snakeblitz33
Well-Known Member
I encourage everyone to do their own research into this subject. There is a lot of information out there to read, and I am not a chemist by any means. If you need additional information on the complexities of the interactions between calcium, alkalinity and magnesium – I can’t give you that. What I can do though is try to help you better understand the necessity to keep them all in balance. All I can do is explain in laymans terms that I know and have followed. I have done my own research and experiments over the years, and I highly recommend that you do the same.
Most new reef hobbyists know that in order for a calcareous skeleton to grow, a coral must have calcium in the water. Then, they rush out and buy a calcium supplement and follow the directions and end up overdosing the tank and running into problems. But if calcium is only at 460ppm, why is it snowing? Well, maybe this article will help explain a little bit more in detail.
There are three very basic chemicals that a saltwater aquarium may need to be supplemented with between water changes.
[list type=decimal]
[*]
Calcium
[*]
Alkalinity
Magnesium
[/list type=decimal]
Calcium is definitely part of the skeleton, and is needed by all corals in order to grow and maintain themselves. Because the ocean is filled with calcium, almost all forms of multicellular life depend on it. In a reef tank, calcium is generally kept between 400ppm to 460ppm. You can go higher, but there are problems and solutions to that. Keeping higher calcium levels than that though will not guarantee that your corals will grow any faster, however.
Corals use alkalinity to slightly alter their internal pH to form their calcareous skeletons. Without enough alkalinity in the water, this process takes a long time. Having low levels of alkalinity (less than 8dKh) will also make the aquariums pH a little bit more unstable. Alkalinity is defined as the resistance of a solution to a change in pH. In a liquid alkalinity test kit, you add some display tank water to the test tube, then you drip in one drop of test, cap and invert the tube. You do this each time you add another drop until the color changes. Once you know how many drops you added, you know what your alkalinity level is. So, if you think about it, you are adding an acid to your test tube. The more drops of acid it takes to get the pH of the test water down to 4.2, the higher the resistance (alkalinity) of the solution being tested. Yet another way to say it is alkalinity is the waters ability to neutralize acids. I hope this is making sense. An alkalinity reading between 8 to 12dKh is normal Alkalinity is also “used” in a reef aquarium, because in the process of coral growth, it removes alkalinity from the water column.
Magnesium is like the tag along sister to the other two. It’s one of those things that are often ignored, but shouldn’t be. Magnesium levels should be maintained somewhere between 1250ppm and 1400ppm. Magnesium helps stabilize calcium and alkalinity. If you are adjusting your calcium and/or alkalinity up and down and can’t get it to stabilize, a low magnesium level is often the culprit. The most important thing to remember about this element is to buy a decent test kit and use it.
There are several other supplements and additives that many people use often in their reef tanks. A few are strontium, iodide, molybdium, vitamin C, iron and “all in one” packs. Each one has their benefits, but this article will not go into that much detail. Keep in mind that most trace elements can be replenished in sufficient quantities with a simple small water change.
How, many of you know that I like DIY stuff… so here goes the DIY.
Reef calcium = calcium chloride = Pickle Crisp
Reef Alkalinity = Sodium Bicarbonate = Baking Soda
Reef Magnesium = Magnesium sulfate = Epsom Salt
(there is also Magnesium Chloride, and depending what your goal is, it may be a viable alternative if you don’t want sulfates in your water column, which doesn’t hurt, by the way.)
Now, you could rush out and buy some today, but you wouldn’t know what to do with it, would you? Here’s where it comes In handy to know a little bit about chemistry.
Recipe: (shortened Randy Holmes-Farley Recipe, Thanks Randy!!!!)
Measure out 300g of pickle crisp, dissolve it in 1g of distilled water.
Measure out 300g of baking soda, dissolve it in 1g of distilled water.
Measure out 4 pounds (64oz) of Epsom salt, dissolve it in 1g of distilled water.
Seal the containers with the tops, shake really, really well and wait for them to dissolve. Shake some more. The calcium will get really hot for a little while. The baking soda will take a lot of shaking to completely dissolve. The Epsom salt will have some settle on the bottom of the container, but keep shaking it every now and then until it dissolves completely.
Now – here’s the important step. Find a reef chemistry calculator and use it. Test your water, and double test to make sure what your calcium, alkalinity and magnesium levels are before you dose anything. When it comes to putting in which product you are using, select Randy Holmes-Farley Recipe 1 for Calcium and Randy Holmes-Farley Recipe 2 for alkalinity.
There are two different recipes when it comes to alkalinity. The first recipe of his raises alkalinity and slightly increases pH. The second recipe that is used above raises alkalinity and slightly decreases pH. Be aware of the slight decrease in pH before using this method.
Use an accurate measuring container for exact amounts that you should add to your aquarium. This will help out tremendously.
For example, I have an aquarium with approximately 25g of water volume. To increase by alkalinity by 3dKh, I need to add 3.6 fl oz of alkalinity buffer. In the same tank, to increase magnesium by 150ppm, I need to add 4 fl oz of magnesium buffer. In the same tank, to increase by calcium level by 20ppm, I need to add 1.7 fl oz.
So, I have mentioned that calcium and alkalinity have to be balanced in order to be stable. Here’s a chart to help you with that:
This is some information provided from a guy named “Sandworm” on another internet forum.
Alk meq/L Alk dKH Alk ppm CaCO3 Calcium ppm Ca++ Calcium ppm CaCO3
0.0----------0.0-------------0-------------------360------------------900
0.5----------1.4----------- 25-------------------370------------------925
1.0----------2.8------------50-------------------380------------------950
1.5----------4.2------------75-------------------390------------------975>
2.0----------5.6-----------100------------------400------------------1000
2.5----------7.0-----------125------------------410------------------1025
3.0----------8.4-----------150------------------420------------------1050
3.5----------9.8-----------175------------------430------------------1075
4.0----------11.2----------200------------------440------------------1100
4.5----------12.6----------225------------------450------------------1125
5.0----------14.0----------250------------------460------------------1150
5.5----------15.4----------275------------------470------------------1175
6.0----------16.8----------300------------------480------------------1200
6.5----------18.2----------325------------------490------------------1225
7.0----------19.6----------350------------------500------------------1250
These are ideal balances between calcium and alkalinity.
So, what happens if these balances are completely out of whack?
If calcium is way too high and alkalinity is way too low, your tank can start “snowing” where calcium is precipitated out of the water column. Correct this quickly with a water change if possible. If not, test your water for both calcium and alkalinity and adjust your alkalinity up.
If alkalinity is higher than calcium, it can cause a very unstable pH and should be monitored.
To quickly change your water chemistry and get it balanced again because of some mistake that you have done, it should be said now that a 50% water change is probably the easiest method to use. Plus, it has the added benefit of removing built up organics from the water column.
Most new reef hobbyists know that in order for a calcareous skeleton to grow, a coral must have calcium in the water. Then, they rush out and buy a calcium supplement and follow the directions and end up overdosing the tank and running into problems. But if calcium is only at 460ppm, why is it snowing? Well, maybe this article will help explain a little bit more in detail.
There are three very basic chemicals that a saltwater aquarium may need to be supplemented with between water changes.
[list type=decimal]
[*]
Calcium
[*]
Alkalinity
Magnesium
[/list type=decimal]
Calcium is definitely part of the skeleton, and is needed by all corals in order to grow and maintain themselves. Because the ocean is filled with calcium, almost all forms of multicellular life depend on it. In a reef tank, calcium is generally kept between 400ppm to 460ppm. You can go higher, but there are problems and solutions to that. Keeping higher calcium levels than that though will not guarantee that your corals will grow any faster, however.
Corals use alkalinity to slightly alter their internal pH to form their calcareous skeletons. Without enough alkalinity in the water, this process takes a long time. Having low levels of alkalinity (less than 8dKh) will also make the aquariums pH a little bit more unstable. Alkalinity is defined as the resistance of a solution to a change in pH. In a liquid alkalinity test kit, you add some display tank water to the test tube, then you drip in one drop of test, cap and invert the tube. You do this each time you add another drop until the color changes. Once you know how many drops you added, you know what your alkalinity level is. So, if you think about it, you are adding an acid to your test tube. The more drops of acid it takes to get the pH of the test water down to 4.2, the higher the resistance (alkalinity) of the solution being tested. Yet another way to say it is alkalinity is the waters ability to neutralize acids. I hope this is making sense. An alkalinity reading between 8 to 12dKh is normal Alkalinity is also “used” in a reef aquarium, because in the process of coral growth, it removes alkalinity from the water column.
Magnesium is like the tag along sister to the other two. It’s one of those things that are often ignored, but shouldn’t be. Magnesium levels should be maintained somewhere between 1250ppm and 1400ppm. Magnesium helps stabilize calcium and alkalinity. If you are adjusting your calcium and/or alkalinity up and down and can’t get it to stabilize, a low magnesium level is often the culprit. The most important thing to remember about this element is to buy a decent test kit and use it.
There are several other supplements and additives that many people use often in their reef tanks. A few are strontium, iodide, molybdium, vitamin C, iron and “all in one” packs. Each one has their benefits, but this article will not go into that much detail. Keep in mind that most trace elements can be replenished in sufficient quantities with a simple small water change.
How, many of you know that I like DIY stuff… so here goes the DIY.
Reef calcium = calcium chloride = Pickle Crisp
Reef Alkalinity = Sodium Bicarbonate = Baking Soda
Reef Magnesium = Magnesium sulfate = Epsom Salt
(there is also Magnesium Chloride, and depending what your goal is, it may be a viable alternative if you don’t want sulfates in your water column, which doesn’t hurt, by the way.)
Now, you could rush out and buy some today, but you wouldn’t know what to do with it, would you? Here’s where it comes In handy to know a little bit about chemistry.
Recipe: (shortened Randy Holmes-Farley Recipe, Thanks Randy!!!!)
Measure out 300g of pickle crisp, dissolve it in 1g of distilled water.
Measure out 300g of baking soda, dissolve it in 1g of distilled water.
Measure out 4 pounds (64oz) of Epsom salt, dissolve it in 1g of distilled water.
Seal the containers with the tops, shake really, really well and wait for them to dissolve. Shake some more. The calcium will get really hot for a little while. The baking soda will take a lot of shaking to completely dissolve. The Epsom salt will have some settle on the bottom of the container, but keep shaking it every now and then until it dissolves completely.
Now – here’s the important step. Find a reef chemistry calculator and use it. Test your water, and double test to make sure what your calcium, alkalinity and magnesium levels are before you dose anything. When it comes to putting in which product you are using, select Randy Holmes-Farley Recipe 1 for Calcium and Randy Holmes-Farley Recipe 2 for alkalinity.
There are two different recipes when it comes to alkalinity. The first recipe of his raises alkalinity and slightly increases pH. The second recipe that is used above raises alkalinity and slightly decreases pH. Be aware of the slight decrease in pH before using this method.
Use an accurate measuring container for exact amounts that you should add to your aquarium. This will help out tremendously.
For example, I have an aquarium with approximately 25g of water volume. To increase by alkalinity by 3dKh, I need to add 3.6 fl oz of alkalinity buffer. In the same tank, to increase magnesium by 150ppm, I need to add 4 fl oz of magnesium buffer. In the same tank, to increase by calcium level by 20ppm, I need to add 1.7 fl oz.
So, I have mentioned that calcium and alkalinity have to be balanced in order to be stable. Here’s a chart to help you with that:
This is some information provided from a guy named “Sandworm” on another internet forum.
Alk meq/L Alk dKH Alk ppm CaCO3 Calcium ppm Ca++ Calcium ppm CaCO3
0.0----------0.0-------------0-------------------360------------------900
0.5----------1.4----------- 25-------------------370------------------925
1.0----------2.8------------50-------------------380------------------950
1.5----------4.2------------75-------------------390------------------975>
2.0----------5.6-----------100------------------400------------------1000
2.5----------7.0-----------125------------------410------------------1025
3.0----------8.4-----------150------------------420------------------1050
3.5----------9.8-----------175------------------430------------------1075
4.0----------11.2----------200------------------440------------------1100
4.5----------12.6----------225------------------450------------------1125
5.0----------14.0----------250------------------460------------------1150
5.5----------15.4----------275------------------470------------------1175
6.0----------16.8----------300------------------480------------------1200
6.5----------18.2----------325------------------490------------------1225
7.0----------19.6----------350------------------500------------------1250
These are ideal balances between calcium and alkalinity.
So, what happens if these balances are completely out of whack?
If calcium is way too high and alkalinity is way too low, your tank can start “snowing” where calcium is precipitated out of the water column. Correct this quickly with a water change if possible. If not, test your water for both calcium and alkalinity and adjust your alkalinity up.
If alkalinity is higher than calcium, it can cause a very unstable pH and should be monitored.
To quickly change your water chemistry and get it balanced again because of some mistake that you have done, it should be said now that a 50% water change is probably the easiest method to use. Plus, it has the added benefit of removing built up organics from the water column.
