salifert test kits- calcium,magnesium,alk- help!

[jtf74]

I have been using straight well water for my tank for several years now, as I know all the lines are pex or pvc and I have the water tested yearly for things that might cause trouble, though not for beneficial elements. I recently ordered a salifert test and got higher than expected readings, assuming the color change is the whole solution and not just when it starts and looks like a layer of blue on top of pink. The box they came in was poorly packaged and pieces were falling out but expiration said 2025. Trying to decide if my well water is adding more trace elements than I had considered and boosting what the salt mix has already added or perhaps the tests are faulty? My setup is 300 gallons with sump and refugium. It's been running over a year with a few 10% water changes and was an upgrade from a 55 gallon packed full of live rock that had been going for several years. I've been keeping mostly fish, soft corals, and nems over the past several years hadn't been too worried about magnesium, calcium, other trace elements much outside of what my salt mix added. I had tested the calcium several months ago with a cheap test (API maybe?) and got around 300- 350 and so I had been dosing calcium lightly and periodically trying to get to 400-450, as I wanted to add some hard corals. Even had I followed a heavier dosing per the bottle I wouldn't have increased calcium levels by more than about 20 total using the whole bottle.

Should I be worried about these levels?

Salifert results:
calcium- over 500 maybe 525 extrapolating with the chart provided
magnesium: 1500
alk- 12.5

For comparison I tested my tap water:
calcium- 330
magnesium- stayed blue and didn't turn pink on step two so couldn't judge color change for fresh comparison
alk- 6

My ph is still and has been steady at 8.2 for several years, as my makeup well water is 8.2.
ammonia- don't test for this much anymore but was zero last I checked
nitrates- usually less than .1 with .7 in well water naturally
nitrites-0

Current corals-
xenia- I need a aqua lawnmower for these
bta's
couple frags hammer and slow growing frogspawn
acro
green star
kenya
ricordea

 

[Macbalacano]

How is everything in the tank doing / looking?

Paramaters are all a bit high, but nothing I would be too concerned about immediately. I would just let things drop overtime by either consumption or water changes / stop any dosing you are doing.

It is possible its the test and/or testing error. Is there a way you can check with an LFS or another test kit to verify your results?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I'm not sure I understand the question.

If your measurement is accurate, the well water certainly has excessive calcium relative to alkalinity so is not a suitable way to maintain these.

If you use untreated well water that has high calcium (330 ppm), calcium will start high and may stay high if the top off matches or exceeds demand.

525 ppm calcium is not a problem, but it may keep rising.

If there is no consumption of alkalinity, it too will rise.

 

[blasterman]

You read the salifert calcium test as per when the color fully changes to blue. Theres a tendency to under read calcium with this kit because the transition takes several drops. Basically when it's done changing color...you're done

Don't ever use the salifert calcium kit in low rez mode. Their alk test however works very good in low res mode.

I strongly suggest getting an ICP test for well water and not messing around with amatuer kits.

 

[jtf74]

How is everything in the tank doing / looking?

Paramaters are all a bit high, but nothing I would be too concerned about immediately. I would just let things drop overtime by either consumption or water changes / stop any dosing you are doing.

It is possible its the test and/or testing error. Is there a way you can check with an LFS or another test kit to verify your results?

Everything is doing fine. No issues. Will probably send of for an ICP test.

 

[jtf74]

I'm not sure I understand the question.

If your measurement is accurate, the well water certainly has excessive calcium relative to alkalinity so is not a suitable way to maintain these.

If you use untreated well water that has high calcium (330 ppm), calcium will start high and may stay high if the top off matches or exceeds demand.

525 ppm calcium is not a problem, but it may keep rising.

If there is no consumption of alkalinity, it too will rise.

I was just wondering how likely it was that its the tests that are bad. I'll keep an eye on it for increases and not worry then about the current levels for the moment.