Alk Question:

[SpongeBob]

Very very well into my cycle... I want to start getting my calcium up but it's hanging tough at 250 (Salifert).

I just got a Salifert Alk test and it's off the scale at 5.14 meq/L (14.4 dKH). I've been dosing with Kalk for a few weeks and keeping my pH pretty steady at 8.2 (electronic meter calibrated last week).

Is the high Alk/dKH the cause of my calcium not increasing?

Also, my few snails dropped recently. Could the high Alk be the cause?

Thanks for the advice!

[slipknottin]

Your high alk is more than likely keeping your calcium levels low.

To combat that, you could either do water changes, or allow the tank to run without adding kalkwasser for maybe a week or so. The alk should drop on its own.

The high alk isnt going to be responsible for the snails demise. Were these snails recent additions? How long were they alive in the tank?

[SpongeBob]

Thanks Slip.

The snails were in there for a couple weeks and then I added 80 pounds of TBS LR. If the Alk didn't do it, it was the small cycle caused by some die off from the rock. I'll wait until I add my final 80 pounds of rock (and determine any additional cycle created) before adding any animals...

[Dale W.]

Part of your answer is in your first sentence "Very very well into my cycle".

If you are still in the cycling process and have measurable amounts of nitrites in the system,I would say that this had a great deal to do with the demise of your snails. This will also affect your calcium levels in your tank and the possible inability to get them higher as a result of the cycling.

I would wait until the cycle is over and you have added all your rock that you are going to (the bulk) and then start adjusting the calcium and KH.

[SpongeBob]

Yup, the constant additions of 80 more pounds of LR is causing me the grief. Not sure if that's better than adding the 250 all at once... I'm going very slowly... I'll slow down a bit more now.