So i am new to this dosing world, of calcium and alkalinity and i think i have a slight hold of what i am doing here just want to be confirmed that i am correct. my calcium has been low since i started my 75 gallon reef tank. it was at 200 and then i switched to instant ocean reef crystals which jumped it up to 310. i just did a water change yesterday and my caclium is up to 360 now. i am going to buy a 2 part additive today and a Alk test (already have calcium). heres my question. i am going to dose the 2 part a specific dose every day untill i get my paramerters where they are suppose to be correct? after doing this i planned on dripping kalk through my ato to keep those levels constant. is this the correct way to be using my kalkawasser. and the correct way of going about all this. just need some guidance so i know i am doing everything right thanks guys.
understanding calc/alk
- Thread starter Jarrett
- Start date
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ccCapt
SW 20 & Over Club
Before you start dosing anything, get a better test kit. It's virtually impossible for a saltwater system to have calcium at 200ppm. Once it gets below around 350 nothing, as in corals or coralline algae, can utilize it. Calcification stops when calcium get below 350 and since nothing uses it, it doesn't drop anymore.
Jarrett said:
I don't know if I agree with you. I have noticed growth with a constant calcium lvl of 300 ppm. And I have seen my lvls go as low as 260 ppm. And that was with salifert and seachem test kit. I don't let my lvls get like that anymore. But I have seen it.
ccCapt
SW 20 & Over Club
Science doesn't lie.
A Simplified Guide to the Relationship Between Calcium, Alkalinity, Magnesium and pH by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com
"If the water's calcium level is below a certain threshold (about 360 ppm when alkalinity is normal), then it can limit calcium carbonate skeletal deposition by corals."
And if you want a more scientific explanation....
Aquarium Chemistry: The Chemical and Biochemical Mechanisms of Calcification — Advanced Aquarist | Aquarist Magazine and Blog
"If the calcium is let into the calicoblastic epithelium by a calcium channel, then the influx of calcium is dependent on the concentration in the coelenteron, and the proportion of time that the calcium channels are open. Since the cells themselves control the gating of the calcium channels, they presumably can control their internal calcium levels at will UNLESS there is not enough calcium outside of the cells to go through the gate, cross the calicoblastic epithelium cells, and get to the active transporter that sends it into the ECF. Consequently, one interpretation is that at external calcium concentrations below 360 ppm, the calcium flux into the calicoblastic cells becomes the rate-limiting step in calcification."
EVMIII
Aquarium Advice Regular
I would recommend you start dosing the recommended dosage a couple times a week testing regularly. When you get to the desired level you can then determine what it takes to maintain and adjust accordingly. Remember every water change adds calcium. Good luck.
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