Chemistry problem?

[moseley75]

I have read several of your articles. Thank you for the information.

My dkH is above the limit of my API test kit and my Ca will not rise above 380. Phosphates are high. And I have a bit of an algae problem. Sort of a green tint on everything that I can scrub off but will be back next day.

I have a BioCube 16 AIO. Two months old. With a Coral Beauty, two Yellowtail Damsels and two Clownfish. Also one Kenya tree, one small Hammer coral, one colony of branching GSP abt 2" tall, and one colony of Zoa's with 13 polyps. Also there is a strand of Dragons Breath algae and some small cactus algae that came on a rock and some red and orange sponge that is growing. Cleaning crew consists of 2 turbo snails, 5 or six small snails and 10 or 12 red leg and blue leg hermits.

My tank parameters today are:
Temp - 80
PH - 8.3
Ammonia - 0.25
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 20
Phosphates - 0.25
dkH - higher than kit reads (18 drops to change color from blue to yellow)
Can - 380
SG - 1.025

Two days ago the phosphates were 0.50, ammonia was 0 and CA was 420. Prior to that I could not get a KH reading at all and my CA was down to 360. Ammonia levels would fluctuate between .50 and .25 and nitrate between .40 and .50.

I do a 10% water change weekly. I found 3 dead snails this week so removed them and did a 50% water change. Added the protein skimmer from Coralife made for this tank.

Per the lfs I have been adding Seed to help the biological filter and a product like purple up to promote Coraline algae. I turn the sunrise lights on from 0500 until 2100, the moon light (blue) lights from 0530 until midnight and the bright white lights on from 0900 until 1900.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

There's no scenario in a reef tank where adding enough of an appropriate calcium supplement cannot make it rise.

How much of what are you adding?

That said, none of the calcium values you mention (360-420 ppm) are causing a problem. :)

I'm not a fan of Purple Up. Some of its ingredients (the fine aragonite) do not dissolve in seawater and can lead to false high alkalinity readings if still suspended in the water when you test it.

 

[moseley75]

The calcium came from the product that was to promote Coraline algae. The problem is getting the phosphates and alkalinity down. I think that would help with the green algae.

I follow the directions on the bottle. The Coraline suppliment is 1 tsp for 10 gal so I use 1 1/2 tsp. It said there are 100,000 ppm calcium in each dose.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Which product exactly?

Alkalinity is not impacting algae.

 

[moseley75]

Microbe-Lift coralline Algae Accelerator.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Microbe-Lift coralline Algae Accelerator.

OK, first, stop adding that product. It doesn't dissolve in normal seawater, so doesn't effectively supply either calcium or alkalinity, but if it did, then it is adding 2.8 dKH of alkalinity for each 18-20 ppm of calcium. So if you have excessive alkalinity, it is unsuitable, in several ways, for raising calcium.

If you are testing before the solid particulates in it settle out, you will get a false high reading for calcium and alkalinity (especially alkalinity) since it will dissolve into the low pH of an alkalinity test.

 

[moseley75]

I haven't used any of the additives for a couple of days.

I did another partial water change yesterday. I also removed and disposed of the sponge that was between chambers two and three. Added some fresh Deep Blue filter media that you trim to size.

Today when the lights came on I couldn't believe my own eyes. The algae had visibly reduced!!

Tested just to see:
Temp - 80
PH - 8.3
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 20 ppm
dkH - still above the range of the test but only took 14 drops to change color in lieu of 16 - 18.
P04 - 0.50 ppm
Can - 380 ppm
SG - 1.025

Must have done something right. My Coral Beauty which has slight case of ich has fewer white spots.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

OK, I'd just keep monitoring it for a while. :)

Assuming there is not still suspended aragonite in the water, you'll need a pure calcium supplement before you need alkalinity. Only way to know if that is true is to monitor them for a bit.