 That ph/kh need mag to keep calcium up
HI,
saltwater is pretty difficult at times to balance the water, to do it well you need to understand the CA/KH/MAg they must move together or you will lose calcium to a precip event you may see some snow in your tank forming on pumps rocks and returns.
This article helped me alot, you can add all the calcium you want if your KH/And ph are off it will precip, and mag acts alike abuffer to keep the event from occuring. print this articile and read it several times. I have a chemistry background and it made it crystal clear for me. A Simplified Guide to the Relationship Between Calcium, Alkalinity, Magnesium and pH by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com
Doug
most use a 2 part calium liquid for this, 
example ((C-Balance®
Two Part Balanced Ionic Supplement of Calcium and Buffer for Marine Aquariums
This two-part calcium and alkalinity maintenance system adjusts calcium, magnesium, and strontium ions to Natural Seawater ratios, and achieves a balanced ionic residual. Makes replenishment of calcium and alkalinity easy, and keeps your calcium and alkalinity in perfect harmony, assuring the optimum conditions for growing stony corals and coralline algae. Packaged in two 500 ml (16 oz) bottles and two 946 ml (32 oz) bottles or as a concentrate in two 3785ml (1 gal.) bottles.
))
mag and stortium are critical items thats why its in the buffer, when you crash all the calcium, mag are used up making the calium carbonate(snow)
I use Kalkwasser but its a bit tricky. always move water parameters very slowly, fish can take a bad PH better than a drastic shift up it can kill them out right. with kalkwasser you must also add mag and strotium so the 2 part is alot easier but a bit more expensive but you will not kill fish.and especially inverts any change in KH and my anemones will close up and start barfing up their last meal not a pretty site. my clowns freak casue they think something wrong with their buddy mister anemome..
example I had a really high KH that caused the calcium and mag to crash I went from calium 440 to 120 overnight. the culprit was a low MAG>I tried to adjust the KH and the fish all went into shock. if I would have done it more slowly and been patient I wouldn't have caused them to suffer alot of stress some died from that singe mistake, that I belive resulted in a ICK out break this took a few more . so thats why it important to understand the take it slow part. you can't hit the desired effect by drastic shift you'll over shoot your mark. and another crash can occur. Water Chemistry is critical for inverts, coral, and fish health. its a very expensive learning curve...
_________
55 GAL OP, 37 GAL SEA HORSE TANK, 5 CLARKI,
2 MARRONS,2 SERPANT STAR,1 RANDALL PISTOL,NUMEROUS HERMITS,2 SKUNKS,
4 PEPERMINT,1 ANAEMONE, SEVERAL SOFT CORALS, 2 ADULT W/C SEA HORSES,8 CHROMIS.
1 B 1 LM BLEEMY,1 WATCHMAN,1 TRUE PERCULA, 2 TANGs, 1 gold angel 1 ROYAL BEAUTY. 1 20 GAL SUMP WITH 1skimmer, 1 fluidized sand filter,
REFORGIUM, AND DSB IN MAIN AND SUMP, right handed hermits.
Last edited by djnzlab1; 06-04-2007 at 01:47 PM.
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