High cal Levels

imdaring

love my reef
I have done so many water changes and the most it will drop to is 520 I can't get it any lower??? I tested today and it's back up to 600 everything else is fine
KH 161.1
ph 8.2
nitrate 0
nitrite 0
amonia 0
I have try'd other tests and they come up the same is this like way to high or is it OK? I don't dose anything at all the only thing I do is feed Zooplex
any advise?
 
Have you tested for phosphates or do you have a phos reactor?
I was reading that high phosphates can cause a calcium spike.
 
What brand salt are you using? if you are having problems with high ca, switch to a lower ca salt like Instant Ocean.
 
But shouldn't there be something that is causing the high calcium?
Switching to a salt with low calcium levels could just be masking a real problem, no?
 
my salt brand is reef salt by seacham, I had been using reef crystals and that all my levels off the chart? had a bad batch
 
Right there is where your high calcium is coming from.
I've just switched to the SeaChem Reef Salt myself.Right out of the bucket,it tested at 520 calcium using Salifert kit.
Do you have anything in the tank to use the calcium up?Hows your coralline algae growing?
 
But shouldn't there be something that is causing the high calcium?
Switching to a salt with low calcium levels could just be masking a real problem, no?
Absolutely. Something is adding calcium to the system, whether it be salt, additives or even tap water.

Switching to a lower ca salt will....well, lower the ca levels. If your tank is running at 500ppm calcium and you do a 20% water change with water that's 400ppm, it will drop your ca to 480. Then, if your ca is now 480 and you do another 20% change with 400ppm water, it will drop to 464ppm. It won't mask anything, only lower the levels. It's just simple math. :)

Here's a good guide from RC to the general chemistry levels in different brands of salt.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1287118
As you can see from the chart, Seachem runs at about 540ppm calcium out of the box....as Yote had mentioned.
 
You need to let us know what the dkh and calcium levels are in your makeup water, what they are in your ro/water or makeup water before adding salt, and provide us with a list of everything that goes into your system. also are you using any special filtration, water/chemical additives, etc. simply we need to know what you are putting into the system, how long the problem has been going on, and what you did the prior 10 days to the problem being identified. let us know and will try and help.
 
I'll test some fresh Ro in the morning and I use nothing in my tank for additives and no special filteration, I've had this high cal problem for a long time
 
Stonie corals us it,snails,coralline algae.
We already know that using a high calcium salt.So if theres nothing but some snails in the tank to use calcium,the levels arent going to fall.
 
Yep.All you've got to do is switch to Instant Ocean.Every time you do a water change,your calcium will drop.Untill it gets to the calcium in the instant ocean.
 
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