First Post/Calcium No comprendo

SaltyCracker · 12/21/2008, 11:26 PM

Good Evening RC

I've been lurking RC for a while and finally this is my first post. I'm very new to the reef aquarium. It started as "lets get some live rock and a couple of fish and enjoy. It wasn't long before i was buying books and staring into a cycling tank and thinking "wow this is going to take more care than a new born baby" LOL

so you folks know, i dabble in many hobbies and am very passionate about Astronomy, paleontology and many other things of science related interest . Truth be told this aquarium business has proved to be quite a challenge

forgive me if i ramble

also forgive the spelling and grammar

Can someone please explain Calcium, PH, alkalinity, precipitation, ETC.

the tank has been up and running for 5 months or a little better.
I use RO/DI water for water changes and daily top-offs. i have recently been dosing (balls pickling lime).

accourding to my "API" test kit (if i'm reading and testing correctly) i'm way above 500ppm on my calcium level. I have been adding reef builder per instructions along with strontium and molybdenum per instruction.

I kinda feel as if i'm recklessly adding things with out a decent understanding of things. I hate to say that but... i guess thats why i'm here looking for answers

Ive been mixing 1 teaspoon of pickling lime into a gallon of RO/DI water and letting sit for a day prepared in the AM and dripped at 1 drop per sec, in the evening, twice a week.

am i going about this wrong? is there a particular regiment i should follow?

my current tank and parameters are

72g bowfront
100 lbs liverock
15 gallon refuge
maybe 950gph turnover
protein skimmer
phosban bag in first chanber
2 k3 powerheads
500w mh

ph-8.5
nitrate- 0(best i can tell)
alk- 2.9
phosphate .5 !!!! (will be a future topic for me)
Calcium-500+ (40 drops till end point color)

appearance and stock
1 Blue tang (had ich but better, happy and doing very well)
1 lawn mower blenny
1 bicolor dotty back
1 Maroon clown
number or turbos snails and hermits

a small mat of green stars, colony zoos, and pulsating xenia

Red turf algae, green hair algae, brown diatoms etc

am starting to show coralline algae growing in the lower parts of the tank areas (dark purple) with white rings around

would like to add current photos soon once i figure out how-to do so

thanks

Hop · 12/21/2008, 11:36 PM

To sum it up in a paragraph would be impossible. I would wonder down to the chemistry forum on the home page, open the reef chemistry articles sticky and go from there. There is a ton of reading

Or here is the link http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...readid=1379607

Hop · 12/21/2008, 11:37 PM

Or and

To Reef Central

Crazylikeafox · 12/21/2008, 11:46 PM

Waterkeeper is the man when it comes to, well, waterkeeping threads. He has a sticky (thread that is always at the top) of the New to the Hobby section. It is just above yours as I have just replied.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...readid=1031074

These are a very good place to start.

Their is a two part series that describes alkalinity and pH well.

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

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2003/chem.htm

Happy reading.

-Charles

SaltyCracker · 12/21/2008, 11:54 PM

thanks abunch guys! your right! Good stuff i'm reading now

WaterKeeper · 12/22/2008, 10:22 AM

Hi Salty,

My guess is that something is amiss with your testing results. Calcium tends to be self limiting and unless you are seeing precipitation it probably is of no concern. Usually the problem is low calcium and high levels don't seem to cause much in the way or problems.

I'd save yourself a buck or two and stop dosing the Sr and Mo. Water changes supply all you usually need of trace elements. Just keep dosing the lime solution but if calcium is a still a concern try doing it only once a week and see what happens.

SaltyCracker · 12/22/2008, 11:28 AM

thanks Waterkeeper

I'm using the API kit and its taking 40 or better drops till i get a color change. There again i may not be following the directions accuratly.

When one would discribe precipitation of calcium would it apear like snow? white specs floating around? maybe a slite cloudy white haze through out the display? If so, i have noticed that before

another thing regarding the API test kit. it shows my Phosphate at 0.5.

I use Ro/DI water from a unit i have installed in my house. I havent tried testing the water from the unit yet though.

i have algae kinda bad. I have cut back on the lighting and feeding.

Actually there's not much to feed in my tank except the clown and the dotty back all the rest enjoy micro algae and macro i have growing in the display that i pinched from the refuge

is it true phosphate will bind with precipitating calcium. where does it go?

12/21/2008, 11:26 PM	#1
SaltyCracker Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Hilton Head Island, SC Posts: 10	First Post/Calcium No comprendo Good Evening RC I've been lurking RC for a while and finally this is my first post. I'm very new to the reef aquarium. It started as "lets get some live rock and a couple of fish and enjoy. It wasn't long before i was buying books and staring into a cycling tank and thinking "wow this is going to take more care than a new born baby" LOL so you folks know, i dabble in many hobbies and am very passionate about Astronomy, paleontology and many other things of science related interest . Truth be told this aquarium business has proved to be quite a challenge forgive me if i ramble also forgive the spelling and grammar Can someone please explain Calcium, PH, alkalinity, precipitation, ETC. the tank has been up and running for 5 months or a little better. I use RO/DI water for water changes and daily top-offs. i have recently been dosing (balls pickling lime). accourding to my "API" test kit (if i'm reading and testing correctly) i'm way above 500ppm on my calcium level. I have been adding reef builder per instructions along with strontium and molybdenum per instruction. I kinda feel as if i'm recklessly adding things with out a decent understanding of things. I hate to say that but... i guess thats why i'm here looking for answers Ive been mixing 1 teaspoon of pickling lime into a gallon of RO/DI water and letting sit for a day prepared in the AM and dripped at 1 drop per sec, in the evening, twice a week. am i going about this wrong? is there a particular regiment i should follow? my current tank and parameters are 72g bowfront 100 lbs liverock 15 gallon refuge maybe 950gph turnover protein skimmer phosban bag in first chanber 2 k3 powerheads 500w mh ph-8.5 nitrate- 0(best i can tell) alk- 2.9 phosphate .5 !!!! (will be a future topic for me) Calcium-500+ (40 drops till end point color) appearance and stock 1 Blue tang (had ich but better, happy and doing very well) 1 lawn mower blenny 1 bicolor dotty back 1 Maroon clown number or turbos snails and hermits a small mat of green stars, colony zoos, and pulsating xenia Red turf algae, green hair algae, brown diatoms etc am starting to show coralline algae growing in the lower parts of the tank areas (dark purple) with white rings around would like to add current photos soon once i figure out how-to do so thanks

12/21/2008, 11:36 PM	#2
Hop Carpe Noctem!!! Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Western Colorado Posts: 8,548	To sum it up in a paragraph would be impossible. I would wonder down to the chemistry forum on the home page, open the reef chemistry articles sticky and go from there. There is a ton of reading Or here is the link http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...readid=1379607 __________________ Hop Current Tank Info: 300-gallon in-wall system (mixed reef)

12/21/2008, 11:37 PM	#3
Hop Carpe Noctem!!! Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Western Colorado Posts: 8,548	Or and *To Reef Central* __________________ Hop Current Tank Info: 300-gallon in-wall system (mixed reef)

12/21/2008, 11:46 PM	#4
Crazylikeafox Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 34	Waterkeeper is the man when it comes to, well, waterkeeping threads. He has a sticky (thread that is always at the top) of the New to the Hobby section. It is just above yours as I have just replied. http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...readid=1031074 These are a very good place to start. Their is a two part series that describes alkalinity and pH well. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2003/chem.htm Happy reading. -Charles __________________ Put mind in gear before moving mouth. Current Tank Info: In progress.

12/22/2008, 10:22 AM	#6
WaterKeeper Bogus Information Expert Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: SW Ohio Posts: 16,147	Hi Salty, My guess is that something is amiss with your testing results. Calcium tends to be self limiting and unless you are seeing precipitation it probably is of no concern. Usually the problem is low calcium and high levels don't seem to cause much in the way or problems. I'd save yourself a buck or two and stop dosing the Sr and Mo. Water changes supply all you usually need of trace elements. Just keep dosing the lime solution but if calcium is a still a concern try doing it only once a week and see what happens. __________________ "Leading the information hungry reefer down the road to starvation" Tom Current Tank Info: 130 Now out of service and a 29

12/21/2008, 11:54 PM	#5
SaltyCracker Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Hilton Head Island, SC Posts: 10	thanks abunch guys! your right! Good stuff i'm reading now

12/22/2008, 11:28 AM	#7
SaltyCracker Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Hilton Head Island, SC Posts: 10	thanks Waterkeeper I'm using the API kit and its taking 40 or better drops till i get a color change. There again i may not be following the directions accuratly. When one would discribe precipitation of calcium would it apear like snow? white specs floating around? maybe a slite cloudy white haze through out the display? If so, i have noticed that before another thing regarding the API test kit. it shows my Phosphate at 0.5. I use Ro/DI water from a unit i have installed in my house. I havent tried testing the water from the unit yet though. i have algae kinda bad. I have cut back on the lighting and feeding. Actually there's not much to feed in my tank except the clown and the dotty back all the rest enjoy micro algae and macro i have growing in the display that i pinched from the refuge is it true phosphate will bind with precipitating calcium. where does it go?