snakeblitz33
Well-Known Member
What is water quality and why is it so important? Water quality is the term used to describe how clean and balanced your aquariums water is. When your water becomes dirty, polluted, and unbalanced, your water is described as being “poor.” When your water is clean, unpolluted and balanced, your water is described as being “high.” Keeping a high water quality for any aquarium is of the utmost importance for the success of your saltwater aquarium. The cleaner and more balanced the water quality, the healthier and happier your livestock is. The following article explains in detail how to maintain and balance your water quality.
There are a few things to look at in terms of water quality. First, there's the “dirty and clean” side which is the measure of the amount of nitrate and phosphate in your system. When your water quality is high, your nitrate and phosphate readings are undetectable in most hobby test kits. All aquarists should strive for a nitrate and phosphate reading of zero. Second is how “balanced” the water is. This is your calcium, alkalinity and magnesium readings. The more in balance these three elements are in your aquarium, the more stable your aquarium will be. How does one obtain such high water quality?
You can find more information on how to reduce nitrate and phosphate in the article I have written here.
Water changes are necessary if you want to reduce total amount of nitrate and phosphate in your water column and replace trace elements that have been used. A water change will also balance out your calcium, alkalinity and magnesium levels where you will not have to fool with supplements and understand how to balance the elements yourself. A water change will not clean your filters out, or replace your chemical filtration media, it simply removes toxins, waste, and dissolved organic nutrients from your water column. You do not have to do a water change to reduce your nitrate and phosphate because there are several other methods to do it. The general rule of thumb is that you should replace half of your filtration media a minimum of once a month. Once your filters get well seasoned and clogged with fish waste, detritus and other particulate organic matter, it is no longer filtering your water, but contributing to nitrate and phosphate problems in the water column. Chemical filtration media stops working after it expires and becomes “exhausted.” For carbon, this can be anywhere from 30 to 60 days. GFO or Granular Ferric Oxide that is used to reduce phosphate in the water column expires anywhere from three to six months of use. Chemical filtration medias should be replaced when they are exhausted. Let it be known now that constantly running carbon in some aquariums has been linked to causing HLLE in some fish, and should be used sparingly when necessary.
Here's a method I use for water quality troubleshooting:
1.Determine what the problem is. Is it a water quality issue, an equipment issue, a filtration issue.
2.Test your water. Test for nitrate, phosphate, pH, calcium and alkalinity.
3.Determine if it's a “cleanliness” issue or a “balance” issue. If your nitrates and phosphates are greater than zero, reduce your total nitrate and phosphate using methods in this thread. If it's a “balance” issue, proceed to step 4.
4.Consult a calcium and alkalinity chart. Calcium should always be balanced with your alkalinity.
5.Proceed on to this thread to help you balance out your calcium and alkalinity.
6.If calcium and alkalinity always drop and can not maintain it constant or high over a period of time, test the water for magnesium. Calcium and alkalinity have to also be in balance with magnesium in order to maintain high levels. Magnesium should stay somewhere between 1350 and 1450ppm. There are several supplements that can help maintain magnesium levels. A water change is the simplest method.
If your macroalgaes are dying for absolutely no reason, it's most likely because your water has run out of iron and other trace elements. Most salt mixes do not contain much, if any, iron. A small dose of Kent's Iron will do the trick to maintain healthy green growth in macroalgaes. Small water changes can replenish trace elements that are lost through growth and harvesting of macroalgaes. If you go the route of little to no water changes, add a product that is an all-in-one supplement such as Kent's Essential Elements to the water column in the doses stated on the bottle.
Dosing live home grown phytoplankton in your aquarium directly actually will improve your water quality. The tiny algal cells in the water column will consume nitrate and phosphates and provide a food source for filter feeding inverts and corals. Dosing phytoplankton will also give a food source for crustaceans such as copepods and amphipods to grow.
Your pH will vary throughout the day and night. Your aquariums pH is usually lowest at lights on (~7.8) and it's at it's highest at dusk / lights off (8.3). If your pH is constantly low, your oxygen levels may not be high enough to maintain pH. Take off any glass tops that your aquarium may have. Also, consider adding a refugium or an algae scrubber. The algae grown produces oxygen and keeps your aquariums pH even more constant. Your aquariums pH level is closely linked to your alkalinity level. If your aquariums pH is constantly low, most likely your alkalinity level is also constantly low. Alkalinity is the measure of the amount of acid it takes to alter the pH of a liquid. Maintaining a high alkalinity level stabilizes and maintains your pH. Alkalinity in a FOWLR tank can range anywhere from 6 to 10dKh, while reef tanks require a higher alkalinity of 8 to 12dKh, depending on how well you can balance calcium and your corals demand for it.
To sum everything up:
1.Test your water.
2.Determine the problem.
3.Reduce nitrate and phosphate by water changes, protein skimming, algae scrubbers, chemical filtration medias etc. and read the article on how to reduce it to get a better idea.
4.Balance out your calcium, alkalinity and magnesium levels by reading through and following this thread.
5.If calcium is low, add calcium. If alkalinity is low, add alkalinity. If magnesium is low, add magnesium. If you are unsure if your aquarium has enough trace elements, do a water change or add an all-in-one supplement.
It's not rocket science. Have fun with it! Learn as much as you can, and read, read, read and research some more. There is more than one way to set up and maintain an aquarium, and that is what is so fun about this hobby besides the livestock.
If you would like to read more of my articles and threads, please visit this link: Snake's Methods.
There are a few things to look at in terms of water quality. First, there's the “dirty and clean” side which is the measure of the amount of nitrate and phosphate in your system. When your water quality is high, your nitrate and phosphate readings are undetectable in most hobby test kits. All aquarists should strive for a nitrate and phosphate reading of zero. Second is how “balanced” the water is. This is your calcium, alkalinity and magnesium readings. The more in balance these three elements are in your aquarium, the more stable your aquarium will be. How does one obtain such high water quality?
You can find more information on how to reduce nitrate and phosphate in the article I have written here.
Water changes are necessary if you want to reduce total amount of nitrate and phosphate in your water column and replace trace elements that have been used. A water change will also balance out your calcium, alkalinity and magnesium levels where you will not have to fool with supplements and understand how to balance the elements yourself. A water change will not clean your filters out, or replace your chemical filtration media, it simply removes toxins, waste, and dissolved organic nutrients from your water column. You do not have to do a water change to reduce your nitrate and phosphate because there are several other methods to do it. The general rule of thumb is that you should replace half of your filtration media a minimum of once a month. Once your filters get well seasoned and clogged with fish waste, detritus and other particulate organic matter, it is no longer filtering your water, but contributing to nitrate and phosphate problems in the water column. Chemical filtration media stops working after it expires and becomes “exhausted.” For carbon, this can be anywhere from 30 to 60 days. GFO or Granular Ferric Oxide that is used to reduce phosphate in the water column expires anywhere from three to six months of use. Chemical filtration medias should be replaced when they are exhausted. Let it be known now that constantly running carbon in some aquariums has been linked to causing HLLE in some fish, and should be used sparingly when necessary.
Here's a method I use for water quality troubleshooting:
1.Determine what the problem is. Is it a water quality issue, an equipment issue, a filtration issue.
2.Test your water. Test for nitrate, phosphate, pH, calcium and alkalinity.
3.Determine if it's a “cleanliness” issue or a “balance” issue. If your nitrates and phosphates are greater than zero, reduce your total nitrate and phosphate using methods in this thread. If it's a “balance” issue, proceed to step 4.
4.Consult a calcium and alkalinity chart. Calcium should always be balanced with your alkalinity.
5.Proceed on to this thread to help you balance out your calcium and alkalinity.
6.If calcium and alkalinity always drop and can not maintain it constant or high over a period of time, test the water for magnesium. Calcium and alkalinity have to also be in balance with magnesium in order to maintain high levels. Magnesium should stay somewhere between 1350 and 1450ppm. There are several supplements that can help maintain magnesium levels. A water change is the simplest method.
If your macroalgaes are dying for absolutely no reason, it's most likely because your water has run out of iron and other trace elements. Most salt mixes do not contain much, if any, iron. A small dose of Kent's Iron will do the trick to maintain healthy green growth in macroalgaes. Small water changes can replenish trace elements that are lost through growth and harvesting of macroalgaes. If you go the route of little to no water changes, add a product that is an all-in-one supplement such as Kent's Essential Elements to the water column in the doses stated on the bottle.
Dosing live home grown phytoplankton in your aquarium directly actually will improve your water quality. The tiny algal cells in the water column will consume nitrate and phosphates and provide a food source for filter feeding inverts and corals. Dosing phytoplankton will also give a food source for crustaceans such as copepods and amphipods to grow.
Your pH will vary throughout the day and night. Your aquariums pH is usually lowest at lights on (~7.8) and it's at it's highest at dusk / lights off (8.3). If your pH is constantly low, your oxygen levels may not be high enough to maintain pH. Take off any glass tops that your aquarium may have. Also, consider adding a refugium or an algae scrubber. The algae grown produces oxygen and keeps your aquariums pH even more constant. Your aquariums pH level is closely linked to your alkalinity level. If your aquariums pH is constantly low, most likely your alkalinity level is also constantly low. Alkalinity is the measure of the amount of acid it takes to alter the pH of a liquid. Maintaining a high alkalinity level stabilizes and maintains your pH. Alkalinity in a FOWLR tank can range anywhere from 6 to 10dKh, while reef tanks require a higher alkalinity of 8 to 12dKh, depending on how well you can balance calcium and your corals demand for it.
To sum everything up:
1.Test your water.
2.Determine the problem.
3.Reduce nitrate and phosphate by water changes, protein skimming, algae scrubbers, chemical filtration medias etc. and read the article on how to reduce it to get a better idea.
4.Balance out your calcium, alkalinity and magnesium levels by reading through and following this thread.
5.If calcium is low, add calcium. If alkalinity is low, add alkalinity. If magnesium is low, add magnesium. If you are unsure if your aquarium has enough trace elements, do a water change or add an all-in-one supplement.
It's not rocket science. Have fun with it! Learn as much as you can, and read, read, read and research some more. There is more than one way to set up and maintain an aquarium, and that is what is so fun about this hobby besides the livestock.
If you would like to read more of my articles and threads, please visit this link: Snake's Methods.