Part C

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

@Randy Holmes-Farley

OK, read your articles about the balanced CA/ALK dosing and the export of ALK with water changes to remove high Nitrates. I have been previously doing LARGE (80-120G at a clip) water changes to get nitrates under control. I have stopped back in September as after re-arranging my Siporax baskets (from high flow to low flow) my nitrates seem to be stable 26-29 for past 3 months.

So it seems in the past I've been replacing/adding ALK but never added calcium in equal doses creating a misbalance.

Since my set of previous posts I have been adding Ca using both the ESV Ca and now Ca Chloride (also from ESV)

Here is the strange thing.

Last I tested using both RedSea and Salifer (I got both to be sure) kits I was somewhere between 330-350 with Ca, after two weeks and adding nearly 1L of ESV B-Ionic Calcium part, there has been no uptick on Calcium level. I know I mentioned that it's mostly softies with few LPS but could the Coraline be consuming that much calcium?

This week I've switched to Calcium Chloride, Mixed 200 gram to 2L, dosing 200mls daily into about 350 Gallons of water total. Am I adding it too slow/not enough?

Thanks for your help.

Have you calculated the expected calcium rise in your system from those additions?

Coralline can be a major consumer of calcium, but it must be consuming at least 2.8 dKH of alk for each 18-20 ppm of calcium. If you find calcium is low and alk is not being consumed in a ratio like that, then the explanation lies elsewgere than consumption by organisms (unelss you are adding alk in other ways). Declining nitrate tends to add alk (50 ppm nitrate decline adds 2.3 dKH of alk), so perhaps that is part of where the issue lies.

 

[BZOFIQ]

Have you calculated the expected calcium rise in your system from those additions?

...

Will sit down tonight to study labels and figure out what I am actually adding as I dont have the numbers in front of me or in my head. Will reply tomorrow with actual numbers but I'd think adding 1L of ESV in 2 weeks would have changed the reading, no? I was surprised to be still testing at 350

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Will sit down tonight to study labels and figure out what I am actually adding as I dont have the numbers in front of me or in my head. Will reply tomorrow with actual numbers but I'd think adding 1L of ESV in 2 weeks would have changed the reading, no? I was surprised to be still testing at 350

What size is your tank?

using a calculator like this, 1 L of ESV B-ionic calcium two part solution in 100 gallons boosts calcium by 160 ppm.

https://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chem_calc3.html

 

[BZOFIQ]

What size is your tank?

using a calculator like this, 1 L of ESV B-ionic calcium two part solution in 100 gallons boosts calcium by 160 ppm.

https://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chem_calc3.html

it's a 270G Tank + another 110+ gallons of water in the sump, so given the rule 85% of tank volume being water I always say about 350 Gallons in circulation.

 

[BZOFIQ]

Post removed to avoid confusion.

 

[BZOFIQ]

This is very different...from BRS

Using ESV B-Ionic Part B... 1750ml

 

[BZOFIQ]

OK, perhaps I picked the wrong product from the drop down menu previously.

This one matches BRS,

 

[BZOFIQ]

Another one to confirm. I do remember Bob Stark from ESV stating that the each ml of product per Gallon of tank water raises Calcium by 16.

This would mean that adding a liter of the product should have bumped the calcium by about 50 yet my test doesn't reflect that.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Well, could be a test problem or an altered product (say, a product return where someone put water in it).

 

[BZOFIQ]

Well, could be a test problem or an altered product (say, a product return where someone put water in it).

@Randy Holmes-Farley - Thanks for keeping up with me

That would be crazy.....

Past weekend I switched to ESV Calcium Chloride powder, mixed the powder myself, 200 grams to 2000ml. I've been dosing 250 ml (just checked on my doser) every morning now for 5 days. Will re-test tonight because its bugging the heck out of me.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

@Randy Holmes-Farley - Thanks for keeping up with me

That would be crazy.....

Past weekend I switched to ESV Calcium Chloride powder, mixed the powder myself, 200 grams to 2000ml. I've been dosing 250 ml (just checked on my doser) every morning now for 5 days. Will re-test tonight because its bugging the heck out of me.

The calculator I linked would allow that to be determined too.

 

[BZOFIQ]

The calculator I linked would allow that to be determined too.

That is the same calculator I found during the holidays....which led me to mix 200g into solution.

I figured I'd raise it from 350 to 400 in 8 days, retest on Sunday and go from there. More to come once I see the progress (if any) by Sunday.