getting Ca up on my tank...

[puntific]

Ok.... first some numbers.

 

Current tank: Ca: 335, Alk: 10 dKh

 

Effluent of my Ca reactor: Ca: 550-600, Alk: off the charts...

 

To get my Ca over 400, would you increase the flow from the Ca reactor or just add CaCL2? My Ca reactor is controlled with my Aqua C Jr and pH meter keeping the pH at about 6.6.

 

Thanks,

 

puntific

[Kshack]

If your DKH is 10, I would adjust the CA with additives. For every increase of 1 DKH, your CA will go up about 25, so to get to 400 your DKH would be 13-14.

[Emerald525]

Where's your mg level at? We were having the same problem until we started bumping up the mg level.

[puntific]

Well, it has slipped down to 1185.

[reefnjunkie]

Agree on adding Calcium buffer to get it in "balance"

Once it is in balance with your KH you should be fine since you use a controller.

My controller I "had" set to open my solenoid at 6.6 and shut it at 6.5-I have a probe holder so it is reading my effluent and not the display (obviously).

Since I am adding the Kalk reactor, I have to increase those values since the KR adds both Alk, and Ca-plus the pH is 12.5-LOL

 

You don't need to fine tune the reactor like the days when you did not have a controller but you still want the effluent around 6.5- For me to get there my numbers were about 2-2.5 liters of effluent per hour and 25-30 bubbles per minute-

Sorry Scott you will need to do the conversions down to "x" bubbles per 10 seconds and "x" ml per minute-at least that's how I did it.

 

Shoot me a PM if needed with your number if needed, I am happy to discuss it.

Good luck.

 

If you need some Mag chloride to boost the MG LMK, I got some you can get-you will need your SG around 1.024-1.025 though.

[puntific]

I use Epsom salts for Mg.. and I don't think its a buffer you add to get the Ca up, it's just CaCL2, isn't it?

 

Scott

[Michael7979]

I have also found that CA is tough to keep up/stable if Mg is low.

[reefnjunkie]

I use Epsom salts for Mg.. and I don't think its a buffer you add to get the Ca up, it's just CaCL2, isn't it?

 

Scott

 

UH dunno-I used to use Seachems Calcium buffer, still have over half a bottle-to lazy to read the bottle for the chemical composition, and I dont use the Epsom unless my feet hurt-just kidding, I bought "bulk container" of Mag chloride form BRS-I thought it was "safer"

[undrtkr_00]

Epsom salts should be fine unless you are adding a lot over time. Too much can lead to an OD of sulfates. But, too much mag chloride can possibly lead to having too much chlorides, too, if used in excess (esp in conjunction with another chloride like calcium), but I believe it takes much more. If you're adding a lot of mag on a regular basis, blending the two can be a good compromise, and epsom salts (mag sulfate) are quite a bit cheaper and easier to come by than mag chloride.

 

Yeah, calcium chloride is a good way to do a one time boost to your calcium levels - and it doesn't take much! But, like others are saying, get your mag up first or it may just drop down again on you.

[andy]

Epsom salts should be fine unless you are adding a lot over time.

 

Yeah, true story. I stopped using epsom salts when I got a nasty cyano breakout after a particularly large bump. Now, I just use magnesium chloride.