Calcium Deposits in Sump..what should I do?

[joe-ejs]

Hello,

I have a 3 chamber 25gl Sump.
- Alk and Calcium are being dosed in Far Left chamber.
- Far left chamber also has my Skimmer in it and is the overflow chamber from DT.
- Middle Chamber is currently empty, but will be making it a refugium
- Far right chamber is return pump
- Also, I have a UV in closed loop. It is fed by a T valve off the return line coming out of the sump, and the output of the UV goes into the far left chamber (maybe this is part of my problem)?

I am getting Calcium deposits throughout the sump. It is causing my return pump to periodically stop, now once a week. I then have to clean the impeller on the pump. I cleaned my entire sump just before xmas, removing all deposits, and it already has substantial calcium deposits again. At that time, I was dosing in the far right chamber, so I moved the dosing lines to the left chamber which has circulation from the overflow entering the sump and the Skimmer sitting there. And the output of the UV is also entering this left chamber.

So what do I need to do to fix this problem? Any suggestions?

 

[DanyL]

Are you dosing both Calcium Chloride and Sodium Bi/Carbonate at the same time?
Because by doing so you basically make them react to each other, which results in Calcium bicarbonate forming instantly in your sump,.

Another reason for Calcium Bicarbonate deposits is keeping both PH and dKH very high.
There was a good article that explains this by Randy Holmes.

 

[TheBear78]

@DanyL beat me to it but you shouldn't dose both together. If you are not then can you break the dose down into several smaller amounts?

Dosing in the return chamber appears to be the norm.

 

[joe-ejs]

Are you dosing both Calcium Chloride and Sodium Bi/Carbonate at the same time?
Because by doing so you basically make them react to each other, which results in Calcium bicarbonate forming instantly in your sump,.

Another reason for Calcium Bicarbonate deposits is keeping both PH and dKH very high.
There was a good article that explains this by Randy Holmes.

DanyL,

I dose Alk at 11pm at night and I dose my Calcium at 10am in the morning.

My Alk is kept at 8.6. Not sure what my PH is as I have not measured it recently. I assume 8.6dkh would not be considered High.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hello,

I have a 3 chamber 25gl Sump.
- Alk and Calcium are being dosed in Far Left chamber.
- Far left chamber also has my Skimmer in it and is the overflow chamber from DT.
- Middle Chamber is currently empty, but will be making it a refugium
- Far right chamber is return pump
- Also, I have a UV in closed loop. It is fed by a T valve off the return line coming out of the sump, and the output of the UV goes into the far left chamber (maybe this is part of my problem)?

I am getting Calcium deposits throughout the sump. It is causing my return pump to periodically stop, now once a week. I then have to clean the impeller on the pump. I cleaned my entire sump just before xmas, removing all deposits, and it already has substantial calcium deposits again. At that time, I was dosing in the far right chamber, so I moved the dosing lines to the left chamber which has circulation from the overflow entering the sump and the Skimmer sitting there. And the output of the UV is also entering this left chamber.

So what do I need to do to fix this problem? Any suggestions?

Likely precipitation and can be removed with if glass sump, algae scraper or razor. If acrylic, edge of an old credit card or Magic eraser sponge Original- NOT scented

 

[Tim'sReef]

I had the same issue but took a small flow pump I had lying around that helped disperse it. As stated above it could have something to do with a unbalance in the parameter in your reef.

For me my calcium was high and alk was low so I stopped dosing calc to let it come down naturally. And increased the alk dose to get things back where they need to be.

But as i am new to the hobby I could not give you an explanation to how that works haha

 

[DanyL]

DanyL,

I dose Alk at 11pm at night and I dose my Calcium at 10am in the morning.

My Alk is kept at 8.6. Not sure what my PH is as I have not measured it recently. I assume 8.6dkh would not be considered High.

You can dose them an hour apart with no ill affects, it certainly isn't the root cause here.
I would find Randy's article and check PH as well to rule this out.

As others mentioned here, it could also be caused due to imbalance of Alk/Ca/Mg.
I highly recommend making sure they are in check.

 

[joe-ejs]

Would it help if I dose Alk in the far left chamber and Calcium in the return chamber where the return pumps sits? Either way, I still dose 12hrs apart..

 

[joe-ejs]

So I check my Alk/Cal levels weekly. Typically they are at 8.6dkh and Calcium is at 430 or so. My Magnesium is at 1380. Just also did a ICP test that showed basically the same levels.

 

[bushdoc]

You have supersaturated solution of Calcium ions in your tank, so most of us. To prevent Calcium carbonate from precipitation you can: decrease dKH, decrease Calcium level, Increase magnesium to 1400 or even 1500, change Soda ash dosing to Baking soda ( it will decrease pH), dose your total amount of dKH in several smaller aliquots into hi flow area ( small powerhead in a sump). I dose my alkalinity in 24 doses spread over 12h.
Also suggest finding Randy's article about precipitation in a sump, Tropic Marin also have good video about that from MACNA.

 

[bushdoc]

Randy explains what to do in case of advanced precipitation covering stuff in your sump. Find his post, but basically he suggest to stop dosing for a day or two and then start again.

 

[DanyL]

Would it help if I dose Alk in the far left chamber and Calcium in the return chamber where the return pumps sits? Either way, I still dose 12hrs apart..

Most if not all reefers dose into the same chamber, only thing to consider is that it must be a high flow area which the return chamber certainly is.

To put things in perspective, I dose the equivalent of 750ml of each component (Alk/Cal) a day and not experiencing precipitation.

I highly suggest finding Randy's article that explains the relation between each component and how to prevent precipitation in the sump, it's probably the best source I can direct you to.