I should have known better....
boogs
calcium was consistently low (340) along with a lowish dkh (6-7) and a
high ph (8.4-8.6). So....I begin adding small quantities of turbo calcium
to slowly bring my levels up...Levels get to 420ppm and i'm content but my
alk is getting lower and i notice when i add b-ionic, i am getting a very
mild, stringy precipitate (disappears after a minute or so). I test,
re-test and test again....same results. I realize something is just not
right and decide perhaps my calcium test kit is out of date. Went out and
bought a tropic marin kit, run the test, and lo and behold...calcium levels
of 485ppm!
I think i've spent more money on test kits than anything else so
far.........
Scott
Ken
boogs <bo...@home.ca> wrote in message
news:01bff6f6$9f2a4b00$3d647bd8@yup...
nosmatt
accuracy. however i have 3 other kits, they all give different results.
some very drastic differences.
485 doesn't seem that high to me. and the alk of course could be higher.
try doing a moderate to large water change(40-50%) with a good salt mix.
this should get rid of the precipitation, and allow you to reach
equilibrium.
after a few water changes over the next few days, those levels should be
fine, assuming your using a high quality salt such as io. this salt is
where i start my tank as a baseline. its also where i maintain my
levels.
for me that's 420ca++ 3.7 meq/l alk.
i don't test mg or sr therefore i do not supplement them. i don't think
there is any growth rate evidence that would show higher levels to
increase calcification. in fact i think it would inhibit calcification
to some degree. therefore mg and sr levels should be maintained by water
changes.
of course, that's my opinion, and your allowed to have a different
one...
--
mmmmmm hippo......
-homer simpson
visit my web page
http://home.socal.rr.com/griffinsreef/home.socal.rr.com/reefpage.html
boogs
nosmatt <nos...@socal.rr.com> wrote in article
<397EEF0D...@socal.rr.com>...
> never had any tropic marine test kits, so cant comment on their
> accuracy. however i have 3 other kits, they all give different results.
> some very drastic differences.
>
> 485 doesn't seem that high to me. and the alk of course could be higher.
> try doing a moderate to large water change(40-50%) with a good salt mix.
> this should get rid of the precipitation, and allow you to reach
> equilibrium.
All that i have read thus far seems to say that you cannot have high
calcium (480 - 500ppm) and high dkh (10-14) and you have to make a trade
off somewhere - either high calcium and moderate dkh or vice versa. Dkh
opinions vary as greatly as calcium test results!! I have always aimed for
a highish calcium level (450-470) and moderate dkh levels (7-9) and have
been told by some people (Mr. Toonen amongst others) that some aquariums
reach equilibrium in different ranges depending on bioload, calcium uptake
etc... My 30 gallon mini with a 10 gallon sump is fairly well stocked with
LPS corals and i think i'm still trying to find the perfect balance. Having
said that, i am going to do a few large water changes and with
supplementation and lots of testing, see where the levels head.
> after a few water changes over the next few days, those levels should be
> fine, assuming your using a high quality salt such as io. this salt is
> where i start my tank as a baseline. its also where i maintain my
> levels.
> for me that's 420ca++ 3.7 meq/l alk.
> i don't test mg or sr therefore i do not supplement them. i don't think
> there is any growth rate evidence that would show higher levels to
> increase calcification. in fact i think it would inhibit calcification
> to some degree. therefore mg and sr levels should be maintained by water
> changes.
I do now supplement magnesium and monitor it weekly. When i first noticed
the coraline algae had stopped spreading i did a variety of tests and the
magnesium appeared low. Once again after much reading, i dosed Mg until
proper levels were restored and coraline slowly continued to grow. Mg is
critical for calcium uptake, according to what i've read and in practice.
Once again, i believe it depends entirely on the system and it's particular
requirements.
> of course, that's my opinion, and your allowed to have a different
> one...
Overall i think everyone on this NG would be in basic agreement with all
that has been stated - I'm learning that while there are some hard and fast
rules in marine reef keeping, there is also a great deal we do not fully
comprehend and i value all comments and opinions...it's why i keep
reading...and posting.
Scott
nosmatt
i think i read somewhere that keeping the sg a little higher han most do will
help keep the ionic balance in check. say 1.026-1.027/
this is where i try to keep mine, but as the discussion we had last week
regarding sg meters pointed out, i could be way off.
>
--
visit my reef...
http://home.socal.rr.com/griffinsreef/home.socal.rr.com/reefpage.html
well your honor, i forgot it was illeagal
- gallagher
boogs
nosmatt <ilov...@sendmemore.com> wrote in article
<397F2B5E...@sendmemore.com>...
Dieter Kreuer
>
> nosmatt <nos...@socal.rr.com> wrote in article
> <397EEF0D...@socal.rr.com>...
> > never had any tropic marine test kits, so cant comment on their
> > accuracy. however i have 3 other kits, they all give different results.
> > some very drastic differences.
> >
> > 485 doesn't seem that high to me. and the alk of course could be higher.
> > try doing a moderate to large water change(40-50%) with a good salt mix.
> > this should get rid of the precipitation, and allow you to reach
> > equilibrium.
>
> All that i have read thus far seems to say that you cannot have high
> calcium (480 - 500ppm) and high dkh (10-14) and you have to make a trade
> off somewhere - either high calcium and moderate dkh or vice versa. Dkh
> opinions vary as greatly as calcium test results!! I have always aimed for
> a highish calcium level (450-470) and moderate dkh levels (7-9) and have
> been told by some people (Mr. Toonen amongst others) that some aquariums
> reach equilibrium in different ranges depending on bioload, calcium uptake
> etc...
CO2 content is an important factor. It lowers pH and keeps more Ca and
HCO3 (alkalinity-ion) in solution. CO2-fed Ca reactors that increase
the overall CO2 level in the tank can therefore reach higher concen-
trations of Ca at higher alkalinities. In my tank, I can easily have
500 mg/l Ca at 12 deg. KH, although my aim is 440 mg/l at 10 deg.
Otherwise, the powerheads are bound to get stuck too often.
--
Dieter Kreuer eeddik<at>eed.ericsson.se
\\\\ Please visit my homepage at http://home.t-online.de/~DKreuer ////
//// 158 days until the REAL turn of the millennium... \\\\
boogs
see if this may assist in increasing (slightly) the CO2 content in my tank,
thereby lowering my ph and allowing me to increase my dkh.....
i'll let ya know how it goes....
(thanks for the idea, Dieter)
Scott
boogs <bo...@home.ca> wrote in article <01bff6f6$9f2a4b00$3d647bd8@yup>...