Help with high calcou

[TJ94851]

Hi all. I’ve had my 75g up and running for about 3 weeks, cycled with turbostart and 25lbs of cured rock from my LFS. It’s lightly stocked with a couple fish. Nutrient levels look good. However I installed a Trident yesterday and my calcium is reading really high. Also, can barely keep pH about 7.8, sometimes dipping below. I’m using Tropic Marin classic salt and not dosing anything. Here’s my last test….

pH = 7.76
NO3 = 11.5
PO4 = 0.13
Calcium = 585
ALK = 8.2
Mag = 1280

Thoughts on how to approach??? The only thing I can think of is that I used coral rubble for substrate and with the lower pH it’s leaching calcium into the tank?

Running roller mat, skimmer and refugium with night light cycle….everything other than the cal and pH looks good.

 

[TJ94851]

Forgot to say….im guessing water changes and maybe having to remove the substrate is the fix

 

[jmcdona6]

Forgot to say….im guessing water changes and maybe having to remove the substrate is the fix

Its not the end of the world. Water changes with proper calcium levels.

But id confirm with another test kits if you havent already. Feels like a testing error.

 

[TJ94851]

Good call, thx. I actually grabbed a Salifert kit from my LFS today just in case

 

[Dan_P]

Hi all. I’ve had my 75g up and running for about 3 weeks, cycled with turbostart and 25lbs of cured rock from my LFS. It’s lightly stocked with a couple fish. Nutrient levels look good. However I installed a Trident yesterday and my calcium is reading really high. Also, can barely keep pH about 7.8, sometimes dipping below. I’m using Tropic Marin classic salt and not dosing anything. Here’s my last test….

pH = 7.76
NO3 = 11.5
PO4 = 0.13
Calcium = 585
ALK = 8.2
Mag = 1280

Thoughts on how to approach??? The only thing I can think of is that I used coral rubble for substrate and with the lower pH it’s leaching calcium into the tank?

Running roller mat, skimmer and refugium with night light cycle….everything other than the cal and pH looks good.

The substrate is unlikely affecting the pH or causing the high calcium level. High CO2 in the air might be an issue. How did you calibrate the Trident?

 

[TJ94851]

The substrate is unlikely affecting the pH or causing the high calcium level. High CO2 in the air might be an issue. How did you calibrate the Trident?

Well….turns out it is the Trident. Salifert test was closer to 420. Recalibrating the Trident today. Interestingly I double checked the pH with a Hanna checker and my Neptune probe was off by 0.3-0.4 low. Is that typical for a new system. I’m going to pick up some calibration solution today and run the pH again.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

FWIW, if it was actually high, it could not be the substrate since alk would be crazy high to boost calcium by 50-100 ppm.

 

[TJ94851]

Thanks for clarifying that. With the ALK and Mag being in ok range I couldn’t understand the Cal readings.

 

[Dan_P]

Well….turns out it is the Trident. Salifert test was closer to 420. Recalibrating the Trident today. Interestingly I double checked the pH with a Hanna checker and my Neptune probe was off by 0.3-0.4 low. Is that typical for a new system. I’m going to pick up some calibration solution today and run the pH again.

Measuring devices need to be calibrated, some more so than others. Hanna Checkers typically do not need calibration unless you plan to use them for very accurate measurements. pH probes need calibration.

 

[mcarroll]

Stop chasing pH today. If you weren't lookingn at pH then Ca would more clearly have looked like testing error or "something wrong" with the test.

The only things important to us about pH is that it indicates alkalinity and aeration. In a reef tank, we deal with those things directly so testing pH is hardly called for. (In a fish tank, alkalinity isn't monitored at all and flow is often kept as low as possible on purpose....pH can be useful to monitor in a situation like that.)

 

[TJ94851]

Thanks everyone who chimed in….appreciate the advice. Going to calibrate and hold the course for now.