[FONT="]R.E.E.F Methodology Series: Dirt-simple chemistry MUST-knows for tank health[/FONT]
[FONT="]I write this post to help beginners understand a few things when it comes to chemistry of our tanks. This will also enlighten reefers on why the advice given to keep say anemones only after 6-9 months is valid, and stress how important stability is.
1. Your salt mix is not just salt, it's calcium, magnesium, iodine, selenium, boron---read the label on your salt mix. This is becomes important later.
2. Evaporation never evaporates the minerals or salt content. It only evaporates the water. RO and auto top-up system in my view are the simplest and most effect tools to have tank stability.
3. Animals ( Fish, Corals and Inverts) and plants(Algae, Zooxanthellae) absorb part of the minerals. TWO actions unbalance your tank: evaporation increases the mineral concentration and animals and plants take the minerals they need and leave what they don't. This means certain minerals run lower and lower and certain ones don't, they just pile up. As you add RO/DI (water that's ONLY hydrogen and oxygen, with NO minerals) your tank gets no more minerals. And your shortage of what the animals and plants are using most gets bigger and bigger. Water changes will TRY replenishing the missing minerals, but they're always play catch-up.
4. Salt mixes are NOT all the same. Reef salt contains a high amount of what corals need AND what fish need. Marine salt for fish-only is lower in calcium and other minerals. That's why the price difference.
5. Now the nitty gritty of chemical balance in your tank, or at least my version. First, the initial balance is set by your salt brand. Sticking to a salt brand makes it easier to maintain a balance and increase stability. The more you mess with that, the worse your water could be and the more work needed. Translation: don't go dumping supplements into your tank unless you've got the corresponding test or actually need them. [/FONT]
[FONT="]They don't sell these things together because they don't run out at the same rate, but your LFS should stress, with every supplement you need a test kit for it. And you need a logbook. [/FONT]
[FONT="]If you have a shortage, you dose until you put the RIGHT amount into your tank over a PERIOD OF TIME, with a little leeway; and you test again next day/week to figure out how fast the consumption is. You then dose to stay in the 'good zone', NOT as make-up after your water's gone wonky, yes that’s a scientific term. Dose to the TREND of the results, the way when you're balancing something in your hands, you don't let it swing way to one side before you correct it back to centre. There is NO one answer to these things. Every tank is different. And staying in the centre of a 'good numbers' zone is best: that gives you a little leeway in either direction.
6. THREE readings go in 'lock' to keep your water good. These three are: the alkalinity of your water, the amount of calcium in your water, and the amount of magnesium in your water. Those of you with freshwater experience are used to tracking PH. Alkalinity is the thing most reefers track, choose a value and stick with it, base this value on the salt you use. No use choosing and Alk of 7 when your salt mix provides 12KdH.The second reading is your Calcium level. It should be between 420 and 500. Below that your snails' shells start dissolving. And your fish's bone and muscle suffer. The third reading is Magnesium. All you people who want coralline to grow just keep this one at 1300. But it does a lot more than supply coralline. It LOCKS the other two readings in a 3-way balance. Keeping everything in that relationship will make everything happy.
7. Remember that business about plants and animals using up minerals? Calcium and magnesium are the ones animals use big-time. Plants (Algae, Zooxanthellae) use phosphate and nitrate. Yes, even those chemicals are useful. Plants (Algae, Zooxanthellae) grow like mad with phosphate. Grow them in your sump, divide the mass in half periodically and get rid of it, and you've just tossed a lot of phosphate and nitrate. That's what a refugium is for. The reason not to use conditioned tap water? City water grows plants. Algae, a lot of it. The water conditioners don't remove phosphates.
8. Aging tank: reading all this should tell you that the older a tank gets, the more little imbalances and shortages it accumulates. Age has benefits, but it also has problems. I recommend, at least every couple of years, an aggressive program of semi-weekly 20% water changes, so you can sort of re-set the balance. It's my own notion, but I think it does a bit to replenish the things far down the list of reef-salt ingredients. [/FONT]
[FONT="]Well I hope this simple tips/ideas help and I will provide them and more articles as I progress my R.E.E.F Methodology Series.[/FONT]
[FONT="]the log book is available for download here
[/FONT]
[FONT="]I write this post to help beginners understand a few things when it comes to chemistry of our tanks. This will also enlighten reefers on why the advice given to keep say anemones only after 6-9 months is valid, and stress how important stability is.
1. Your salt mix is not just salt, it's calcium, magnesium, iodine, selenium, boron---read the label on your salt mix. This is becomes important later.
2. Evaporation never evaporates the minerals or salt content. It only evaporates the water. RO and auto top-up system in my view are the simplest and most effect tools to have tank stability.
3. Animals ( Fish, Corals and Inverts) and plants(Algae, Zooxanthellae) absorb part of the minerals. TWO actions unbalance your tank: evaporation increases the mineral concentration and animals and plants take the minerals they need and leave what they don't. This means certain minerals run lower and lower and certain ones don't, they just pile up. As you add RO/DI (water that's ONLY hydrogen and oxygen, with NO minerals) your tank gets no more minerals. And your shortage of what the animals and plants are using most gets bigger and bigger. Water changes will TRY replenishing the missing minerals, but they're always play catch-up.
4. Salt mixes are NOT all the same. Reef salt contains a high amount of what corals need AND what fish need. Marine salt for fish-only is lower in calcium and other minerals. That's why the price difference.
5. Now the nitty gritty of chemical balance in your tank, or at least my version. First, the initial balance is set by your salt brand. Sticking to a salt brand makes it easier to maintain a balance and increase stability. The more you mess with that, the worse your water could be and the more work needed. Translation: don't go dumping supplements into your tank unless you've got the corresponding test or actually need them. [/FONT]
[FONT="]They don't sell these things together because they don't run out at the same rate, but your LFS should stress, with every supplement you need a test kit for it. And you need a logbook. [/FONT]
[FONT="]If you have a shortage, you dose until you put the RIGHT amount into your tank over a PERIOD OF TIME, with a little leeway; and you test again next day/week to figure out how fast the consumption is. You then dose to stay in the 'good zone', NOT as make-up after your water's gone wonky, yes that’s a scientific term. Dose to the TREND of the results, the way when you're balancing something in your hands, you don't let it swing way to one side before you correct it back to centre. There is NO one answer to these things. Every tank is different. And staying in the centre of a 'good numbers' zone is best: that gives you a little leeway in either direction.
6. THREE readings go in 'lock' to keep your water good. These three are: the alkalinity of your water, the amount of calcium in your water, and the amount of magnesium in your water. Those of you with freshwater experience are used to tracking PH. Alkalinity is the thing most reefers track, choose a value and stick with it, base this value on the salt you use. No use choosing and Alk of 7 when your salt mix provides 12KdH.The second reading is your Calcium level. It should be between 420 and 500. Below that your snails' shells start dissolving. And your fish's bone and muscle suffer. The third reading is Magnesium. All you people who want coralline to grow just keep this one at 1300. But it does a lot more than supply coralline. It LOCKS the other two readings in a 3-way balance. Keeping everything in that relationship will make everything happy.
7. Remember that business about plants and animals using up minerals? Calcium and magnesium are the ones animals use big-time. Plants (Algae, Zooxanthellae) use phosphate and nitrate. Yes, even those chemicals are useful. Plants (Algae, Zooxanthellae) grow like mad with phosphate. Grow them in your sump, divide the mass in half periodically and get rid of it, and you've just tossed a lot of phosphate and nitrate. That's what a refugium is for. The reason not to use conditioned tap water? City water grows plants. Algae, a lot of it. The water conditioners don't remove phosphates.
8. Aging tank: reading all this should tell you that the older a tank gets, the more little imbalances and shortages it accumulates. Age has benefits, but it also has problems. I recommend, at least every couple of years, an aggressive program of semi-weekly 20% water changes, so you can sort of re-set the balance. It's my own notion, but I think it does a bit to replenish the things far down the list of reef-salt ingredients. [/FONT]
[FONT="]Well I hope this simple tips/ideas help and I will provide them and more articles as I progress my R.E.E.F Methodology Series.[/FONT]
[FONT="]the log book is available for download here
[/FONT]
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