Calcium very low, meet help

[Doglips56]

Randy Holmes-Farley I am a relative newbie although my tank is coming up on it’s one year birthday.

I had major surgery about 10 weeks ago. Calcium was 450. Tank has had partial water changes by my husband and a very large water change two weeks ago. We don’t dose anything now but today is the first time I’ve checked the water since my surgery (didn’t have anyone to do it) and today Ca+ 200 tested twice with Hanna. Have no idea how to bring it up safely.
I have Brightwell Kalk mixed up (1 gallon) on hand and ATI Essentials Pro 2 part on hand but not sure best way to go about starting to supplement it safely. I’ve already lost several stony corals.
Are other of the things I have on hand useful to raise calcium or should I get something that is only Calcium’s since pH and DKH are 8.3 both?
Haven’t checked Mg yet. How quickly (or not) should I try to raise it. I DO NOT yet have dosing pumps or reef controller.


#reefsquad

 

[P-Dub]

@Randy Holmes-Farley

 

[stephj03]

So without any water changes or Alk/Ca dosing (kalk/2part/WC) Ca went down 250 points in 2 mo?

And alk remained stable?

What's your Mag?


How does your SPS/LPS look?


I would find a way to double check your test result first.

Then

Do a decent sized water change (15-25%) and re-test Ca/Alk/Mg

If your corals aren't ticked off by this I would use additional water changes to bring things back into balance over a course of a wk or two.

I personally hate fixing stuff like this with chemicals. I'm not saying I don't/haven't, but I try to avoid if corals aren't screaming/crying at me.

Just too much to go wrong even though it seems so simple. That's a lot of Ca to have to out back into the tank if the test result is accurate.hth

 

[rmurken]

Agree with @stephj03 re double-checking your Ca. I’d also double-check your alk. Ca of 200 and Alk of 8.3 just seems unlikely.

Lots of ways to make adjustments. Your kalk is a reasonable way to adjust alk upward, but won’t do much for your Ca if that’s what you need to boost. Water changes work; also lots of ways to do two-part that are consistent with SW chemistry.

 

[Doglips56]

Ok Magnesium 1250 Red Sea kit and did 3rd Hanna Ca, the correct way this time and still 200.
Ca+ 350 with Red Sea kit

Will get dosing pumps up and running in am

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I agree that something is amiss with the 200 number. The 350 ppm may be correct.

Calcium cannot drop that much from reef tank water. To be able to remove 200 ppm of calcium, one would have to remove (or add) at least 28 dKH of alkalinity.

Since that did not happen (presumably), then the calcium did not drop that much.

Try the Hanna calcium test on some new salt water.

The Hanna calcium tester is freakishly sensitive to tiny trace of calcium in the blank. Lots of folks have issues with it.