How high is too high for calcium??

[nelson.jdautobody]

So I recently tested my.friends calcium and it was over 600 (using a Hanna tester), and I checked my tank just to see if It was accurate cause that seemed really high to me and mine tested at 510. I mixed 5 gallons of the salt he was using(we use the same HW reefer) and it was 520. After doing a 5 gallon water change I'm now testing mine at 540. I'm not sure if maybe my tester is accurate and thinking about getting an Elos test kit to verify. Should I be concerned if my calcium is at 540? I bumped up my PH and my KH and my MAG.
my KH 8.28 my KH 8.0 and MAG 1320 before I bumped them all up. Figured if I increased the ph, kh, and mag it will drive the calcium down. I usually have calcium n the 450 range but been sucking out some of my sand bed a little at a time so I thought that might have somethING to do with the calcium being high, but that doesn't explain why the new water I tested was at 520. Maybe a bad test vile?

 

[Sabellafella]

So I recently tested my.friends calcium and it was over 600 (using a Hanna tester), and I checked my tank just to see if It was accurate cause that seemed really high to me and mine tested at 510. I mixed 5 gallons of the salt he was using(we use the same HW reefer) and it was 520. After doing a 5 gallon water change I'm now testing mine at 540. I'm not sure if maybe my tester is accurate and thinking about getting an Elos test kit to verify. Should I be concerned if my calcium is at 540? I bumped up my PH and my KH and my MAG.
my KH 8.28 my KH 8.0 and MAG 1320 before I bumped them all up. Figured if I increased the ph, kh, and mag it will drive the calcium down. I usually have calcium n the 450 range but been sucking out some of my sand bed a little at a time so I thought that might have somethING to do with the calcium being high, but that doesn't explain why the new water I tested was at 520. Maybe a bad test vile?

+hannahs calc checker is a little out of wack on the otherhand i love elos test kits nd the nyos are good to

 

[nelson.jdautobody]

I used to use Elos for calcium but recently went over to hanna. Think I may go back to the elos. Gona get one just to double check. I like the Hanna checker for the alkalinity tho.

 

[gmastr85]

I have a Hanna Calcium checker and it was always reading high by about 50-60 which is very inaccurate. I stuck with it for a while but finally shelved in it favor of the Nyos Calcium test kit, which I love!

 

[nelson.jdautobody]

Dang if mine is off by 50-60 I'm gona use it as a sinker the next time I go fishing for stripers-lol. Would rather it be the tester than my water tho

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Some salt mixes have calcium in the 500s and that's not a problem. I think it best to keep calcium below 600 ppm, but the only risk I know of is accelerated precipitation of calcium carbonate, and a rise of 0.3 pH units has about the same effect as a calcium rise from 420 to 840 ppm, so the risk from slightly elevated calcium is not generally a big deal.

 

[nelson.jdautobody]

Some salt mixes have calcium in the 500s and that's not a problem. I think it best to keep calcium below 600 ppm, but the only risk I know of is accelerated precipitation of calcium carbonate, and a rise of 0.3 pH units has about the same effect as a calcium rise from 420 to 840 ppm, so the risk from slightly elevated calcium is not generally a big deal.

So maybe I shouldn't of bumped up my PH and Alkalinity? I guess kinda late now I did notice my acans not happy last night and this morning. Hopefully they will bounce back. I will just leave it alone for a week and monitor the parameters only. Was surprised that my nitrates were at "0" when I recently added 6 fish to the aquarium and only did a 15 gallon water change (3 changes at 5 gallons each) over the past 2 weeks. I may need to dial down my protein skimmer a bit-shooting for 2-5 for nitrates

 

[samba_dad]

This thread is very timely for me. I have a Ca of 645ppm due to overdosing. My tank consumes about 18ppm per day of Ca. I am planning on waiting about 11 days to get it back in check. This is what Randy suggested. I think the Alk is the much more important parameter to keep stable.

 

[nelson.jdautobody]

I checked my parameters yesturday and today and didn't really mean to swing then so fast but this what happened
Yest: today:
Alk 8.23 10.13
Cal 540. 450
PH 8.0. 8.1
MAG 1320. 1350

so when I bumped up my alk and ph and mag. I overdid it on the alkaline a bit and it caused my calcium to drop significantly. I wanted to get the calcium down but did the mean to make the alkalinity spike that much. A couple corals ain't happy about it but overall nothing too negative, a couple pieces were already unhappy. Now will just let it roll for a few days and do a water change Thursday or Friday depending on how things look

 

[abinder]

Alk of 10 isn't bad.


Allen

 

[samba_dad]

IMO the stability of the alkalinity is most important. I have chased the pH before and it did nothing positive for me. Take a look at this article by Randy. Look at the chart and the different regions and the recommendations on how to correct the situation. Best of luck!

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/11/chemistry

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

So maybe I shouldn't of bumped up my PH and Alkalinity? I guess kinda late now I did notice my acans not happy last night and this morning. Hopefully they will bounce back. I will just leave it alone for a week and monitor the parameters only. Was surprised that my nitrates were at "0" when I recently added 6 fish to the aquarium and only did a 15 gallon water change (3 changes at 5 gallons each) over the past 2 weeks. I may need to dial down my protein skimmer a bit-shooting for 2-5 for nitrates

When calcium is high, I'd generally keep alkalinity normal and just wait for calcium to decline.

If it is super high (like 1000 ppm) from some sort of dosing disaster, I'd do some water changes.

The above article also discusses the possibilities.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I checked my parameters yesturday and today and didn't really mean to swing then so fast but this what happened
Yest: today:
Alk 8.23 10.13
Cal 540. 450
PH 8.0. 8.1
MAG 1320. 1350

so when I bumped up my alk and ph and mag. I overdid it on the alkaline a bit and it caused my calcium to drop significantly. I wanted to get the calcium down but did the mean to make the alkalinity spike that much. A couple corals ain't happy about it but overall nothing too negative, a couple pieces were already unhappy. Now will just let it roll for a few days and do a water change Thursday or Friday depending on how things look

I agree that 10 dKH is fine.

 

[nelson.jdautobody]

Thanks for the tips and comments everyone. I will read that article everybody have a good new years and be safe out there if your on the roads

 

[Reefer Kev]

I have a Hanna Calcium checker and it was always reading high by about 50-60 which is very inaccurate. I stuck with it for a while but finally shelved in it favor of the Nyos Calcium test kit, which I love!

I have spoken with Hanna, and the calcium checker is VERY accurate, and inaccuracies are usually due to incorrect test procedures. When done correctly, they are absolutely spot on. Ive tested it against Nyos, Red Sea, and they are all within 10ppm of each other. The Nyos test was the easiest, Hanna being not so easy-but every bit as accurate. Thats been my experience.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I have spoken with Hanna, and the calcium checker is VERY accurate, and inaccuracies are usually due to incorrect test procedures. When done correctly, they are absolutely spot on.

What else would they say? lol

The fact is, ordinary reefers have issues with some kits and the Hanna calcium checker seems one of those.

 

[Reefer Kev]

What else would they say? lol

The fact is, ordinary reefers have issues with some kits and the Hanna calcium checker seems one of those.

What else would they say? lol

The fact is, ordinary reefers have issues with some kits and the Hanna calcium checker seems one of those.

They said that if not tested correctly, the test will not be accurate. Done correctly-and even tested with other mfgs, its spot on. And I find it to be exactly that. Hanna never stated theirs is the best.

 

[VA5]

Stability most important. Your reef salt should have content of each element printed in it.

 

[Bob Weigant]

I’ve had calcium at 600 for a few years and I didn’t have any issues. I also had a friend who had the same numbers and he had said the same thing

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

They said that if not tested correctly, the test will not be accurate. Done correctly-and even tested with other mfgs, its spot on. And I find it to be exactly that. Hanna never stated theirs is the best.

done correctly seems to be a hurdle too high for some users.

In my opinion, it is a suboptimal design since it is exquisitely sensitive to tiny amounts of calcium in the “Distilled” water.