calcium at 250

[spaz0177]

My calcium was at 250 so I started putting the bionic 2-part. now my calcium as slighly moved but my ph is high at 8.8

what to do

[austinsdad]

Give us some info on your tank setup. What's in it? How old? Last water change and what kinda salt you using.

Unless you're doing hard corals, which'll suck up the calcium, I'd tend to guess it's one of two things - 1) bad test kit, or 2) haven't done a water change in a long while. Most of us that don't have the hard corals get our calcium updates from PWCs.

[spaz0177]

i have a 120 set up with #'s of live rock. i do 12 gallons every week. what do you think

[tecwzrd]

Need to know alk level also. Further info can be read below.

A Simplified Guide to the Relationship Between Calcium, Alkalinity, Magnesium and pH

Solving Calcium and Alkalinity Problems

Reef Aquarium Water Parameters

[spaz0177]

never tested for alkalinity. should i be using the bionic or just do a water change. if water change what amount

[tangster]

The problem with the two part additives is that both the calcium and the alkalinity are raised when it could be one or the other.
I test for calcium, magnesium and alkalinity.
I keep the calcium at 450, the magnesium at 1300 and the alkalinity at 8.5-9.5
If the calcium is low I add kent turbo calcium boost;if the alkalinity is low I add kent reef boost and if the magnesium is off I add magnesium chloride(I forget the brand)

I agree with the above posts--you need to test before you dose.

Tangster

[spaz0177]

i apologize i got confused i thought my ph at 8.8 is the same as aldalinity. I have learned something. I am sorry for my stupidity. I am not a chemist, however, i have recently learned that I need to be.

[tecwzrd]

No problem, you don't have to be a detailed chemist but the bold links will help you get the basic chemicals down regarding maintaining a SW tank.

[Kurt_Nelson]

Don't continue with the B-ionic at this point. Two-part supplements are really intended to "maintain" your calcium/alkalinity levels at a good point - it's meant to replace what the corals are taking out.

You need to get your Ca levels up (probably by using Turbo Calcium) and stabilize your alkalinity before you start doing a two-part dose. As previously noted, you're going to need to know your alkalinity (either in dKH or meq/liter) before anyone can really tell you how to modify your tank chemistry. However, with Ca that low, water changes alone are not going to be enough to get your Ca up in the low 400s.

Once you know both your Ca and Alk, then check this article out...

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm

Once you get your Ca/Alk levels where you want them, then you can start with the B-ionic again.

[melosu58]

Originally Posted by Kurt_Nelson

Once you get your Ca/Alk levels where you want them, then you can start with the B-ionic again.

The links that you recieved on this thread are very good and have excellent information. What kurt stated here is excellent advice.

[lando]

First, verify the reading with another brand of reputable test kit. Second, what is the CA level of your SW you are using for water changes? What salt mix are you using?

[Ziggy953]

Good questions Lando...FWIW...my CA stays at about 400-420 and I don't add anything to my tank. All I do is PWC of 25% every other week. I use IO and my SPS corals are growing like crazy! Be careful when adding a lot of stuff to your system things can go wrong very quickly!

[Kurt_Nelson]

Good points by all. Lando beat me to it by suggesting another test for Ca using a different kit. While the Salifert tests are pricey, you really can't beat them for accuracy. While I normally use API for my everyday tests, when I get a screwball result that doesn't make sense I have some Salifert kits that I pull out of the cupboard for a "sanity check." They usually confirm the fact that I might have missed counting a drop or vice versa, or gotten "heavy" drops!

Also... knowing what your source saltwater mixes up at, as Lando also pointed out, is crucial to knowing how to go about correcting any chemistry imbalance. If your source SW mixes up at 360 Ca (like my Reef Crystals does) and you want to maintain a Ca level around 400, you know you're going to have to dose - PWCs just ain't gonna do it.

The other point made by Tangster that bears repeating is "don't dose unless you can test for it." And that means both Ca AND alkalinity when you do a two-part Ca solution. In fact, the back of the B-ionic bottle mentions that when starting to use the product to test DAILY and adjust dosage accordingly.

[austinsdad]

I'd tend to guess it's one of two things - 1) bad test kit, or 2) haven't done a water change in a long while.

I'm sticking with my very basic questions from very early in this thread. Try another test kit. That number (200 range) seems REAL low. I also asked what salt brand.

Tecwzrd - oustanding links - - as usual.

[spaz0177]

thanks guys