How do i raise Calcium and hardness alkalinity???

[Fishman007]

I tested for my calcium and ALK and they are both pretty low, calc-300ppm and ALK-6 DKH. They guy at the lfs said i should buy this buffer made by seachem but i wanted to check in if thats ok first. How should i raise these?

Thanks.

[Fishman007]

Also the guy at the LFS said that low calc and alk can kill fish and invertabrates. Is this true? I thought my salt raises my levels up to par. (i use IO reef crystals)

[Animal-Chin]

low alk can cause all sorts of issues for sure, don't know if it's going to kill fish though? Corals don't like it thats for sure...

As for raising it you can use the store bought buffers but in the long run doing that is kind of expensive. I use bulk chemicals that I buy from the local frag store. I buy 5 pounds of Sodium Bicarbonate for my alk, Calcium and magnesium, all in powder form. This will last me at least 4 months of daily dosing and costs me about $15. If you buy products you'll be paying 20 times that for basically the same chemicals already mixed...

But its way easier to just put a capfull of part a and a cap of part b in your tank then figure out ratios and mix yourself...lol I'm a dork though so I don't mind...

[Fishman007]

Is there anyway i can get it up without adding buffers and powders?

[Animal-Chin]

Well tou could waterchange it to match your mixed new waters parameters. Have you tested the mixed water youre adding?

[Fishman007]

Originally Posted by Animal-Chin

Well tou could waterchange it to match your mixed new waters parameters. Have you tested the mixed water youre adding?

No. I guess i should right?

[Mebbid]

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/

This is what I started using and it worked wonders on my tank. It's not that bad adding it myself but a dosing pump would make life easier.

[carey]

How often are you doing water changes and how much? what types of corals do you keep? usually if you dont have that that many corals it comes down to the salt mix. But if you have a tank full of corals, some being SPS colonies then yeah, you will most likely have to dose.

[Fishman007]

This is a 20 long still cycling, could that be why i am haveing this problem? I have done a 5g wc already, the tanks been up for 2 weeks. I have 2 brains in the tank and thats it except for a microstar who hitch hiked off some LR.

[mr_X]

You have coral in a cycling tank? That's not too good for the coral. I would take them out and put them in one of your other tanks at least until the cycle is over.

[mrvincent]

Seachem Buffer raise a bit calcium, and raise KH. There's other Seachems product only to increase calcium

[mr_X]

No product (besides a water change) can raise both calcium and alkalinity at the same time. You have to use a 2 part, or 3 part (magnesium) additive.

[mrvincent]

Yeah, carbonate calcium raise both KH and calcium ? Am I wrong ?

But I think you need a calcium reactor to do this.. As calcium is low soluble in water, but very soluble in carbonated water.

[mr_X]

It can't. Calcium and alkalinity work against each other. Have a look at this-
Chemistry And The Aquarium: Solving Calcium And Alkalinity Problems — Advanced Aquarist | Aquarist Magazine and Blog