Reef chemistry

[jdavid]

I'm trying to better understand calcium, magnesium, alkalinity, and PH. Soon I am going to have 2 BRS dosing pumps and I need to go get some decent test kits as well. I just read an article on kalkwasser that just about made my brain explode.. But that's okay, because I remember feeling the same way about reading an article about ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates six months ago.

Hopefully this thread can benefit others as well!

I would appreciate any attempts to explain to me how to dose what and why. I do understand that the goal is to have calcium, magnesium, and alkalinity all within acceptable ranges and stable, while maintaining a reasonable PH.. But that's about it.

If you would like to provide links, that's fine too.

Thanks

 

[picoreefguy]

i dont fully understand the relationship between the three but i do know that magnesium keeps the calcium and alk from bonding together and precipitaing out of solution before the coral can get to it. so if your magnesium level is out of whack than you will have problems with cal and alk and most likely ph as well. hope i helped a little

 

[jdavid]

I have a feeling that most people don't fully understand this

Edit: Okay so magnesium needs to be maintained in order to keep alk and Ca stable. Alkalinity serves as a PH buffer, and calcium is needed for corals to grow.

Edit: Once someone can simplify the relationship between calcium alkalinity and magnesium then we can move on to the many methods of maintaining the appropriate levels. From what I understand there are many different ways, and the calcium reactor seems to be the ultimate and preferred method. But I would like to focus on dosing as well

 

[ralph atl]

Randy states it best, IMHO

 

[tbub1221]

I'm unclear myself somewhat on this .
what iv taken from it is that calcium is absorbed more efficiently when magnesium levels are higher (same way people with calcium deficiency take magnesium supplements with calcium pills) nd absorbs best in reef conditions under proper reef parameters .
exactly how alk fits the equation except that its just the same information I have been told and read everywhere.
I'd immagin the ideal parameters we target are found in the most healthy reefs .
but as for the steps eacother takes to help the other bond or absorbe or whatever it does.
I'll be following along on this in hopes of a better understanding .

 

[tbub1221]

mysterybox;909498 wrote: Randy states it best, IMHO


http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-06/rhf/index.php">http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-06/rhf/index.php</a>[/QUOTE]
This was very informative and did answer my questions as to why we measure certain levels and what they effect.
especially figures #9&10 and the bit on magnesium.

 

[jdavid]

I do think that article is going to be very essential to my full comprehension of Ca, alk, mag, and pH.But I definitely did not retain it all the first couple reads... But while I was reading it, it seemed to make sense

 

[tbub1221]

JDavid;909508 wrote: I do think that article is going to be very essential to my full comprehension of Ca, alk, mag, and pH.But I definitely did not retain it all the first couple reads... But while I was reading it, it seemed to make sense

Lol tell me about it , that bit in the middle About Solubility of Simple Solids and Supersaturation of a Simple Solid
I got a little (A D D) on that part .

 

[hiimsean]

mysterybox;909498 wrote: Randy states it best, IMHO


http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-06/rhf/index.php">http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-06/rhf/index.php</a>[/QUOTE]


When I started reef keeping, and now even, I referenced this a lot.

A big question is do you need to dose? What are your readings during after a water change vs before? BRS has a lot of good tools for calculating dosing amounts for different additives.

 

[stacy22]

RHF is "the</em>" reef chemistry expert. I have many of his articles in a desktop folder on my laptop.