porcupine LIGHTING

[xmikebrock]

yes, of course i am testing haha

i tested it and it read 4.0

is that normal if i just started with it, idk much about the calcium


if its really low, what happens if i add the calcium 1+ times a day and test it in between, just to speed it up


can you have too much calcium in your water?

[Pufferpunk]

Yes, you can have too much. 4 doesn't sound right, you mean 400? You also need to test alkalinity.

[xmikebrock]

thank you for the link, its awesome hahah

and the 4.0 was in kH

i used a tetra test kit

so i converted the kH to ppm, and it was like 71.6


so to get to the 335 ppm in my 72 gal tank, its telling me to add another 144 teaspoons of calcium

[Pufferpunk]

You need to get your kH up to around 8. It might be easier to convert your teaspoons to tbsp or even cups. If you don't balance out your alk & Ca, you're gonna have problems.
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php

[xmikebrock]

when you say alk, you mean pH????

and how much should i put when you say tbs or cups..

directions say 1.5 tsps a day

[Pufferpunk]

its telling me to add another 144 teaspoons of calcium

I thought you needed to do that at once & figured cups would be easier than all those tsps.

Alk & pH kind of go hand in hand but are not exactly the same thing. Have you read that article & the links it offers? I wouldn't go messing with chemical dosing without understanding what they do & why you are dosing.

[xmikebrock]

ok, that does make more sense

and i will do my research on the 2, ill letcha know whats going on

[Pufferpunk]

Please do!

[xmikebrock]

got some buffer for the alkalinity haha

[xmikebrock]

i was just testing my water and my pH is at a 8.6

would the calcium ive been adding make it go up like that???

havent put any buffer in and i am going to wait until the pH drops a bit

[xmikebrock]

hold on!!!!

i got confused somewhere

my kH is at a 1.0

i am really lost in the sauce'

can you find out what the calcium level is with the kH?????


should i be worried ????



my pH went up, its at a 8.6!!-- i know thats not good

[Pufferpunk]

Unless you keep everything at normal levels, everything goes out of whack & stuff can precipitate making the tank milky white. Maybe you need to do more reading.

[xmikebrock]

oh yeah ive been reading, but i cant find anything thats helping me out =/.... this is what i got so far, tell me if im wrong:

the alkalinity in the water acts as a buffer to the pH, it makes it so it cannot get any more acidic. adding the calcium in the water lowers the alkalinity, so you have to be adding stuff to maintain a constant alkalinity so the pH doesnt fluctuate as much...

is that right? if not, what is wrong?



questions i still have:

is the calcium in the water kH (carbonated hardness)??

if not, what is the carbonated hardness anyways(kH)??

what is calcium measured in, if not kH?

[Pufferpunk]

kH is your alkalinity. Should remain around 8-10. Ca should be at ~400 (give or take...), Mag should be around 1400.

[xmikebrock]

ok, did my research!

but i did a 40% water change and the calcium is still reading a 420 ish??

any suggestions