I have a 55 gallon with 230 pc lights. I have had it up and running for 5 years with just fish and an anemone. Recently I decided to put some corals in and see if I could do it. My zoos look to be alright but my Calcium is at 500 and alkalinity is high. The saltwater store said to use a product called C-Balance so I have and the Calcium and alkalinity are not stabilizing so what should I do to get it to stabilize.
calcium and alkalinity
- Thread starter kaddy522
- Start date
dustin_P74
Reef enthusiast
what is the actual alk number,and is your calcium is at 500 and your alk is high then why are you doing a calcium and alk booster? also welcome to the site
Well my alkalinity would be 5.71. I am using the C-Balance because they told me I need that for my coral. They also said the alkalinity and calcium should stabilize using the C-Balance but that didn't happen. When I do get the Calcium down to 450 the alkalinity always stays high.
XxKnuckleheadxX
Reef enthusiast
i would stop adding the c balance for a bit. do a good water change. how many corals do you have? if you dont have but a few i wouldnt even use the c balance. your water changes should keep the calcium and alk good. if you do water changes frequently.also what salt mix are you using?
I will try not using the C-balance and see if that will work. I have been using Instant Ocean Salt and I only have one coral, which since using the C-Balance has been doing very good. It seems that everytime I do water changes that the calcium in the tank goes up, so could it have something to do with the water that I use that is making the alkalinity and calcium stay high. Before using C-Balance I had my calcium up to 700.
XxKnuckleheadxX
Reef enthusiast
since you only have 1 coral you do not need the c balance. water changes should maintain your cal and alk. instant ocean will do fine for you. are you using ro/di water when you mix your salt? also what are you topping of with? fresh water or saltwater? and i would look into another test kit, what kit do you have? have your fish store test your water also. but stop using the c balance no need for it with just 1 coral in your tank.
I have been testing with Salifert, and having the saltwater store test it. They just keep telling me stuff to add and to also do water changes everyday until it gets correct. I have been topping it off with saltwater. I will try using the stores RO water instead of using my RO system. Thank you for the information that you have provided me.
XxKnuckleheadxX
Reef enthusiast
thats why your calcium is so high and all that. is because your topping your tank off with saltwater. the only time you ad saltwater to your tank is when a water change is needed. if you need to top your tank off because its getting low or your pump is sucking in air. you always top of with freshwater and thats fresh ro/di water. when water evaporates out of your tank its freshwater leaving your tank so thats why you top off with freshwater. but do a water change stop adding stuff. you prolly only need to do water changes 1 times a week or 1 times every two weeks. i wouldnt do it everday
Bifferwine
I am a girl
If I can be honest, it seems to me that they are selling you stuff that you absolutely don't need. You don't need to add anything special for one coral. Make sure your pH, temperature and salinity stay in the correct range, do regular water changes once a week or once every other week, and your coral will be fine. If you have been able to keep an anemone, you should be fine with a coral, as most anemones are much more difficult to keep than corals. Your regular water changes should keep your calcium within a good range, but even if it's not, one coral will not take up a lot of calcium (especially if it's a soft coral or LPS, which are not picky about calcium at all). Save yourself some money, stop buying additives, and watch your coral grow and thrive on its own.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
And yes, you should only top off evaporated water with fresh water. Have you checked your salinity? If you are topping off with saltwater, your salinity is probably elevated. When your tank water evaporates, it leaves the salt behind. So you need to replace that lost water with fresh, not salt, water. Only add saltwater to your tank when you remove saltwater, like when you do a water change.
RyanG
Reef enthusiast
If your only coral is the Zoas you mentioned in your post, they dont use much calcium if any at all, they dont have a skeleton. Listen to Biffs posts, she has lead you in the right direction. Check out the articles section at the top of the page and read up on some of the basics to keeping corals. Knowledge is key in this hobby, as you know, without it, it will cost you a lot of money and headaches.
