Balance alk and Calc.

you can recycle the waste water. I use it in my washer and in the yard

 

yea.. i live in washington we dont water lawns here LOL.. i still think that considering what i would spend for RO right now and rising water bill buying it is better. i just wish that my LFS sold it.

 

My water bill is 10 dollars more a month. a small cost to pay to have peace of mind.

 

[quote author=new2salt2 link=board=Water;num=1080608869;start=0#9 date=03/31/04 at 08:05:06]i was told my levels would be ok. i use LaMotte test kits is it likely they are bad?  was told very very very good things about them.  have used test kit on LFS water with 450 results and tested tap water with 100 results prior to filter.  so i am sure kit is fine.. i think problem lays with salt mix, but just ran out so ill know with next water change.
[/quote]
Lamotte is a good test kit but that does not mean it is not bad. All tests kits are 90% of the reason that tanks crash from over dosing etc...

I believe someone on the other threat you started asked if you have used another name brand test kit and compared the 2 to see what both were reading. Have you done this? If not do so.
If your LFS has tests kits there and they test the water then take your water to them and see what it reads.

Are you changing water every week? if so please back off to give the tank some time to adjust back down to normal, The only way I could see the Calcium staying at 500 to 575 would be if you changed water every 3 days or there abouts. The water does not hold the calcium so if you are NOT adding anything to the tank to keep the calcium that high(like Kalk or calcium additive) then it has to be the test kit. If not adding anything then it "HAS" to drop.

 

From the link I gave you written by Randy Holmes-Farley-
Corrections for Zone 1

Zone 1 is the easiest problem to correct.  Unfortunately, it is also very uncommon.  In this case, both calcium and alkalinity are on the high side of normal.  Moreover, if you leave the tank alone, the problem will likely correct itself, and you will end up in the red target zone (though you may also pass through it into zone 2 if you wait too long).
Figure 2.  A graph showing how to correct values within zone 1 by allowing calcium carbonate to be deposited in the tank (the blue arrow).

What this zone implies is that both calcium and alkalinity are elevated, and that by removing calcium carbonate from the water, either through biotic deposition into coral skeletons or coralline algae, or through abiotic precipitation, as on heaters, the levels of each will drop in an appropriate ratio.  More specifically, the tank parameters will move along a line parallel to the two lines bordering this zone, and directly into the red target zone (the blue arrow in Figure 2).  If you are smack in the middle between these two lines, as in Figure 2, then you will continue to move in the middle of these two lines down into the target zone.

This movement can continue right out the bottom end of the target zone (into zone 2), of course, so once you reach the target zone, you’ll have to reinitiate normal calcium and alkalinity additions.

 

Please post your day to day routine for me. Exactly what you add and why you add it. when you do water changes, what corals do you have, Size of tank and equipment you use.
What is your pH reading also.
and your daily test readings

 

well you are right i have been doing water changes very frequent.. but it is becasue my nitrates go up and i thought it is needed to keep at 0. Also i thought that the water holds calc. Well i think you just solved my problem then.

as far as testing with other tests. i have not because i tested other water with correct results. My LFS does not test water at all except for nitrates and amonia. i looked and only test they dont have is for calc. so i am screwed there too. LOL.. i will just not touch my tank then for a week.

 

well if you got the time to read it all . here goes.

equipment. i have a waterfall type filter . whisper i think is brand rate for 50-100 gals.
35-40lbs live rock. crushed coral substrate. 3 powerheads and a Red Sea Prisim Skimmer rated for up to 90Gal. Skimmer acted up for a while but seems to be back on track althogh it does not use much water. i also have a 48" PC light with 2 65W 50/50 bulbs. my tank is 50 Gal.

first no test for anything bought polyps and put in tank. bought Strontium, Iodine and Calc supplements from store. Owner told me to follow directions on bottle should be ok. He said he does not even test for calc and just doses according to bottles i bought.

next day no polyps opened. 2 days later ...dead. had dosed as mentioned on botttles. i think it was 5 ML cal every 3 days and stront every other day and iodine every 3 days. i continued to do this dosing 1 week after all coral were gone.

did 5 gal water change at 1.023 SG. 0 amonia, 0 nitrate. 0 trite. bought LaMotte test kit (showed up a week later) that puts about 3 weeks since i bought coral. i had stopped dosing iodine and stront and calc. in week 2.

tested alk with 5PPM (still there today) tested Calc with 575 first test and approx. 600 PPM second test.

did water change that night. so far water changes had been every 3-4 days since coral died with 5 Gal each change.

before all this coral stuff i did water changes at 5gal every month at 1.023SG. rarely ever tested trate, trite or amonia.

4 days later another 5gal water change and calc test still at 575PPM.

4 more days another water change 5Gal.

2 more days bought a single brown polyp. big and health. it lasted 4 days on day 3 it didnt open and day 4 gone from rock and could not find it. so i did a trate test with .10 results and .10 amonia. 5 gal water change was done. then tested calc with 575PPM and Alk at 5PPM.

7 days later bought mroe polyps to test water and they still there after 3 days, but have not opened yet. tested water today and have 600PPM calc and 5PPM alk.

i do have corline alge growing good on rocks. as well as other hitchickers. fish are doing great.

normal routine is test for alk, calc and trate daily. i change water if trate shows up on test. since i have been trying coral i have dont much more water changes than before tho. I thought like salt, the calc does not disipate from water over time and only way to bring it down was water changes or coral.

i have checked PH at 8.2 and water temperateure at 80-92 degrees.

 

I believe we are on the right track now. So do not do anything to the tank not even a water change till I or one of the other grand reefers here tell ya too.
Add mix saltwater to the top off system is a no no and doing water changes every 3 to 5 days would keep your tank calcium high like yours.

So lets keep doing daily cal alk and pH testing and see where we end up here.
Don't worry to much and we will concur this issue once and for all.

 

An update please