DKH for LPS ?
- Thread starter toky916
- Start date
FishN00b83
New member
I keep calcium at 440, dkh at 11, and magnesium at 1450.
some people might say that's on the high side, but that's where I've been keeping it lately.
some people might say that's on the high side, but that's where I've been keeping it lately.
cloak
New member
I would definitely second the article referenced by Cloak. Understanding the way chemicals interact in our aquarium goes a long way to maintaining them.
It is also important to remember that more than likely there is not a one size fits all number for corals. LPS is not a phylogenetic term but instead a reference for dividing up the massive group of stony corals. A trachyphyllia from up near Vietnam will likely be adjusted to a substantially different environment than an Australian euphyllia yet it is not uncommon to see both specimens in one tank.
Further more it is common for people to assume that the natural environment is the ideal environment. The problem is that this is not necessarily true. For example consider instances of invasive species such as the "jumping carp" found in the Mississippi that are native to the opposite side of the globe yet are currently taking over the native species habitat.
So IMO the best answer to this question is somewhere in the 7-11 range. In this range your aquarium will have significant buffering capacity without being substantially different than the environment it is pulled from. Too low and you can't buffer and will have other issues as well as there not being enough carbonate for exoskeleton formation. Too high and you run the risk of precipitating calcium carbonate out of your system throwing everything out of wack, and you likely irritate your corals as their gradient will be much harder to maintain making it difficult to properly create calcium carbonate.
However, once in this range the most important thing you can do is keep it constant. All the rambling earlier about natural environments not necessarily being ideal was to make the point that organisms adapt to their environment within reason. Adaptation is substantially more difficult in a fluctuating environment.
Ill leave you with this analogy. A person can adjust to live comfortably in both Texas and Colorado but not Antartica.
It is also important to remember that more than likely there is not a one size fits all number for corals. LPS is not a phylogenetic term but instead a reference for dividing up the massive group of stony corals. A trachyphyllia from up near Vietnam will likely be adjusted to a substantially different environment than an Australian euphyllia yet it is not uncommon to see both specimens in one tank.
Further more it is common for people to assume that the natural environment is the ideal environment. The problem is that this is not necessarily true. For example consider instances of invasive species such as the "jumping carp" found in the Mississippi that are native to the opposite side of the globe yet are currently taking over the native species habitat.
So IMO the best answer to this question is somewhere in the 7-11 range. In this range your aquarium will have significant buffering capacity without being substantially different than the environment it is pulled from. Too low and you can't buffer and will have other issues as well as there not being enough carbonate for exoskeleton formation. Too high and you run the risk of precipitating calcium carbonate out of your system throwing everything out of wack, and you likely irritate your corals as their gradient will be much harder to maintain making it difficult to properly create calcium carbonate.
However, once in this range the most important thing you can do is keep it constant. All the rambling earlier about natural environments not necessarily being ideal was to make the point that organisms adapt to their environment within reason. Adaptation is substantially more difficult in a fluctuating environment.
Ill leave you with this analogy. A person can adjust to live comfortably in both Texas and Colorado but not Antartica.
