Jimbo662 Posted October 14, 2012 Share Posted October 14, 2012 I was doing some testing today on the new tank. All the standard readings are 0. Today was the first time I'd tested calcium and KH. The calcium came up over 500. 26 drops = 520...mine was at 32. I tested twice. With my 28 gal it was always around 440-460. I have started using a different salt too. Could that be the cause? The KH was 11degrees and I don't have the drops for GH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 What test kit are you using? I've seen high levels sometimes with a new system or system without any stoney corals but you should verify your kit is good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluffybeast Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 Are there any detrimental effects to high calcium? Would that not just be extra head room for coral growth? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 Eventually it will come out of solution and start precipitating calcium "snow" in the tank. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 It can also build up on pumps and in plumping but that would be a ways down the road. High calcium can cause screwy problems with some of the buffering components but as long as you keep an eye on pH and alkalinity and they are acceptable it will most likely come down on it's own. I'm happpy with 380-420 mg/l (I've seen tanks stay around 300-320 and not have problems but I don't reccommend it). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo662 Posted October 15, 2012 Author Share Posted October 15, 2012 I'm using the API tests. Bought them in the March / April time frame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 (edited) I would double check with a better quality kit like a salifert or a hanna. You're probably in the ballpark, but API tests tend to be touch and go. The Ca is one of the better API tests. The NO3 and PO4 and some of the others are essentially unusable. 500 is probably not the end of the world, but you may end up getting calcium scale on your hard surfaces. It's not impossible to remove but will definitely impede flow through tubes and pumps if enough it is allowed to build up. Edited October 15, 2012 by jestep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerrickH Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 Throw in a clam and some sps, they will lower it for ya lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBMarlin Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 I think your API kit is probably accurate if you are following the instructions correctly. I use ELOS for calcium which I like a lot, bit more precise than API. Stay away from the Hanna Calcium checker. -brett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 Stay away from the Hanna Calcium checker. -brett I though the Hanna one was pretty good. Maybe that was just the PO4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBMarlin Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 Ya prolly. I've got CA, P04 and ALK. The latter two are really great, CA not so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo662 Posted October 16, 2012 Author Share Posted October 16, 2012 I'd picked up a sailfin tang and hammer yesterday. The sailfin is doing great. running all over the tank exploring, coming up to the glass when i get near and when he's not gobbling up brine he's picking at some algea. When i got home the hammer looks horrible. each head looks like it's got a white goo over each. I can see a tiny bit of it. My camera battery is dead so i'm waiting for it to get charged so i can get a pick. Could the high calcium be causing that? my little clove colony seems to be doing fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scutterborn Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 I doubt the calcium had anything to do with it. It may have been hurt during transport. - Ben - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 (edited) Give it time. The slime is normally a reaction to major stress or parameter changes. Was there a large salinity change from one tank to the other and/or did you do a drip acclimation? Assuming there isn't anything in the tank that's going to physically harm it, I would bet it recovers in the next week. If the slime is lose, it may not be a bad idea to lightly blast the slime off with a turkey baster, but don't go too crazy as you don't want to break off any tissue. Mine recover quicker if I remove the slime around the tissue. Otherwise it should get flushed away on its own. Edited October 16, 2012 by jestep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo662 Posted October 16, 2012 Author Share Posted October 16, 2012 there may have been a salinity change...i noticed the bag wanted to float up rather than settle down to the same water level if that makes sense. I dripped for about an hour and a half. I've had my two clowns in the tank for over two weeks and both are very active and eat like pigs. I'd moved my little polyps into the tank about a week ago and they didn't have a negative reaction...they were back open within a couple of hours. i'll try the baster trick. I ordered several of the salifert test kits last night. i'll test again as soon as they arrive. I'd love to add a clam but read that the tank needs to be established for like 6 mths or so...I just added the first fish 2 1/2 weeks ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo662 Posted October 16, 2012 Author Share Posted October 16, 2012 (edited) well...I just got home to check on things. the slime stuff is gone off the hammer...all you can see are the white spiny ridges and no sign of the hammer at all other than some tiny shredded pieces hanging from the side. I've not seen anything at all climbing on it. I've got two clowns, a sailfin tang and the usual CUC. What could be so wrong with the water that could cause something like this? Edited October 16, 2012 by Jimbo662 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 (edited) I would definitely take a step back right now and let the tank settle out before adding anything further. What are you using to measure salinity and have you had a LFS or other reefkeeper check you water params? Edited October 16, 2012 by jestep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo662 Posted October 16, 2012 Author Share Posted October 16, 2012 I've got a refractometer. I'm planning to take a sample into aquatek on Thurs afternoon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+etannert Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Sorry if you said this above, but what kind of lights do you have? I've cooked some LPS on accident myself. That hammer's gone, I'd say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo662 Posted October 17, 2012 Author Share Posted October 17, 2012 I've got the AI Vega's and I put them on the acclimationsetting at 60% intensity...the original intensisty was around 50% so it wasn't bright in the tank at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+etannert Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Maybe not bright, but very intense. If the hammer was under different lighting in its previous tank, you probably cooked it. Corals have to be light-acclimated as well as acclimated to other elements, and LED's are deceptive in their intensity - they may not look very bright to the eye, but they put out a lot more PAR. I run MH, so I can't give you good advice on how low to dial down your lights, but I've read enough to know that 50-60% is fairly high for lower-light corals such as euphyllias. (Again, this depends partially on what type of lighting it was under in the tank before yours.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo662 Posted October 17, 2012 Author Share Posted October 17, 2012 thanks for that info. i got it at aquadome from the tanks that are about 8" deep...not sure what kind of lighting they have...when i was setting mine i based it on thinking mine were dimmer than the tank it came from...your explanation makes perfect sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo662 Posted October 18, 2012 Author Share Posted October 18, 2012 Well, I found out today what the problem is. The new refractometer I bought last month is a piece of crap!!!! I calibrated it with RO/DI water as soon as I got it. Last night I lost a cardinal that I'd bought on Sunday. I took a water sample into the store this afternoon only to discover my salinity is 1.044!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As soon as I got home I dug my broken refractometer out of the drawer I had thrown it in and guess what????????? It measured the same thing. I even double checked the that the new one was calibrated correctly and retested and got a reading of 1.024. Thank goodness today was the last day to return it...I'll stick with the broken one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 Holy **** ! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 (edited) I was leaning towards a salinity problem by your description. Only time I've seen coral completely melt like that was when I had 2 broken hydrometers when I was just starting out and my Sg was up at 1.038. Literally liquefied a frogspawn and a few other corals even after a 1 hour drip acclimation. That really sucks but it's good that you now know the problem. Edited October 18, 2012 by jestep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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