so sick of my parameters.....

[Melonbob]

I've been fighting with my parameters for months now, and although all my corals are doing well, I'm convinced they could be even better if my numbers were good. I was using seachem calcium and complete since the start, but not much was happening so I switched to C-balance, which people seemed to swear by. Bought a gallon of each too. I am adding 3 caps of calcium every morning, and 3 caps of alk every night. I have done this for about a week now and did my tests tonight. predator tank was at 8.2ph, 8dKH alk, and 450 calcium. The reef tested at 8.2ph, 7 dKH alk and 300 calcium. I'm so sick of seeing the same numbers. tried different tests, and lfs is getting even lower numbers than me on alk, but they get my water first thing in the morning. I've done up to 25% water changes, nothing seems to bring things up. Help!

[yote]

Im right there with y'all Melonbob.I'm dosing a full dose of Brightwell Aquatics Calcion-P every morning,then a full dose of Kents Superbuffer every evening.Plus I'm dripping kalk every night.But my SPS and coralline are growing like crazy.
Im also using Oceanic salt again,which tests at 500ppm of calcium on a fresh mixed batch.
The only thing I've come up with to help,is adding a calcium reactor.Which is in the works right now.

[Melonbob]

I am not dripping kalk, what do you need and how do you go about it? I figured it would be expensive

[yote]

To drip kalk,all you need is something to mix the kalk in and some tubing to drip it through.
Just mix a gallon or so,let it set a couple of hours.Then strain off the crusty stuff on top of the water and the white powder in the bottom.After that,you just need to start a good slow drip where it'll take 6 to 8 hours to use all the mix.
Run the drip after your lights are out for the night.It'll help keep your night time PH from swinging and percipatate phosphates while maintaining calcium and alkalinity levels.

[sen5241b]

For months, I couldn't get my calcium higher than 300 ppm. I collected several pounds of white branch coral from the beach (dead and detached), cured it myself and dropped it my tank in what I call a pod pile. My calcium now never goes under 400. Others have said that the branch coral can't be the cause but I don't what else could keep my calcium that high. I did not change anything else!

[daugherty]

your sand has probably started to dissolve.

[yote]

Originally Posted by daugherty

your sand has probably started to dissolve.

The PH would have to drop to fatal levels before the sand would start dissolve.Wouldnt it?

[daugherty]

as far as i know it will dissolve if the sand bed is deep enough then it will not affect the ph as far as i know but i could be wrong.

[ccCapt]

Test your magnesium if you can't raise ca or alk.

Here's a good article on ca/alk/mag.
"if you are adding large amount of calcium and alkalinity supplements, but just cannot maintain the desired values, you might want to measure the magnesium level in the water. Magnesium plays an important role in preventing the abiotic precipitation of calcium carbonate1, and if it is substantially depleted, you may be experiencing excessive amounts of calcium and alkalinity loss to this route."