Mag and Ca too high??

mattyg18 · 08/27/2016, 07:52 PM

I did my weekly parameters today and everything was in range except for the Mag and Ca. Mag came it 1470 and Ca was off the chart so I clocked it at 500 which is the highest. It was higher than that but I was using the Salifert kits and the syringe emptied out.

Should I be concerned about this or is it ok to run a little high on these? Except for one zoa (which I think got attacked by a sundial snail) everything else looks great. My two clowns are doing well also.

I do not dose anything and have been using reef crystals since day one. The tank is just shy of 6 months old.

Do you guys think this is safe?

Thanks again!

Deahttub · 08/27/2016, 08:16 PM

Those levels arent ideal, but by no means toxic....what do you measure salinity with? I had a friend that had levels like that and he was using the IO salinity hydrometer...went over and used my refractometer and his salinity was 1.035...lowered the salinity and all levels dropped to normal...

mattyg18 · 08/27/2016, 08:21 PM

I use a refractometer which was just calibrated yesterday with the calibration fluid. My Calcium usually runs high (over 450) so thats not way out of range but my Mg usually runs around 1250. I did do a cycle of "red cyano rx" and did a 25% water change afterwards. Not sure if that has any effect on Ca and Mg but who knows.

Anyways glad to hear that the numbers aren't toxic.

Thanks

Deahttub · 08/27/2016, 08:25 PM

IME red sea salt runs a bit high in mag....yah you have no worries about those params...

mattyg18 · 08/27/2016, 08:27 PM

Thanks Deahttub. Do you think I should pass on the next WC so the params don't go up any higher? I don't have much stuff in my tank to use up the elements.

Deahttub · 08/27/2016, 08:32 PM

Id stick to my normal water change schedule (to me water changes are key)....could have had a bad batch of salt that the params were a bit high...i had a bag of salt almost nuke my tank cause it raised my alk to 13(i keep my alk at 7.8)...but that was one time in many years of using the salt...if your worried, check the params of the salt before you add to tank....

mattyg18 · 08/27/2016, 08:34 PM

Great idea with the pre-testing. Didn't even think of that but makes sense. Kinda like try before you buy....

Thanks again!

BigEZ77 · 08/28/2016, 02:55 PM

What kind of rock is in your tank?

mattyg18 · 08/28/2016, 03:42 PM

40 lbs BRS Fiji dry LR and one small
Piece used for seeding from a LFS not sure of the type.

BigEZ77 · 08/28/2016, 04:33 PM

Just checking because I have Realreef Rock and it's known to raise the levels for a year or more. Clearly not your issue though

. I can say that I've not seen any issue with corals, inverts or fish and my numbers have been about the same as yours since I started that tank...roughly 10 months ago.

mattyg18 · 08/28/2016, 06:19 PM

I'm still a newbie but my guess is that maybe because the tank isn't drawing much Ca and Mg and i'm still doing my 25% WC monthly its not getting used up. I've got a bunch of small corals and only 2 small fish. Makes sense to me.

mattyg18 · 09/06/2016, 07:29 PM

Just wanted to bump this thread. Parameters are still real high on Mg and Ca. Both are off the chart. I know its not something to be alarmed about but i'm just being proactive here. My numbers where perfect right up until I added a dose of the red cyano rx stuff about a month ago due to a small cyano issue. It cleared right up and ever since then my parameters have been off. Is there something i can add to bring down my Mg and Ca? Or I was thinking about doing some heavy water changes. I usually do a 25% monthly. I can up that and do a 25% weekly. I just don't want to disrupt anything as my corals seem to be doing well now.

Or should I just leave everything alone. I just dont know exactly how high my numbers are because they are off the chart. I'm using a Salifert kit where the Mg only goes to 1500 and Ca only goes to 500.

Thanks in advance.

Estanden · 09/06/2016, 09:43 PM

What is your Alk at? Typically Alk is really low when Calcium is high. I would be more worried about that.

What you can do is test your tank daily to get the amount of calcium and carbonate your tank uses. Then dose kalk using an online calculator to figure out how much kalk to dose. This will stabilize your calcium/alk parameters and allow you to adjust to the correct parameters using weekly water changes.

mattyg18 · 09/07/2016, 04:43 AM

Alk is and has been at 8.9 for a while. Wouldn't dosing talk bring up my Calcium?

Estanden · 09/07/2016, 03:24 PM

Alk and calcium should be used up at the same rate. If you dose kalk at the rate both are being used up you can stabilize both. Then you can do water changes to make corrections.

Estanden · 09/07/2016, 03:28 PM

This site helped me out a lot when making correction to my parameters.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/11/chemistry

mattyg18 · 09/07/2016, 08:27 PM

My Alk seems ok at 8.9 but my calcium and mg are very high. I'm just on the fence if I should wait it out a bit (since my tank is still fairly new) before adding more "additives". For what its worth the additives is what threw it off in the first place. I'm probably going to do a large water change this week, and then another one next week. That can't hurt and if anything should bring my parameters closer to normal.

08/27/2016, 07:52 PM	#1
mattyg18 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Commack, NY Posts: 284	Mag and Ca too high?? I did my weekly parameters today and everything was in range except for the Mag and Ca. Mag came it 1470 and Ca was off the chart so I clocked it at 500 which is the highest. It was higher than that but I was using the Salifert kits and the syringe emptied out. Should I be concerned about this or is it ok to run a little high on these? Except for one zoa (which I think got attacked by a sundial snail) everything else looks great. My two clowns are doing well also. I do not dose anything and have been using reef crystals since day one. The tank is just shy of 6 months old. Do you guys think this is safe? Thanks again!

08/28/2016, 02:55 PM	#8
BigEZ77 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Ottawa ON Canada Posts: 797	What kind of rock is in your tank? __________________ Russell Banggai / Yellow Wrasse / Black Ice and Davinci Clowns / Flame Angel / Royal Gramma / Blue Chromis / LPS (dominated) / Monti's / Softies / BTA's Current Tank Info: 45G Rimless, Tunze 9004, Kessil A160WE, Gyre XF130, 50lbs rock, Reef Crystals, Phosguard in reactor, Matrix, Chemipure Blue and NP XL biopellets in sump

08/28/2016, 04:33 PM	#10
BigEZ77 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Ottawa ON Canada Posts: 797	Just checking because I have Realreef Rock and it's known to raise the levels for a year or more. Clearly not your issue though . I can say that I've not seen any issue with corals, inverts or fish and my numbers have been about the same as yours since I started that tank...roughly 10 months ago. __________________ Russell Banggai / Yellow Wrasse / Black Ice and Davinci Clowns / Flame Angel / Royal Gramma / Blue Chromis / LPS (dominated) / Monti's / Softies / BTA's Current Tank Info: 45G Rimless, Tunze 9004, Kessil A160WE, Gyre XF130, 50lbs rock, Reef Crystals, Phosguard in reactor, Matrix, Chemipure Blue and NP XL biopellets in sump

08/27/2016, 08:16 PM	#2
Deahttub Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Longwood,Fl Posts: 171	Those levels arent ideal, but by no means toxic....what do you measure salinity with? I had a friend that had levels like that and he was using the IO salinity hydrometer...went over and used my refractometer and his salinity was 1.035...lowered the salinity and all levels dropped to normal...

08/27/2016, 08:21 PM	#3
mattyg18 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Commack, NY Posts: 284	I use a refractometer which was just calibrated yesterday with the calibration fluid. My Calcium usually runs high (over 450) so thats not way out of range but my Mg usually runs around 1250. I did do a cycle of "red cyano rx" and did a 25% water change afterwards. Not sure if that has any effect on Ca and Mg but who knows. Anyways glad to hear that the numbers aren't toxic. Thanks

08/27/2016, 08:25 PM	#4
Deahttub Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Longwood,Fl Posts: 171	IME red sea salt runs a bit high in mag....yah you have no worries about those params...

08/27/2016, 08:27 PM	#5
mattyg18 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Commack, NY Posts: 284	Thanks Deahttub. Do you think I should pass on the next WC so the params don't go up any higher? I don't have much stuff in my tank to use up the elements.

08/27/2016, 08:32 PM	#6
Deahttub Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Longwood,Fl Posts: 171	Id stick to my normal water change schedule (to me water changes are key)....could have had a bad batch of salt that the params were a bit high...i had a bag of salt almost nuke my tank cause it raised my alk to 13(i keep my alk at 7.8)...but that was one time in many years of using the salt...if your worried, check the params of the salt before you add to tank....

08/27/2016, 08:34 PM	#7
mattyg18 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Commack, NY Posts: 284	Great idea with the pre-testing. Didn't even think of that but makes sense. Kinda like try before you buy.... Thanks again!

08/28/2016, 03:42 PM	#9
mattyg18 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Commack, NY Posts: 284	40 lbs BRS Fiji dry LR and one small Piece used for seeding from a LFS not sure of the type.

08/28/2016, 06:19 PM	#11
mattyg18 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Commack, NY Posts: 284	I'm still a newbie but my guess is that maybe because the tank isn't drawing much Ca and Mg and i'm still doing my 25% WC monthly its not getting used up. I've got a bunch of small corals and only 2 small fish. Makes sense to me.

09/06/2016, 07:29 PM	#12
mattyg18 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Commack, NY Posts: 284	Just wanted to bump this thread. Parameters are still real high on Mg and Ca. Both are off the chart. I know its not something to be alarmed about but i'm just being proactive here. My numbers where perfect right up until I added a dose of the red cyano rx stuff about a month ago due to a small cyano issue. It cleared right up and ever since then my parameters have been off. Is there something i can add to bring down my Mg and Ca? Or I was thinking about doing some heavy water changes. I usually do a 25% monthly. I can up that and do a 25% weekly. I just don't want to disrupt anything as my corals seem to be doing well now. Or should I just leave everything alone. I just dont know exactly how high my numbers are because they are off the chart. I'm using a Salifert kit where the Mg only goes to 1500 and Ca only goes to 500. Thanks in advance.

09/06/2016, 09:43 PM	#13
Estanden Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2016 Posts: 17	What is your Alk at? Typically Alk is really low when Calcium is high. I would be more worried about that. What you can do is test your tank daily to get the amount of calcium and carbonate your tank uses. Then dose kalk using an online calculator to figure out how much kalk to dose. This will stabilize your calcium/alk parameters and allow you to adjust to the correct parameters using weekly water changes.

09/07/2016, 04:43 AM	#14
mattyg18 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Commack, NY Posts: 284	Alk is and has been at 8.9 for a while. Wouldn't dosing talk bring up my Calcium?

09/07/2016, 03:24 PM	#15
Estanden Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2016 Posts: 17	Alk and calcium should be used up at the same rate. If you dose kalk at the rate both are being used up you can stabilize both. Then you can do water changes to make corrections.

09/07/2016, 03:28 PM	#16
Estanden Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2016 Posts: 17	This site helped me out a lot when making correction to my parameters. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/11/chemistry

09/07/2016, 08:27 PM	#17
mattyg18 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Commack, NY Posts: 284	My Alk seems ok at 8.9 but my calcium and mg are very high. I'm just on the fence if I should wait it out a bit (since my tank is still fairly new) before adding more "additives". For what its worth the additives is what threw it off in the first place. I'm probably going to do a large water change this week, and then another one next week. That can't hurt and if anything should bring my parameters closer to normal.