Maximum Calcium Levels
- Thread starter wnfaknd
- Start date
randy holmes-farley
Advanced Reefer
- Location
- Arlington, MA
That's not a simple to answer question. Seawater and reef tank water are always supersaturated with Calcium and carbonate. The more that you add beyond saturation, the more likely you are to cause precipitation. There is no single number, or combination of numbers that is OK, but beyond that is a problem.
i think that natural seawater contains calcium at 400ppm but i keep my reef at 450ppm other than that i dont do math
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Honda Sabre V4
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Honda Sabre V4
randy holmes-farley
Advanced Reefer
- Location
- Arlington, MA
I agree that starting with alkalinity = 4.3 meq/L and calcium = 445 ppm, and then removing some CaCO3, results in NSw levels of alkalinity and Ca++.
But WHY is it desirable to have both elevated above NSW in this fashion?
IOW, why isn't alkalinity = 4.3 meq/L and calcium = 410 ppm an equally plausible goal, especially if one makes the assumption that coral calcification is limited by alkalinity and not calcium?
But WHY is it desirable to have both elevated above NSW in this fashion?
IOW, why isn't alkalinity = 4.3 meq/L and calcium = 410 ppm an equally plausible goal, especially if one makes the assumption that coral calcification is limited by alkalinity and not calcium?
Hi Randy,
In my tank, I used to add the two part powdered alk. and ca++ (superbuffer/turbo calcium). I tried my hardest to keep my alk to 3.0 and calcium to 410ppm-ish.
Once I got my reactor, I have kept my alk at 4.4 and calcium at 455ppm. It is very stable now and doesn't fluctuate much at all, unlike before.
Since the switch, my large purple acro has turned a very vibrant colour and so has my blue acro. My orange capricornis has deepened colour and my green star polyps have an accelerated rate of spreading (much to my annoyance when they come close to some corals).
I don't know why, but the only difference is the reactor and the elevated levels of alk and ca.
Also, my pH levels are more stable (day/night) with this higher alk (naturally).
Randy, do you use a reactor or are you still using kalkwasser? My tank used too much CaCO3 so I had to buy a reactor. Dosing my tank with kalk alone caused the pH to skyrocket to 8.7 and this is not desirable. My reactor combined with the very bright 400W MH bulbs is the right combo for me, since the light causes more CO2 to be used up and I don't have a problem with depressed pH due to the reactor.
-Nathan
PS. I intend to start a thread soon questioning CO2 and light and the effects it has on pH as a way to demonstrate bulb efficiency (PAR).
In my tank, I used to add the two part powdered alk. and ca++ (superbuffer/turbo calcium). I tried my hardest to keep my alk to 3.0 and calcium to 410ppm-ish.
Once I got my reactor, I have kept my alk at 4.4 and calcium at 455ppm. It is very stable now and doesn't fluctuate much at all, unlike before.
Since the switch, my large purple acro has turned a very vibrant colour and so has my blue acro. My orange capricornis has deepened colour and my green star polyps have an accelerated rate of spreading (much to my annoyance when they come close to some corals).
I don't know why, but the only difference is the reactor and the elevated levels of alk and ca.
Also, my pH levels are more stable (day/night) with this higher alk (naturally).
Randy, do you use a reactor or are you still using kalkwasser? My tank used too much CaCO3 so I had to buy a reactor. Dosing my tank with kalk alone caused the pH to skyrocket to 8.7 and this is not desirable. My reactor combined with the very bright 400W MH bulbs is the right combo for me, since the light causes more CO2 to be used up and I don't have a problem with depressed pH due to the reactor.
-Nathan
PS. I intend to start a thread soon questioning CO2 and light and the effects it has on pH as a way to demonstrate bulb efficiency (PAR).
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