Bebo77
Premium Nonpaying Member
just saw this in the "reef chemistry" forum.. sounds cool...
http://www.natureef.com/
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1180164
http://www.natureef.com/
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1180164
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10651369#post10651369 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by HowardW
Ok, I just got back my results! Here they are:
Ammonia (NH3-4)
Natural Seawater Value: 0.010 mg/l
Acceptable Range: 0.000 to 0.050 mg/l
Tested: 0.010 mg/l
Your ammonia levels are within the recommended values. We recommend staying with the current feeding and stocking levels. Be sure to maintain a good schedule of water changes and additives. Ammonia levels can rise after the addition of new animals, after a water change, or after the changing of food diet. Any ammonia level above 0.05 mg/l is a cause for concern, and the source should be found and corrected.
Nitrite (NO2)
Natural Seawater Value: 0.010 mg/l
Acceptable Range: 0.000 to 0.100 mg/l
Tested: 0.003 mg/l
Your nitrite values are within the acceptable range. We recommend continuing with your current maintenance and feeding schedules. Residual levels of nitrite are common in marine aquariums. Levels of 0.05 or less are of little concern. If the levels are higher than this, the source should be found and corrected.
Nitrate (NO3)
Natural Seawater Value: 0.050 mg/l
Acceptable Range: 0.000 to 25 mg/l
Tested: 0.910 mg/l
Your nitrate values are within acceptable parameters. Be sure to maintain correct stocking and feeding levels, as well as a regular water change schedule. Nitrate is not toxic in and of itself, but a rising level is indicative of deteriorating water conditions, and any level above 5.0 mg/l in reef aquariums is a reason for concern.
Phosphate (PO4)
Natural Seawater Value: 0.030 mg/l
Acceptable Range: 0.000 to 0.250 mg/l
Tested: 0.041 mg/l
Your phosphate levels are within acceptable parameters. We recommend continuing the current maintenance and water change schedule. The use of a phosphate absorbing resin is recommended to keep phosphate levels below 0.05 mg/l.
Silica (Sio2-3)
Natural Seawater Value: 0.040 mg/l
Acceptable Range: 0.000 to 0.500 mg/l
Tested: 3.747 mg/l
Your silicate level is too high. We recommend that you use a deionization resin for your make-up/top-off water. You may also use a commercially available phosphate absorber, as these will also remove some silicate. Silicate is required by many types of sponges for growth/reproduction, but will also encourage brown diatom algae growth. Any level above 0.3 mg/l may cause a diatom bloom in the aquarium.
Potassium (K)
Natural Seawater Value: 390 mg/l
Acceptable Range: 350 to 450 mg/l
Tested: 398 mg/l
Your potassium level is within the acceptable range. We recommend continuing with your current water change and chemical additive schedule. Potassium is an important constituent of seawater, being found in almost the same concentration as calcium. Potassium is important for neurological functions in fishes, as well as being a critical plant nutrient required by zooxanthellae and macro algae.
Calcium (Ca)
Natural Seawater Value: 400 mg/l
Acceptable Range: 350 to 450 mg/l
Tested: 464 mg/l
Your calcium levels are too high. We recommend that you suspend any calcium additions until the level stabilizes. If you have a calcium reactor, it may need to be adjusted. You may also need to adjust the alkalinity of the water. Maintaining the correct calcium levels is critical to the growth of corals and coralline algae. Fish also require calcium to maintain their health. High levels of calcium can cause dangerous fluctuations in other important elements, as well as in the alkalinity and pH of the water.
Boron (B)
Natural Seawater Value: 4.6 mg/l
Acceptable Range: 3.0 â€"œ 6.0 mg/l
Tested: 11.374 mg/l
Your boron (as borate) levels are too high. We recommend the suspension of any buffer containing borate salts until levels stabilize. You may also wish to perform a partial water change. Borate is an important part of the water buffering system, and it helps keep calcium levels stable. An overabundance of borate can cause dangerous fluctuations in alkalinity and pH, as well as causing inaccurate calcium test readings.
Molybdenum (Mo)
Natural Seawater Value: 0.100 mg/l
Acceptable Range: 0.080 to 0.120 mg/l
Tested: 0.311 mg/l
Your molybdenum level is too high. We recommend a partial water change to reduce this level. You should also suspend the use of any additives containing molybdenum. Molybdenum is important for the biological processes of bacteria, and may be of some benefit to corals as well. High levels of molybdenum are known to encourage blooms of slime algae or cyanobacteria.
Strontium (Sr)
Natural Seawater Value: 8.1 mg/l
Acceptable Range: 5.0 to 12.0 mg/l
Tested: 5.490 mg/l
Your strontium levels are within the acceptable range of values. We recommend continuing with your current additive schedules. Strontium is important to coral growth, as they incorporate strontium ions into their skeletal mass, particularly SPS corals. It is also important to coralline algae growth.
Magnesium (Mg)
Natural Seawater Value: 1280 mg/l
Acceptable Range: 1100 to 1400 mg/l
Tested: 1277 mg/l
Your values are within the acceptable range. We recommend staying with your current water change and additive schedule. Magnesium is a very important part of the water buffering system, and is incorporated into coral skeletons. It is also critical to any photosynthetic processes.
Iodine (I¯)
Natural Seawater Value: 0.060 mg/l
Acceptable Range: 0.030 to 0.090 mg/l
Tested: 0.106 mg/l
Your Iodine levels are too high. We recommend a reduction in chemical additives containing Iodine. You may also wish to reduce the feeding of any shellfish-type, or red-algae based foods, and increase protein skimming. Iodide is known to be required by many soft corals, marine macro algae, and is a component of many of the colorful pigments in stony corals. Iodine is a strong oxidizer however, and an overabundance can damage coral tissues, and has been implicated in algal blooms.
Copper (Cu++)
Natural Seawater Value: 0.030 mg/l
Acceptable Range: 0.000 to 0.030 mg/l
Tested: 0.036 mg/l
Your copper levels are too high. We recommend the use of activated carbon to reduce this level. You should also use only RO/DI water for make-up/top-off water, as most copper that gets into tanks comes from copper water pipes in the home. It is also an ingredient in many fish medications. Copper is an important trace mineral for metabolic processes in many marine organisms. However, levels above 0.05 are toxic to almost all invertebrates and some fish species.
Alkalinity (dkh)
Natural Seawater Value: 2.5 meq/l
Acceptable Range: 2.5 to 5.0 meq/l
Tested: 2.657 meq/l
Your alkalinity is within acceptable values. We recommend continuing with your current water change and buffering schedule. Maintaining an appropriate alkalinity is crucial to maintaining a healthy aquarium. A fluctuating alkalinity will lead to serious problems in maintaining an appropriate pH, as well as problems keeping calcium and magnesium levels within required parameters.
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