Calcium Buffer...

[Neptune333]

So Im alil worried. I've been doing my calcium test and it seems low (off the chart). Below 370 ppm... So I bought some buffer and I wanted to follow the instructions on the bottle but my GF is telling me the guy at the pet shop said something diffrent thanwhat the bottle is saying. The bottle is saying to add 1 ml per 4 gl of component A and same for component B. So I have a 30 gl tank 7.6 mls of A and 7.6 of B. She said the pet shop guy said half that. 3 mls of each. What should I do ?

 

[Greenmaster]

I would do the lesser amount and test...

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Let's put it in reverse a little...

First thing... buffer doesn't help your calcium. The buffer component is for alkalinity. You can add all the buffer in the world and it won't do anything for your calcium. Second thing... 370 is not a bad calcium reading and definitely shouldn't be off any chart. Might be a little lower than I'd like, but considering natural seawater is around 410ppm it's not bad.

Now about 2-part solutions... different brands have different definitions of what "Part A" is and what "Part B" is, so let's just call them the calcium part and the alkalinity part. They should be labeled on the bottles somewhere. The whole purpose of the 2 part solutions is to maintain a certain calcium/alkalinity level as your corals use both of those things up to grow. In theory, you add equal amounts of cal/alk solution because corals use those two things in equal proportions to grow. How much you add all depends on how much your corals are using on a daily basis. It's best to start low and test frequently as greenmaster commented - but it will take a while to dial in the correct amount you need to dose daily.

Here is a nice little calculator to help you get started...

Reef Chemistry Calculator

Maybe I jumped the gun a little and assumed too much, now that I think about it. Do you have corals? Are you just wanting to increase your calcium to get it a little higher or are you finding your calcium levels dropping too much between water changes. Guess I'm just trying to find out if you really need a 2-part solution at all...

 

[ccCapt]

Kurt covered it all very well. If you only want to raise calcium, only dose 1 of the 2 parts. Test your water, dose 1/2 the recommended amount and then test again.