Seeking advice on correcting trace element levels

[Reefkeeper18]

So my levels are high in most cases.... Nitrate is ten and i would like it to be 3. How can I fix this? My Magnesium is over 1,500ppm how can i fix that? What about calcium?(620ppm) Alkalinity?(10.6KH.) Also I'f I'm going away for five days should I just higher my Alkalinity because I know that it drops by .73 a day in my tank? What would be a good clean up crew to clean the junk collection in the corner?

[Fishguy2727]

Are you sure your test kits are accurate? What brand are they? I have never heard of calcium that high.

Are supplementing anything? What salt are you using?

Do you use an ATO?

[Reefkeeper18]

I WAS supplmenting with B-Ionic two part solution. put in suggest dosage and calcium magnesium and alkalinity skyrocketed. now I have to restore regular levels. I'm using Oceanic Natural sea salt mix

[Reefkeeper18]

ATO? anyway yeah tests are accurate tested like five times cuz I didn't believe it.

[Fishguy2727]

ATO=auto top off.

What brand test kits are you using?

Test the water you are using for water changes. You might have a lot coming right out of the salt.

[Reefkeeper18]

yes i'm using the top off and the test kit brands are Salifert for calcium magnesium and alkalinity and API for nitrate ammonia and ph. And ok ill test that bcuz I have to do a larger water change coming up this week because I will be away for five days.

[kaybee]

Did you test your calcium before supplementing calcium?

I find Oceanic to be typically high in calcium (it's the salt I use and it's usually 420-440ppm), and wouldn't require as much calcium supplementation as with some other salts (though that would depend on the rate of calcium uptake by your stony corals and shelled inverts). If you're using a 2-part solution and one of those parameters is at or above suggested levels you don't have to add it.

I wonder how high calcium levels can be before it just precipitates out of the water?

[Reefkeeper18]

No i didnt test b4 adding supplemet...... rookie mistake... how can I lower it? i dont have any inverts beside a cleaner shrimp feather duster and some american star snails

[Reefkeeper18]

anyway my salinity is perfect 35parts per thousand. so tests r accurate

[Fishguy2727]

It will go down if you just stop adding it. Do water changes as usual and do not add any supplements unless you know they are needed, and even then you need to monitor the levels of anything you are supplementing.

If you have an auto top off you can add supplements to that based on how fast it is used. This takes a little note taking and math to determine how much of what to add, and certain things can't be done together like this because they will react with each other (like calcium and alkalinity). I add baking soda to my top off water at a rate to match what I would need to supplement if I was doing it everyday.

If you do not have any hard corals you do not need to worry about calcium and magnesium. The alkalinity is still important because of the role it plays with controlling pH.

[Reefkeeper18]

I dont have any corals right nowbcuz i'm about to go on vacation planning on getting some next week or so