matter what it seemed to stay the same at 7dkh and 360ca even with a new api master test kit. Im pretty sure my ph is low or atleast it was the last time i checked and my sand is like 3 or 4 years old, although i do clean it every week or 2 if that makes any difference.

Thats fine, no worries. I thought i was reading one of your posts on it but maybe i mixed it up and it was just about dosing organic carbon with nems. Im not sure, i got a new rbta and it has opened its mouth really wide a couple times while deflating during the day over 1 week but it could be because the flow changed and it was getting blasted for couple days until it moved. It still inflates mostly maybe 3/4 and is sensitive to touch and the mouth is usually closed or loosely closed. It kinda looks like there is a small bubble on the side when it is complete closed into a ball at night so maybe it is just actually splitting or something. Im not sure.

 

[blazin'reefer]

Ok sounds good, i will not guess at the cause anymore and just test so i know. I actually havent used the calculator yet or any equations to figure out how much to dose which is probably dumb on my part. I just noticed it was low and started with .5 tsp per gallon of kalk every few days at night and kept testing both after. It wasnt doing anything, so i moved up until i got to like 1.5 tsp per gallon every day or 2 and then tested a few hours after and it was the exact same dkh and calcium as before when i was adding nothing at all. I also tried like 1tsp of baking soda for 50 gallons of water and i think it was like 20ml of liquid calcium i dosed a few hours apart and it didnt raise the levels at all either, no matter what it seemed to stay the same at 7dkh and 360ca even with a new api master test kit. Im pretty sure my ph is low or atleast it was the last time i checked and my sand is like 3 or 4 years old, although i do clean it every week or 2 if that makes any difference.

Thats fine, no worries. I thought i was reading one of your posts on it but maybe i mixed it up and it was just about dosing organic carbon with nems. Im not sure, i got a new rbta and it has opened its mouth really wide a couple times while deflating during the day over 1 week but it could be because the flow changed and it was getting blasted for couple days until it moved. It still inflates mostly maybe 3/4 and is sensitive to touch and the mouth is usually closed or loosely closed. It kinda looks like there is a small bubble on the side when it is complete closed into a ball at night so maybe it is just actually splitting or something. Im not sure.

I also grow chaeto too and was pulling a handfull of chaeto every couple days and have never dosed or tested any mag ever, which is another reason i was leaning to it as the reason before. I will have a test for it soon though wether it is a part of my issue or not. Sorry for the really long message too.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Refresh my memory, do you have signs of preciptiation of calcium carbonate, such as hardened sand, or maybe you are just not dosing enough?

You are using less than saturated kalkwasser which does not meet demand in many tanks.

 

[blazin'reefer]

Refresh my memory, do you have signs of preciptiation of calcium carbonate, such as hardened sand, or maybe you are just not dosing enough?

You are using less than saturated kalkwasser which does not meet demand in many tanks.

I dont have hardened sand no, just the dust layer on stuff after i dose the kalk.

I could be not dosing enough, just thought it was weird that if i dosed nothing, .5 tsp or 1.5 tsp/gallon that it seemed to be at the same levels in the tank after. The largest coral i have is a galaxea only about the size of my hand making a fist and it was that size when i got it, so i didnt think i would be up to the max dose yet but maybe I am. The kalk is about 3-4 years old too though.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I dont have hardened sand no, just the dust layer on stuff after i dose the kalk.

I could be not dosing enough, just thought it was weird that if i dosed nothing, .5 tsp or 1.5 tsp/gallon that it seemed to be at the same levels in the tank after. The largest coral i have is a galaxea only about the size of my hand making a fist and it was that size when i got it, so i didnt think i would be up to the max dose yet but maybe I am. The kalk is about 3-4 years old too though.

Calcium hydroxide does slowly go bad when CO2 gets to it, so that may be part of the issue.

 

[blazin'reefer]

That would make a bit more sense then, I think my house is likely high in co2 aswell and the mylar did get slightly punctured a few months back too.

I will try to focus more on the 2 part for now and see if that helps to bring them up until i can test to see if the mag is in the correct range. Thanks again, i really appreciate all the chemistry help from everyone on here, especially an actual chemist.

 

[blazin'reefer]

So I have been trying to use 2 part to slowly try to get my calcium and alkalinity up and the last week. I noticed and area on the galaxea that look extremly puffed up inbetween the polyps about 4 days ago, 2 days later it popped leaving exposed skeleton, now tonight at the end of the light cycle the whole coral is puffed up like this too, so it is all probably going to pop leaving the whole skeleton bare which really sucks. The weird thing is the actual tooth polyps on it are all still completely opening. Anyone have any idea of what is causing this? i noticed it again tonight right after the second dose of 25ml of vinnegar tonight (50 total) that the whole coral was puffed up like this. The area of skeleton is where it was puffed up like that about 3 days ago and now dead. Should i do a large 20% water change? move the coral to an empty pico i have? any suggestions are appreciated. I am really starting to think maybe this hobby just isnt for me.

 

[DanyL]

What are the numbers?
Do you keep following your levels?
Did you notice any trend?

You don't want to raise parameters too fast, you need to go slowly because corals react badly otherwise.
Also, corals may have delayed reaction, so this could also relate to a swing from 2 weeks ago.

 

[blazin'reefer]

What are the numbers?
Do you keep following your levels?
Did you notice any trend?

You don't want to raise parameters too fast, you need to go slowly because corals react badly otherwise.
Also, corals may have delayed reaction, so this could also relate to a swing from 2 weeks ago.

i will test them tonight, when i tested like 4 days ago they were still around the same at 7 dkh and 380 but i will test again tonight forsure and post. i think i could have maybe found part of the problem which i will post in my next message aswell.

 

[blazin'reefer]

i will test them tonight, when i tested like 4 days ago they were still around the same at 7 dkh and 380 but i will test again tonight forsure and post. i think i could have maybe found part of the problem which i will post in my next message aswell.

so i did a 20% water change and noticed my right panel of my aquarium is cracked where i thought it was just scratched and is basically a water bomb now so not sure what i am going to do reguarding that.

I dipped the coral in revive and it looked better the next day (yesterday) but then today the tissue is gone where is was blown up 2 days ago, now in 2 areas.

When i did a water change and noticed the tank is cracked i also decided to check the salinity with a glass float hydrometer i have and its telling me im only at like 1.020-1.022 where my refractomer is saying 1.025. If it was only at 1.020-1.022 that could explain the low levels not rising aswell as coral issues too couldnt it? Feels like i am taking a bullet after bullet in this hobby

 

[blazin'reefer]

also forgot to mention in this same period of time my cat knocked my light into my tank aswell so it may be dead. Im trying to soak it in ro right now to remove salt and let it dry before i try it again. Sorry for the non chemistry related posts, just thought i should explain.

 

[Tamberav]

also forgot to mention in this same period of time my cat knocked my light into my tank aswell so it may be dead. Im trying to soak it in ro right now to remove salt and let it dry before i try it again. Sorry for the non chemistry related posts, just thought i should explain.

That sucks! My cat has knocked two lights into the tank so far so I feel ya. Neither were savable as I wasn’t around when it happened.

Do you calibrate your refractometer with the solutions made for them?

 

[DanyL]

Talk about bad luck, dang

If you have any way to temporarily seal the tank or transfer the contents to another container, you'll probably want to start with that to try and save the livestock.

For the lights, technically RODI should be fine, but I would scrub the board itself with Isopropyl and a toothbrush, with this approach there is a good chance to save the light if it wasn't already shorted.

Hope for the best man, you'll get through.

 

[blazin'reefer]

That sucks! My cat has knocked two lights into the tank so far so I feel ya. Neither were savable as I wasn’t around when it happened.

Do you calibrate your refractometer with the solutions made for them?

That sucks you were not able to save your lights. It was the 3rd or 4th time the cat has knocked them in for me too, second for that light and one for each of the others. Luckily they were all off when they fell in before so i was able to save them with ro/rodi. This is the first time the light was actually on in the saltwater.

I have been using ro to calibrate it since i dont have the solution. When i bought it like 4 years ago the seller said it could be calibrated with ro although i have heard its not as accurate.

I think it may actually be broken though because when i look at it now it looks like some water has leaked through and there is like 1 or 2 drops on the inside mirror thing too.

 

[blazin'reefer]

Talk about bad luck, dang

If you have any way to temporarily seal the tank or transfer the contents to another container, you'll probably want to start with that to try and save the livestock.

For the lights, technically RODI should be fine, but I would scrub the board itself with Isopropyl and a toothbrush, with this approach there is a good chance to save the light if it wasn't already shorted.

Hope for the best man, you'll get through.

I cant believe i had this many things go wrong in such a short period of time lol.

The tank itself doesnt really seem to be leaking at all, it just looks like a large stress crack. I believe it is under warranty still from marineland so hopefully they replace it. The silicone was really bad when i bought it too.

Im not sure if i should empty it or wait until i get a replacement. I obviously dont want it to ruin my parents house and i do have another tank the same size downstairs but its condition might not be much better since it has had stuff piled around it for years and the silicone had a couple air bubbles in it aswell. I do have tote bins but no where to put them that the cats wouldnt mess with.

I just took the plastic cover off the light and scrubbed the solder points on the board with iso aswell like you suggested so im really hoping it didnt short. I didnt remove the thermal paste connecting it to the housing/heat sink though since the solder points were on the same side as the matrix led, hopefully that is good enough.

Thanks DanyL, yeah it is basically what can go wrong will in my tank recently it seems. Hopefully that doesnt include the actual tank shattering though now.

 

[blazin'reefer]

i wasnt sure if the crack was only a scratch at first but looking closer it looked like it was kinda a lightning bolt pattern down past the actual part that looks like a scratch. When i did a water change i wiped the area on the inside and tried to see if i could feel it on that side too so i would know and i wasnt sure at first but after a while could definitely feel something with my nail so i am like 90% sure it is a stress crack. I dont even know how it would happen though i leveled the tank before i set it up.

Reguarding the salinity should i assume the glass float hydrometer is more accurate than a possibly broken refractometer?

 

[DanyL]

personally I wouldn't wait for a replacement, both from the fear it cracking further, and due to the effects it has on the salinity of the water.

If the tank downstairs is in bad shape, a big plastic container might be your best choice.
When you move the contents, just make sure to properly wash the sand, blow off any detritus and put some activated carbon, you may go through a mini cycle for a couple of weeks but I've done it successfully when upgrading tanks before with no ill effects.

 

[blazin'reefer]

personally I wouldn't wait for a replacement, both from the fear it cracking further, and due to the effects it has on the salinity of the water.

If the tank downstairs is in bad shape, a big plastic container might be your best choice.
When you move the contents, just make sure to properly wash the sand, blow off any detritus and put some activated carbon, you may go through a mini cycle for a couple of weeks but I've done it successfully when upgrading tanks before with no ill effects.

alright thanks, I wasnt sure how risky it is since it isnt leaking and i almost didnt even notice it but i will try to pull the old tank upstairs tomorrow and take a look at it to see its condition. If it is in really bad shape too then I may try the plastic storage bins.

Would you trust a possibly broken refractometer over a glass float hydrometer?

 

[DanyL]

Would you trust a possibly broken refractometer over a glass float hydrometer?

Hydrometers are more trustable than refractometers, regardless of the condition of your refractometer.
I doubt your refractometer can be used at all at this point, it depends on optical measurement and it's more than likely to affect the results.

 

[Tamberav]

Get a new refractometer and solution. I wouldn’t trust that one. They are inexpensive although I honestly prefer the expensive VeeGee lab grade one.

I would not leave the tank like that but my cats would mess with bins too. Lol

Your cats sound like my cats.