Reef Chemistry: Calcium Level Testing

Рет қаралды 28,720

7 жыл бұрын

Salifert Calcium Test Kit (Amazon Affiliate) - amzn.to/2VoXa8q
Calcium, along with Alkalinity, and Magnesium are three major chemical parameters that are integral to stony corals growth. You will find that these three are linked as rises and falls of one affect the other, sometimes in an inverse relationship. This video is going to focus on Calcium.
Music:
Tracks: “Finding the Balance”
Artist: Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
License Terms:
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
Video:
Camera information:
Canon C100
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS macro
Canon EF MP-E 65mm f/2.8 macro
Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4-4.5 STM IS
Sigma Art 18-35mm f/1.8
Sony Underwater Action Cam
Copyright Information:
This video was shot and edited by Tidal Gardens. Tidal Gardens owns all intellectual property rights to this content.

Пікірлер: 47

@951000jerome 7 жыл бұрын

I'm on a tidal gardens binge and I should be studying

@Leigh33 7 жыл бұрын

Nothing like a bit of reassurance from a pro that you've been testing correctly... Thank you Than

@tidalgardens 7 жыл бұрын

Testing at all puts you ahead of the game.

@ScottM 7 жыл бұрын

Love the series and a very important one for anyone in the hobby. Thank you

@RookieReefer 7 жыл бұрын

Your videos are the best information out there, so easy to watch and your voice Than.. It's like a kiss for an angel haha..You are the reason i'm in the hobby and no doubt many other people so you should feel proud. Great video, but that goes without saying. Keep it up, get excited every time i see a new tidal gardens video!

@addictivereefkeeping 7 жыл бұрын

Great video Than!

@rainingmackenzie 7 жыл бұрын

Another SUperbbbbbbbb Video Mr T ! Thank you

@canvoodoo 7 жыл бұрын

looking forward to next part thanks.

@readallen 7 жыл бұрын

great video, already watched it twice.

@Forgetii 7 жыл бұрын

Excellent video, as always. By any chance will you take this series further into testing for trace elements and your conclusions? It's great you are covering basic tank parameters but I feel there is not enough information out there regarding the next step in testing. I trust your judgement on these matters and feel you are an excellent source for helping many of us to understand the complexities of Trace Element Testing. Thanks again.

@tidalgardens 7 жыл бұрын

I hope to cover all the bases at some point.

@4SunnyinMiami2 3 жыл бұрын

Thankyou for showing how to use the calcium kit. I was doing it wrong and was drawing the liquid up to the 1 mark instead of the stopper.

@aquatechlab2270 6 жыл бұрын

thank you for this video. what i want to ask is about calcium. i want to buy it at a chemical store not in reef shop. but there sell it in two types. calcium carbonate analyst / calcium carbonate technical. we should use which one for our aquarium? because now i'm doing cycling in home. i need your answer. is it dangerous or not if we buy it in chemical store? thank you.

@DJ_LittlePea 7 жыл бұрын

Very informative indeed 🤗🤗

@duckslinger999 7 жыл бұрын

3:33 4. Put the plastic tip firmly on the 1 ml syringe. And draw into the syringe the Ca-3 reagent (ensure that the end of the plastic tip is constantly submersed in the Ca-3 reagent) till the lower end of the black part of the pistion is exactly at the 1.00 ml mark. There will be air present just below the piston. This is the air which was present between the end of the plactic tip and the piston. This will not influence the test result. Good show of that Than Man.

@golbs7542 7 жыл бұрын

YAY! First to comment, good info as always for begginers and advanced reefers to remember.

@masacardenas 7 жыл бұрын

great vid. can't wait to see an update on the cheap t5s.

@tidalgardens 7 жыл бұрын

Still doing great!

@franklinmichael671 7 жыл бұрын

1:50 what lens do you use for those shots?

@Th3ChAdOfLengend Жыл бұрын

So I did some testing on my Pico tank that I'm setting up for a coral reef and I've got magnesium and calcium levels that are reading at 640ppm cal and 1,360ppm mg .. I tested my parts of hydrogen and I'm reading at an 8.0-8.1, I'm not experiencing any snowing effect. My question, is there any reason why I shouldn't continue would there be any detriment in those high of levels and any corals ability to thrive? And if so how would I go about lowering my calcium and magnesium levels other than cycling with reverse osmosis treated water? Thank you for your videos man they're extremely informative.

@canvoodoo 7 жыл бұрын

I wonder if you can help me my KH is at 8.5 where I would like to keep it. However my calcium is low at 330. I dose using reeflowers products for KH calcium and Mag which is at 1350 by the way. What is the best way to increase calcium with increasing KH.

@theamjadjamousable 3 жыл бұрын

Is it ok to keep a reef tank at around 500 calcium ? If not , what are the risks ?

@Gyatt660 7 жыл бұрын

I'm currently using the API reef kit. What is your opinion on it?

@t.regnerus301 7 жыл бұрын

nashdaking Good for a fish only system and for cycling a new setup. If you're serious about coral then I'd use Saliferts, Red Sea, or Hannah Checkers.

@tidalgardens 7 жыл бұрын

I have not used one before, sorry.

@Gangstalicious411 5 жыл бұрын

Have the tests changed since this video was made? For my test kit, Ca-2 says 10 drops, not 8, as you said.

@tidalgardens 5 жыл бұрын

It is possible. Test kits get reformulated occasionally.

@Gangstalicious411 5 жыл бұрын

@@tidalgardens Thanks for the reply, Than! You're the best. Makes total sense.

@hmg8915 7 жыл бұрын

You should not draw twice.. the cap on the syringe roughly equals two mills so when you draw back and fill it should come to 8mill. if you draw twice your adding to much because your syring cap is full now.. try it with out the cap and see the difference...

@jnava121 6 жыл бұрын

Roughly 2ML is not 2ML

@dakoata121212 5 жыл бұрын

I have a question. My pH is low at 7.2. Alkalinity is at 11 and Calcium at 520. I’m new to the hobby. What should I do to raise my pH? Are my alkalinity and calcium okay to be that high? Thank you.

@AquaSplendor 4 жыл бұрын

Hi Dakoata, i would recommand to lower your alk/cal, get something around 9/430, it's closer to Ocean parameter. but by that time you probably solve this problem :)

@t.regnerus301 7 жыл бұрын

You never get rid of that air bubble in any of Saliferts test kits. You're testing inaccurately. This goes for the water sample syringe and the reagent syringe. Also, while adding the reagent hold the curvette over a white sheet of paper and look down from above. Use indirect sunlight for correct color rendition. You'll see the color change more easily and accurately. This also allows for consistent repeatability in your testing. Than, your test was still slightly pink. Your calcium is higher than you think.

@tlasmuiraqua5049 7 жыл бұрын

Ted R. I was thinking the same thing but now im thinking it shouldnt matter if you get rid of the air or not as long as the end of the black tip is on the 1 ml mark. Im gonna have to test this out tomorrow

@9StickNate 7 жыл бұрын

I really like the Red Sea Calcium kits. I've had horribly inaccurate results with Hana's Calcium kit.

@HannaInc 7 жыл бұрын

HI Nate, We apologize for any inaccurate readings you may have experienced. We upgraded our calcium checker to include a mechanical volumetric pipette. Our HI758 Calcium Checker uses a 100 to 1 dilution to analyze calcium. It is important to make sure you are using the new HI731339P volumetric pipette to administer saltwater sample to the cuvette. Any increased or decreased sample size will result in inaccurate readings. hannainst.com/graduated-pipette-100-l-hi731339p.html In addition, it is best to use a lab grade reverse osmosis/deionized water with near zero total dissolved solids when zeroing the Checker at C1 phase. Calcium can be found in many freshwater sources and any amount present in the original freshwater used can lead to inaccurate readings. Also visit our blog to make sure you are following our 8 checker best practices blog.hannainst.com/checker-best-practices such as indexing the cuvette in the same position every time, removing any air bubbles, finger prints or smudges and using separate pipettes/syringes for freshwater and saltwater. You can also purchase a calibration kit for your Calcium Checker to make sure the device is not producing readings outside of our standards.hannainst.com/hi758-11-marine-calcium-checker-calibration-set.html Hope this helps and is you have any questions please email sales@hannainst.com.

@andrewhales9771 7 жыл бұрын

COol. Great to know that the new kit comes with the new pipette. I might try it out.

@HannaInc 7 жыл бұрын

It was a concern from many that the extremely small sample would cause inaccurate readings. Using DI water, keeping clean cuvettes, and now with this new pipette, testing is much more pleasant. You can check more about the Checker here. hannainst.com/hi758-calcium.html

@Ruffles206 7 жыл бұрын

9StickNate me to I use Red Sea calcium test kit to! I use Hanna dkh test kit that one is better then Red Sea alkalinity that's my thoughts good luck guys

@arnodepotter5030 Жыл бұрын

What's the beautiful yellow coral in the thumbnail??? :D Greetings from Belgium!

@tidalgardens Жыл бұрын

Lace coral I think. Super challenging.

@arnodepotter5030 Жыл бұрын

@@tidalgardens Thanks so much for the reply! I'll research it 😎

@tlasmuiraqua5049 7 жыл бұрын

I think youre doing it wrong. When i draw in ca-3 the fluid level is right on 8 not 8.5. I noticed that you draw twice getting rid of air on the red tip thats why yours is higher. Either youve been doing it wrong or i gotta go check my levels quick lol

@t.regnerus301 7 жыл бұрын

Jax Ophalot The key is to make sure the pink tip is very secure on the syringe. Also making sure the black plunger is at absolute zero before drawing in reagent. Keep the tip 100% submerged while drawing in reagent and don't do it too quickly.

@mnelson10000 7 жыл бұрын

It doesn't matter... the air bubble moves with the plunger.