So I have been observing an interesting trend over the past week and am hoping that some of the reef chemistry wizards maybe able to help shed some light one what could be going on.
For the past year or so my tanks has been maintaining a relatively steady calcium level while dosing approximately 3.5 ppm (35 mL) per day of of BRS Liquid Calcium (2 part). I have a not always had a balanced addition of the alkalinity component (typically I have been adding less alkalinity) but the dosage to maintain the current alkalinity has been going up and with in the past couple of months I have gotten very close to a true balanced addition (approximately of each part each day).
Over the past week I have noticed my Calcium level start to rise. Based on the trends I am seeing off of my trident it would appears that the total consumption of calcium has decreased by 50%, since the measured calcium value is rising by around the same amount each day. I see no evidence of stress in my corals (SPS included) that would indicate that they may actually consuming less. In fact they seem to be growing at a faster rate than they ever have.
Here is a screen grab of my measured calcium levels from 2 weeks ago (roughly, ok maybe a week and a half):
And here is a screen grab of last week:
You can see in the earlier data set that while there was some bounce do to analytical variability most likely level were relatively stable around 435 ppm, which they have been for months.
Starting last Wednesday we can see an increasing upward trend in calcium levels. Again there is some fluctuation due to analytical testing and day time vs night time consumption rates, but a general increasing trend.
I will also add this. During this time I have also been slightly increasing my alkalinity, but nothing drastic. Going from round 7.3 to 7.3 over a week. See below:
My alkalinity has slowly drifted down over a couple of weeks (and a trident calibration) and I wanted to bump it back up to the range that I have been keeping the tank in.
Now I will answer the big question first, no, I have not confirmed the calcium level with on offline test. While I do think there is benefit in doing that and it is an appropriate response before taking any drastic actions the consistent day to day increase leads me to believe this is probably real.
Secondly, I know that some users have experienced issues with the trident showing increasing calcium levels when air gets in the reagent lines. I currently have 39% left in my B and C bottles so I wouldn't think it was anywhere close enough to be pulling air, but maybe it is.
I also should note that I did make up a new batch of the two part (using BRS dry powder). But I am using the same bulk bag that I made my last batch up with and followed the same receipt.
So that is the current situation. If any one has any thoughts or has seen something similar I would love to hear about it. At this point I am not overly concerned and am just looking for some input. I am actually wondering if this has more to do with the increasing alkalinity and and increase level of CA in solution.
For the past year or so my tanks has been maintaining a relatively steady calcium level while dosing approximately 3.5 ppm (35 mL) per day of of BRS Liquid Calcium (2 part). I have a not always had a balanced addition of the alkalinity component (typically I have been adding less alkalinity) but the dosage to maintain the current alkalinity has been going up and with in the past couple of months I have gotten very close to a true balanced addition (approximately of each part each day).
Over the past week I have noticed my Calcium level start to rise. Based on the trends I am seeing off of my trident it would appears that the total consumption of calcium has decreased by 50%, since the measured calcium value is rising by around the same amount each day. I see no evidence of stress in my corals (SPS included) that would indicate that they may actually consuming less. In fact they seem to be growing at a faster rate than they ever have.
Here is a screen grab of my measured calcium levels from 2 weeks ago (roughly, ok maybe a week and a half):
And here is a screen grab of last week:
You can see in the earlier data set that while there was some bounce do to analytical variability most likely level were relatively stable around 435 ppm, which they have been for months.
Starting last Wednesday we can see an increasing upward trend in calcium levels. Again there is some fluctuation due to analytical testing and day time vs night time consumption rates, but a general increasing trend.
I will also add this. During this time I have also been slightly increasing my alkalinity, but nothing drastic. Going from round 7.3 to 7.3 over a week. See below:
My alkalinity has slowly drifted down over a couple of weeks (and a trident calibration) and I wanted to bump it back up to the range that I have been keeping the tank in.
Now I will answer the big question first, no, I have not confirmed the calcium level with on offline test. While I do think there is benefit in doing that and it is an appropriate response before taking any drastic actions the consistent day to day increase leads me to believe this is probably real.
Secondly, I know that some users have experienced issues with the trident showing increasing calcium levels when air gets in the reagent lines. I currently have 39% left in my B and C bottles so I wouldn't think it was anywhere close enough to be pulling air, but maybe it is.
I also should note that I did make up a new batch of the two part (using BRS dry powder). But I am using the same bulk bag that I made my last batch up with and followed the same receipt.
So that is the current situation. If any one has any thoughts or has seen something similar I would love to hear about it. At this point I am not overly concerned and am just looking for some input. I am actually wondering if this has more to do with the increasing alkalinity and and increase level of CA in solution.
