High Calcium & Low PH !??!

My calcium tests at 640 and pH at 8.0 (in the afternoon).

Two questions:

How high is too high for calcium?
How can I raise my pH without raising calcium?


The only thing I can think of that would have caused the raised calcium level is that on thrusday while killing aiptasia a cap full of purple up got knocked into the tank. I don't use purpleup except for aiptasia killing however the reccomended dose for my tank is 1.5 capfuls. I have heard that purple up can even cause pH spikes, but in this case my pH is low.

I got some kalkwasser recently but haven't used it yet and I don't have a reactor.

Here are my parameters:

ammonia: 0
nitrites: 0
nitrates: 20
pH: 8.0
phosphate: 0
calcium: 640
dkH: 12


Thanks!

 

Hello bc, I highly doubt your Calc. is that high. Normally, if it were, it would "fall out of solution". You would get the snow globe effect. Coincidently, today when I was doing my weekly tests my Calc. read 540 and the tank is steady between 380-420. I checked again from the sample water I took out and again 540. From experience I know something could be amiss so I went and took a sample from the tank and it came up 400. Test from 2-3 different areas in the tank just to make sure. Your PH isn't all that low but buffer with baking soda at 1 teaspoon for every 20 gal. of total water volume. Mix it with pure fresh water (2-3 cups) and add slowly in sump or by a power head.

 

Okay thank you, I'm going to gets both again from a different area.

 

Sorry but I disagree unclejed..... Ca can be that high w/ o falling out of solution, precipitate depends on pH and alkalinity, it is DEFINETLY possible to have a high Ca, alk or pH and not have precipitate. Just like a scale, if one goes up, something goes down, thats why high alk and Ca tends to cause low pH. You must have all high to see precipitation. And baking soda will NOT RAISE pH!!!!! IT WILL LOWER IT!!!!!!!!! The Co2 in the sodium bicarbonate will drive the pH down UNLESS you bake it to force out the CO2 making it acceptable to add to a tank to bring up the pH. If you add baking soda it will increase your alk and DECREASE your pH.
Honestly if the levels you stated are correct I WOULD NOT do anything to any level!!!!
Good luck and be careful what you read!!

 

Funny how I never hear anyone say a thing about Magnesium.
Reef Aquarium Water Parameters

 

That is not true. I used baking soda several times in my freshwater tank to raise the pH.

 

The increased kH in freshwater equates to higher pH in Freshwater, we are talking about meerwasser here exotic fish and need to play by different rules..... You can have a kH of 500 and you can still have a "low" pH where as in fresh water the higher the kH the higher the pH.
As far as Mg, true, it should've been asked BUT you need levels under say 900 to really start effecting anything, which it typically depresses Ca first, before pH. Mg, BTW should be roughly 3.25x higher than your Ca levels to have the proper ionic balance. Seawater Mg is usually around 1200 or so.

 

natural seawater has a mg level of 1350, not 1200.

 

True, I've seen 1290 as one the most listed values or 1330

 

I have heard that you need to bake your baking soda at 300 for 1 hour. This will raise ur PH when added.