Ideal reef chemistry

[reef dude]

Ok, with all the recent talk about pH, alk, and calcium, ive been getting really confused!!!
What i would like to know is, in order to have and maintain a very well balanced reef tank (corals, fish, and inverts), what are ALL the test kits we should have????and what should each level be at?!?!
I currently test for Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, pH, alkalinity, phosphate, and calcium:
ammonia - 0ppm
nitrite - 0 ppm
nitrate - 0ppm
pH - 8.3
alkalinity - 4.0 meq/L
phosphate - 0.1 ppm
calcium - 350 ppm
what about magnesium, hardness, copper, etc???

 

[reef dude]

i find it interesting that no one has any comments....hmmm

 

[j21kickster]

what you test for is really all you need, no point in testing every single trace element

 

[finland]

With regular water changes, that is really all you need to test for, IMO. If you are adding elements to your tank(iodine/iodide,mg,strontium,etc.) it might be a good idea to test for them, but with regular water changes I really don't see a need. JMO

 

[blondenaso1]

I think it would be useful to test also for magnesium. What are you using for calcium? You Ca level is little low. If you are adding Ca via Kalkwasser or another method then lack of Mg could be the cause. A Mg level between 1250-1350 ppm is ideal to maintain proper Ca levels.

 

[reef dude]

You see my problem is this,
My alk is apprx 3.7 - 4.0 meq/L
My Ca is 350 ppm
My pH is 8.3
Correct me if I am wrong but arent my pH and alk perfect for corals?
the only problem is my calcium being low. How do i raise that without messing up my other levels cuz they are good arent they?

 

[nm reef]

I agree that you are testing for the basics and additional tests for trace elements are not really needed...and sometimes they are difficult to test accurately.
Your levels of calcium/alkalinity/ph are very good except calcium is a bit on the low side. What do you use for additives? What type test do you use & are you confident in its accuracy? I'd suggest a slight increase in the calcium additive and maintenance of the alkalinity....slowly over a few weeks and see if calcium increases.I use Seachem products on a regular basis( Reef Advantage and Reef Builder) whenever I need to adjust the calcium up I add a few doses of Seachems Reef Calcium(liquid form)...for quick alkalinity adjustments I use Reef carbonate....but in truth I've not needed to adjust levels for several months. Once a additive schedule is established to build levels and kalk is added to maintain them I've found very little change in tests readings.
Personally I've found the key is to first develope a system to establish desired levels...and maintain them consistantly...once levels are established then regular addition of kalk will help to maintain established levels.

 

[newreefers]

I have a spreadsheet for the chemicals that shows what I test for and what the target params are, if you want it e-mail me and I will send it to you.
queenofconst@aol.com

 

[shnookums]

IMO, i think your alkalinity is too low, 7-9 is what i have read, after a couple of months of getting it to that my calcium, ph and alkalinity has really never wavered.
ph 8.4, calcium 450, alkalinity 7, hardness .02

 

[adminrxb]

Try raising your magnesium. Most salt mixes have low magnesium levels and can make raising calcium levels difficult. Hold alk at 9-11 and add calcium slowly. No drastic changes ...

 

[attml]

I didn't see it on your list because it is probably a given, but you should also be testing your salinity if you are not.