Cal level at 500ppm! Is it too high??

[sunny03]

but mine is Calcium carbonate it stated on the bottle

nvm tmr do test again see did the Ca drop or the Kh rise if not have to go buy buffer liao

[Tanzy]

If it says calcium carbonate then you have been cheated. Calcium carbonate won't dissolve. If it did, then all your coral chip/sand substrate will be gone.

[RockyBoy]

I would like to suggest further reading by some experts at this site. Calcium/carbonate best describe in the 'Marble Analogy'

Understading Calcium and Alkalinity

Cheers

[ben]

sorry tanzy but have to point out that calcium carbonate will disolve too. saw in many freshwater sites used it to raise GH. but it will make your GH higher. only slight increase in KH if used alot. Furthermore it will increase calcium level and other impurities too. So why use Calcium carbonate? In marines only needed sodium bicarbonate and calcium to make over for AK/pH and CA

[Joe_P]

sorry tanzy but have to point out that calcium carbonate will disolve too. saw in many freshwater sites used it to raise GH. but it will make your GH higher. only slight increase in KH if used alot. Furthermore it will increase calcium level and other impurities too. So why use Calcium carbonate? In marines only needed sodium bicarbonate and calcium to make over for AK/pH and CA

FW water normally have pH in the range of 6-7 ...

thats the kind of pH that could dissolve CaCO3 right.... (someone pls verify)

Calcium Carbonate would have difficulty dissovling in higher pH...

and you might like to check on the product again..... there are items from "certain places" which have instructions or labels that are weird simply because of poor understanding of the English language....

[Tanzy]

sorry tanzy but have to point out that calcium carbonate will disolve too. saw in many freshwater sites used it to raise GH. but it will make your GH higher. only slight increase in KH if used alot. Furthermore it will increase calcium level and other impurities too. So why use Calcium carbonate? In marines only needed sodium bicarbonate and calcium to make over for AK/pH and CA

It won't dissolve at seawater pH. Freshwater has a lower pH.

For calcium carbonate to dissolve to a significant extent, pH will be less than 6, for example in the calcium reactor with water enriched with CO2. The calcium carbonate in there dissolves to raise the pH to about 6.5 or so.

I don't get it about your GH and KH. If you are using only carbonates (any carbonates that can dissolve) in the water, GH and KH should rise identically after the addition of the carbonate because GH is total alkalinity and KH is carbonate alkalinity. I'll be surprised if after adding carbonates the total alkalinity rises more than carbonate alkalinity.

[sunny03]

If it says calcium carbonate then you have been cheated. Calcium carbonate won't dissolve. If it did, then all your coral chip/sand substrate will be gone.

that wat me friend said some of it is not soluable in water wat we wan is the soloution

[Tanzy]

that wat me friend said some of it is not soluable in water wat we wan is the soloution

I think your friedn is referring to calcium hydroxide.

[sunny03]

yap i said calcium hydroxide in the begining den someone change the topic to carbonate