Good calcium test kit.

[Hiker4twenty]

I tested my calcium last night with my Red Sea kit and it said 350ppm, which is low. I don't really like that test kit because the end color result is never what its supposed to look like. Its supposed to turn yellow when you've reached the actual calcium level, but it is always orange for me so I hate the kit. I can't imagine my calcium being that low 2 days after a water change and I dose calcium daily. Any suggestions on a better kit to use that can give a more accurate reading?

All my sps corals are growing, my acans are growing, snails have new shell growth, clam has new shell growth. So I can't imagine my calcium being that low, but who knows.

My alk levels are perfect at 9dkh. Would I still have low calcium with a good dkh?

 

[Brian_G]

If you dose cal everyday you could have precipitated if you added too much.

 

[ccCapt]

I like Salifert the best, but I've used API and they are OK and it's easy to tell when you hit the end color. The bad part is it only measures in increments of 20 ppm.

 

[steelcity]

Like capt, I use Salifert. Easy to use, accurate, and I prefer them over ELOS. Also your alk at 9dkh may not be perfect for somethings. It's in the general range of being acceptable but somethings like a higher alk. I've found out that my one piece of orange cap prefers 10dkh. If the level was lower, the color would start to fade out.

 

[Hiker4twenty]

Like capt, I use Salifert. Easy to use, accurate, and I prefer them over ELOS. Also your alk at 9dkh may not be perfect for somethings. It's in the general range of being acceptable but somethings like a higher alk. I've found out that my one piece of orange cap prefers 10dkh. If the level was lower, the color would start to fade out.

Well so far no issues with my alk being at 9. I did have it higher and my sps started to die. Since its consistantly been at 9 for the past month they have never looked better and have started to grow more. So I guess that's what's good for my particular system.

 

[yote]

I use API for a quick check.But if it dont show what I think it should,then I'll grab my salifert kit and double check it.

 

[ccCapt]

Well so far no issues with my alk being at 9. I did have it higher and my sps started to die. Since its consistantly been at 9 for the past month they have never looked better and have started to grow more. So I guess that's what's good for my particular system.

Same here. 9 dKH is my sweet spot. I tried it higher and it had some undesirable affects.

 

[reeffreak]

I had the same issue with the Red Sea kit like you did.

I use the Salifert but unlike Steelcity,I like the ELOS too.

 

[d2mini]

On the API kit, the instructions say to stop when the color turns blue, but the ink on the instructions with the colored box looks purple. Which is correct?

 

[yote]

On the API kit, the instructions say to stop when the color turns blue, but the ink on the instructions with the colored box looks purple. Which is correct?

Blue.

 

[sen5241b]

I use API and the measurement is fine for me. I just do not need that much accuracy.

 

[Hiker4twenty]

Well I tested when I got home yesterday and it was still 350. I used the reef chermisty calculator to see how much I need to add to bring it back to 450. I added 1/2 the dose last night and tested this morning and it was 400. I'll add the 2nd 1/2 of the dose after work and I should be good to go. Thanks for all your advise on different kits.

 

[ccCapt]

Any reason in particular you are going all the way up to 450?
Don't want to get nit-picky, but since you are in the process of making adjustments and you like your alk around 9 dKH, a balanced calcium level is around 425. A balanced alk level for 450 ca is around 12.6 dKH. As long as you keep both in "range" your ok, but since you are making adjustements....
Calcium and Alkalinity by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

 

[Hiker4twenty]

Any reason in particular you are going all the way up to 450?
Don't want to get nit-picky, but since you are in the process of making adjustments and you like your alk around 9 dKH, a balanced calcium level is around 425. A balanced alk level for 450 ca is around 12.6 dKH. As long as you keep both in "range" your ok, but since you are making adjustements....
Calcium and Alkalinity by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

The reason I was going to take it up to 450 is because I thought that was the optimal level to be at. I'd be fine with only raising it to 425. I'm still learing on how alk and calcium relate to each other. Thanks for the tip and the heads up!

 

[Toby Williams]

I will try to explain Ca-Alk-Mg the best I can. I'm not a chemistry major nor do I claim to be a "reef" expert. I just like to help when I can. However, I do a ton of reading on reef chemistry. So here it goes in laments terms.
With Calcium and Alkilinity one is a (+ pos) and one is a (- neg) ion. Magnesium is needed to keep them from attaching to one another. As they are useless if this happens. Also without an even number they are useless and you'll usually get a white film on the glass of the sump from the calcium when the 3 are out of sync. As this is Calcium precipitation. I run Ca @ 420-430 Mag@1350 and a DKH of 9. I've found these numbers to support one another. Hope this helps. Again I'm no expert.