What is more important than food?

[Sk8r]

Water.
The parameters CANNOT be up and down. An autotopoff and either a controller---or a program of testing (so that you can re-dose before the reading exits the 'good' zone)---are mandatory.

If you're bouncing all over the place re alkalinity, your fish may lose the slime coat that protects them against parasites and bacteria (like having a scrape on your skin)...
If that happens, too, the water's ability to dissolve calcium for use is harmed.

If the calcium is low, corals and snails and clams ability to grow and fishy skeleton and muscle is all at risk.

If the magnesium is low, the alk won't stay stable. Honestly I don't know what magnesium is doing, but it seems to be useful in reactions that support gut and yes, water balance.

Take water quality as overwhelmingly important. So-so, 'fine', 'good' and your lfs doing the testing after you've shaken up the water and transported it in your car are not adequate.

 

[hkgar]

When it comes to ALK I have, sadly, very OCD. I test every day at 4:00 pm. I keep it at 7.5-7.8.

Mag, CA, NO3 and PO4 weekly. Iodine and Potassium monthly (just for kick, I virtually never have to add any).

 

[hkgar]

I should have added that I monitor sg with Apex and test weekly with a 35ppt calibrated refractometer. If it is needed I raise the sg of my ATO to bring to the desired level 34 ppt is my preference) over the 6 day 24 gallon cycle.

 

[air2mag]

SK8R, a while ago I found one of your posts about water parameters. You listed the parameters as follows; PH 8.3 - 9.3, CA 420 - 500, and MA 1300. Are those still "good" numbers? I am not looking to have tank of the week or anything like that. I just want my tank of water to be healthy for my critters.

 

[ReefsandGeeks]

SK8R, an informative write-up as always and well geared to newer hobbyists to take the complicatedness out of aquarium husbandry.

I'd like to add that what I believe is the order in which any corrections to water chemistry should be made. Hope I'm not stepping on your toes here SK8R:
First, your salinity needs to be correct before anything else. If your salinity is off, not only will it most affect your tank inhabitants, it will also alter your other readings and can cause you to dose unnecessarily causing more harm.
Second, check your Magnesium levels. magnesium levels are what make it possible to keep the calcium and alkalinity levels where they are supposed to me. If your Mag is low, than hitting your targets for Ca and Alk will not be possible. Knowing the detailed chemical reactions as to why this happens is not necessary as long as it's maintained.
Third, Check your Alkalinity. Alkalinity is arguably the most important of the parameters as it affects pH stability and fluctuates the most during normal coral growth.
Forth, Check Calcium. Calcium generally doesn't fluctuate as much as Alk does but is still important to keep in range.

If you check your parameters in this order, and make any corrections you need to make in this order as well, you should have no problems. Without getting into the chemistry details, adjusting the parameters in the wrong order can cause the other numbers to change and will be very frustrating.

 

[Dealseer]

When it comes to ALK I have, sadly, very OCD. I test every day at 4:00 pm. I keep it at 7.5-7.8.

Mag, CA, NO3 and PO4 weekly. Iodine and Potassium monthly (just for kick, I virtually never have to add any).

Just curious, why is that sad?

 

[Sk8r]

He's joking.
OTOH, once a week is generally enough if you have established a solid alk-cal-mg balance. That relationship, once set, can last for a month or longer, but testing weekly is prudent and smart.

And yes, the parameters Air2Mag lists are still good. If your tests show a number slipping up or down out of the 'zone' you go ahead and dose a supplement designed to stop the trend and restore balance. One of the biggest mistakes new hobbyists make is assuming there is a 'good' or 'ok' level and that you don't do anything until it's 'not ok'. No, no, no, no. You need to know HOW ok, and which way the numbers are trending. Keep a logbook of your test results, just a note, and when on Saturday last you see you tested alk as 8.5 and now it's 8.4, then it really is sinking, isn't it? THAT means check all your numbers, and in the wonders of chemistry, whenever your alk sinks like that, the culprit is your magnesium. You'll find it's sunk, too, below 1200. So boost that back to 1350, (always allow 8 hours for stuff to dissolve before testing again) and you'll find your alk stops dropping. It's ALL inter-related, and life is soooooo much easier once you get this aspect of the hobby under control. The way your outer skin protects you from infections, a fish's slime coat protects him; and bad water can just trash that coat and open him up to really nasty stuff he could otherwise resist. It's that important.

 

[hkgar]

I have a 180 SPS tank with a high demand for ALK. My tank uses about 2.2 dKH per day. I have been using a Calcium reactor and to slow it down a bit I have begun adding Kalk to my ATO (3.5 G/day). I test daily while trying to rebalance the reactor after starting the kalk.

I thought I had it balanced but after two days of 7.6 readings the next day it tested at 8.0.

 

[Sk8r]

Yes. When your tank is over 75 gallons and you have a high calcium demand (stony corals/clams) you are going to need a calcium reactor. Up to 75, you can usually get by just adding powdered lime (kalk) to your topoff water (2 tsp per gallon of fresh water topoff) If you are just starting out with corals, you may find 1 tsp per gallon is fine---for a while.

 

[Agostinone]

Sk8r--very sound advice.

For decades I was having mediocre results by relying on my weekly water changes and once a day or so top off of RODI. I came across a series of videos that really promoted testing for cal/all/mg (and dosing as needed) and using an ATO. I had thought ATO's were just a time saving automation, I didn't realize the positive impact that a consistent specific gravity has. I started testing/dosing and installed an ATO and was ecstatic with the results. Rather than coral just surviving they grew and multiplied and there colors improved.

 

[FamilyTank]

Thanks for taking the time, to put out such great info!

 

[air2mag]

Thanks SK8r. I have been keeping a log of every test I have done since I set up my new tank. APEX makes it really easy to spot tends and even overlay test results on a graph. I set the "limits" based on the numbers you put out to make sure everything stays steady.

 

[TokiHacker]

I have a 180 SPS tank with a high demand for ALK. My tank uses about 2.2 dKH per day. I have been using a Calcium reactor and to slow it down a bit I have begun adding Kalk to my ATO (3.5 G/day). I test daily while trying to rebalance the reactor after starting the kalk.

I thought I had it balanced but after two days of 7.6 readings the next day it tested at 8.0.

I'm setting up a 180 currently and I know I am going to have to look into dosing. With that said... how do you know how much is being used?

 

[hkgar]

If you aren't dosing anything then measure the ALK at a specific time then measure it again in 24 hours. Without dosing mine would drop from 7.8 to 5.6 in 24 hours.

If you are dosing see the caculator here. Part 3 Adjusting the reactor. Just enter 0 for all the reactor amounts and put in the amount of the product you do dose.

http://reef.diesyst.com/reactor/reactor.html

 

[heathlindner25]

I have a 40 breeder that uses .5 dkh a day

 

[hkgar]

I have a 40 breeder that uses .5 dkh a day

I am not sure why you are sad about that. Everyone's SPS tank (yours is SPS?) starts low and increases as things grow and multiply. Plus my tank is 180 so +4times the size of a 40B. So .5*4 is 2.0