How Do You Guys Manage It........

[bitfishy]

within a day or two of a water change my tanks calcium level usually falls to 350 - this is not enough to keep my torch healthy and I've lost another head - that's two gone in a year. I add rowakalk as per the instructions (pin in a bag method) but this seems to lower my PH (8.1 ish) which I assume is what is upsetting a once, very lovely, Xenia. All other parameters are good - bit of phosphate and nitrate (but below 0.05 and 20 respectively). all the other corals are doing well, leathers, polyps, pussy, Xmas tree etc are growinf/reproducing - but I have an ogoing battle with the PH/ calcium balance, which frankly I just don't understand. My alkalinity reading obviously swings too.

I've only had the tank a year so I know I'm still learning, but I just can't shake the feeling that I'm making a basic error somewhere. I love my tank and all the life in it, but every day for the last eight months or so I have to watch the Xenia and torch struggle to survive. I have had a number of problems with the tank, phospates, algae, cyno etc etc but these have all gone now and apart from the above I think things are settling down pretty well.

So, could anyone please explain how you manage to keep both levels correct - the more I read the more confused I get. I have a 50 gal tank, good quality skimmer & live rock for filtration.

Thank you!

 

[Mrs jflowers]

We found that any phosphate at all caused our tank problems and bought a phosphate reactor - our phosphate is now 0 which has improved our water quality considerably. We mix our own RO water using reef salt which mixes magnesium and calcium to perfect quantities and do a weekly 15% water change. We do add extra magnesium and calcium each week to replace what is taken out by the corals etc. Nitrate at 20 ppm still seems quite high, ours reads 0.02 at the moment (it used to read around 20 which gave us algae problems). We combatted this by removing the sponges from the weir that takes the water to the sump in tap water to kill any nitrate producing bacteria. As for pH - we used a pH buffer, you add a bit each day and it raises your pH to 8.4 but not above. We now test pH weekly and add buffer if it starts getting low but the reef salt seems to be keeping it in check.

That's a lot of waffle - I hope it makes sense and helps a little

Sheena

 

[BigC]

Have you tried
Two Little Fishies C-Balance
Google for instructions on its usage.
Regards
BigC

 

[johnnyjtaylor]

within a day or two of a water change my tanks calcium level usually falls to 350 - this is not enough to keep my torch healthy and I've lost another head - that's two gone in a year. I add rowakalk as per the instructions (pin in a bag method) but this seems to lower my PH (8.1 ish) which I assume is what is upsetting a once, very lovely, Xenia. All other parameters are good - bit of phosphate and nitrate (but below 0.05 and 20 respectively). all the other corals are doing well, leathers, polyps, pussy, Xmas tree etc are growinf/reproducing - but I have an ogoing battle with the PH/ calcium balance, which frankly I just don't understand. My alkalinity reading obviously swings too.

I've only had the tank a year so I know I'm still learning, but I just can't shake the feeling that I'm making a basic error somewhere. I love my tank and all the life in it, but every day for the last eight months or so I have to watch the Xenia and torch struggle to survive. I have had a number of problems with the tank, phospates, algae, cyno etc etc but these have all gone now and apart from the above I think things are settling down pretty well.

So, could anyone please explain how you manage to keep both levels correct - the more I read the more confused I get. I have a 50 gal tank, good quality skimmer & live rock for filtration.

Thank you!

I had a similar problem to you and the cause was low magnesium. If your mg level is low you haven't a chance of keeping ca/alk/ph stable as the calcium reacts with the bicarbonate(alk) to form calcium carbonate which then settles out of the water,the mg stops/slows this reaction and keeps the calcium and carbonate in the water for your corals.
see this article it makes more sense than I do

I keep my magnesium at about 1300 ppm and drip 2litres of kalkwasser into my tank overnight(180l tank) which keeps my calcium at around 400~450ppm,my alk around 8dKh and ph about 8.4. Since doing this my LPS have never looked happier and grow quite rapidly.

Hope that helps,
johnny

 

[SkiFletch]

Yup, seawater chemistry as it relates to hard coral health is more complicated than just calcium. You need to have calcium, alkalinity, magnesium, and phosphate in-order for things to go well.

 

[bitfishy]

OK, thank you all for your input here. I have never tackled a possible magnesium deficit, so will get a test kit - seems likely that that may be part of the problem. I take your points regarding the phosphate, but that seems to be a waiting game - something caused my tank to have very high levels a while back, which is slowly being brought down with rowaphos, but its taken months. The nitrate is a recent thing and totally my own fault - I started getting a little slack with the water changes, but I've learnt my lesson there and am doing 40% changes now to bring it down. Fingers crossed from what you all say, if I can bring the phosphate and nitrate down further, check out the magnesium and add a buffer more often than I do- then I might be on the way to a healthy tank. I do feel reassured that I'm concentrating on the right areas - so thank you. I do like the sound of the c-balance though - promises to sort my problems out in one clean swoop but, like all things, the easiest road... etc etc

Thank heavens dogs are easier to keep or I'd be up for a nervous breakdown..................

 

[kj23502]

Thank heavens dogs are easier to keep or I'd be up for a nervous breakdown..................

You're lucky then...my dog's just as needy and whiny as my 3 kids..lol.

Good Luck w/sorting out the mineral levels I haven't yet switched my tank to the salty side but I enjoy reading about it