Calcium and Alkalinity test
- Thread starter tjsimon88
- Start date
seamandrew
Member
Calcium should be 450 ppm and Alkalinity should be about 3.5 milliequivalents/Liter. I like the Red Sea tests. They'll tell you what normal values should be. In addition to Calcium and Alkalinity, you must have Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, and PH! Dissolved Oxygen is also highly recommended as is Phosphate. Copper is important if you have a reef tank (measure once a month and measure your tap water if you put that in the tank). I still don't know if Iodine should be measured...some say yes, others say not really.
Zooanthids like low to moderate water flow. They're pretty indifferent to lighting (just make sure you have some).
Zooanthids like low to moderate water flow. They're pretty indifferent to lighting (just make sure you have some).
peef
Active Member
Acceptable ranges for Cal is 350-450 alk is 7-10dkh.
You don't need to test for iodine unless you dose it and if you do test it, the test kit is probably wrong as the iodine test kits are inaccurate. Zoos depending on species like low to medium flow and can be acclimated to almost any lighting provided its not like a 60w kitchen light yah know
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Like stated about you do want to test for PH, Cal, Alk, Nitrite, Nitrate, Ammonia...Phos and copper are ones that sure, do help, but are not neccesary.
You don't need to test for iodine unless you dose it and if you do test it, the test kit is probably wrong as the iodine test kits are inaccurate. Zoos depending on species like low to medium flow and can be acclimated to almost any lighting provided its not like a 60w kitchen light yah know
Like stated about you do want to test for PH, Cal, Alk, Nitrite, Nitrate, Ammonia...Phos and copper are ones that sure, do help, but are not neccesary.
perfectdark
Active Member
Originally Posted by peef
Acceptable ranges for Cal is 350-450 alk is 7-10dkh.
You don't need to test for iodine unless you dose it and if you do test it, the test kit is probably wrong as the iodine test kits are inaccurate. Zoos depending on species like low to medium flow and can be acclimated to almost any lighting provided its not like a 60w kitchen light yah know
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Like stated about you do want to test for PH, Cal, Alk, Nitrite, Nitrate, Ammonia...Phos and copper are ones that sure, do help, but are not neccesary.
There should be no reason to test for nitrites or amonia if your system is established. Trates are a good idea to test for but its not an every day thing. Once you learn your tanks maintanence cycle you should be able to test once in a while for preventitive measure and be ok. Calk, alk, and pH are essential things to test for. Calc is one of the essential elements used for coral growth, and if you dose calk you will want to test for magnesium. But in the beginning stages IMO get a calc, alk, pH, and nitrate tests and go from there. Always check your salinity too. All the others I would only test for if I started seeing a problem. IMO.
Acceptable ranges for Cal is 350-450 alk is 7-10dkh.
You don't need to test for iodine unless you dose it and if you do test it, the test kit is probably wrong as the iodine test kits are inaccurate. Zoos depending on species like low to medium flow and can be acclimated to almost any lighting provided its not like a 60w kitchen light yah know
Like stated about you do want to test for PH, Cal, Alk, Nitrite, Nitrate, Ammonia...Phos and copper are ones that sure, do help, but are not neccesary.
There should be no reason to test for nitrites or amonia if your system is established. Trates are a good idea to test for but its not an every day thing. Once you learn your tanks maintanence cycle you should be able to test once in a while for preventitive measure and be ok. Calk, alk, and pH are essential things to test for. Calc is one of the essential elements used for coral growth, and if you dose calk you will want to test for magnesium. But in the beginning stages IMO get a calc, alk, pH, and nitrate tests and go from there. Always check your salinity too. All the others I would only test for if I started seeing a problem. IMO.