Calcium and Ph / KH levels

[murphy]

I have been battling Calcium and Ph / KH levels in my tank and can't seem to get it right. My calcium is around 350 ppm, ph ranges from 8.1 to 8.2 depending on the time of day and KH is at 15. As far as additives, I add Kent CB A&B, Kent Essential Elements and Kent Coral-Vite.

So how do I increase my calcium and reduce my KH. All other levels are normal?


My tank specs and creatures are as follows:

50gallon running since Dec. 2001
Aqua C Remora protein skimmer w/ a Maxi Jet 1200
Rainbow Lifeguard Fluidized Bed Filter
Maxi Jet 900 for circulation
20 gallon refugium w/ Mag 3 pump for return
UV Light
60lbs LR
2 1/2 to 3" sandbed with lots of critters
2 Coral Life Lights (10,000K and a Trichromatic 6,500K)

Hermit crabs (blue legged and scarlet)
Various snails
Cleaner Shrimp
Fire Shrimp
Zebra Urchin
Fighting Conch

Feather Duster
Green Spotted Mushrooms
Green Hammer
Cabbage Leather
Clove Polyps
Xenia pulsing
Bubble tip anemone
Maroon footed anemone
2 Sebae anemones
2 Mangroves in refugium

Hippo tang 2"
2 Clown 1 1/4"
Orchid Dottiback
Flame Angel 2"

[vmasliah]

I use RO water, which causes a low pH, low KH, and low Calcium even after mixing new salt water.

1) I increase my calcium with Kent Turbo Calcium, which is Calcium Chloride and doesn't raise my KH or pH very much.

2) I increase my pH with Kent Supperbuffer-dKH which increases pH but not the KH or Calcium very much.

3) I increase my KH by adding Kent Osmo-Prep Marine Reverse Osmosis Reclaim Chemistry (long name) which contains buffering compounds, magnesium, potassium, calcium, and other minerals and doesn't raise the pH or the Calcium very much.

Through trial and error I have learned that you are dealing with three separate issues!

- Even though many additives claim to affect 2 levels, it can be very difficult to get one additive to perfectly balance two different measurements on the variety of different tanks out there. You may need to not add so much of what is giving you a high KH, and add more of something else to increase just your pH and a third thing that focuses on just your Calcium level.

I haven't tried a calcium reactor, so I don't know if that method can balance 2 or more of those three levels at one time.

Just my 2.143267 cents!

Victor

[ShirleyM]

Hi Murphy,
Read this thread:
http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/sh...ium+Alkalinity

I wrote the question, and if you'll scroll down to TDWYATT's answer, you'll find awesome help and a great lesson in chemistry that's explained in a way that is most helpful.

(And Victor's answer is great, too, but I think you'll find a lot of additional help and understanding of the chemistry with TdWyatt's answer)

Shirley