Levels Required For Various Chemicals/compunds

[SimonReed]

Just wondering if anyone can come up with a list for me as to what level all the minerals/additives/compunds should be in a reef tank. Now i know someone is bound to ask what fish i got, or what type of system i have running, but that is irrelevant. I just need a list.

Things like calcium, phosphate, nitrate, nitrite etc etc..

[Cardi]

I figured out this list a while ago, comments please on how accurate it is...


Ideal Conditions:

NOTE: 1ppm = 1mg/L x current Specific Gravity

Ammonia (NH3)
0 ppm

Nitrite (NO2)
0 ppm

Nitrate (NO3-)
0 ppm is desired although 0 – 5 ppm is acceptable (NO3-N multiply by 4.4)

Temperature (deg co or deg fo)
27c (80f) is desired although is 23c-29c (75f - 85f) is acceptable. Do not change more than 3 deg per day.

Salinity (Specfic Gravity g/cm3)
1.024 is desired although is 1.020 – 1.026 is acceptable Do not change more than 1.001 per day.

pH
8.4 is desired although is 7.9 - 8.5 acceptable. Do not change more than 0.2 per day

Alkalinity (Carbonate Hardness KH)
2.5 – 4.2 meq/L (7 – 12 dKH or 125ppm – 600ppm CaCO3)

Calcium (Ca)
350 – 550 ppm Ca++

The last two are linked if one is high the other will be low ie: if Alkalinity was high then calcium would be likely be low. Vice versa if Calcium is high then alkalinity is likely to be low. Neither situation is bad as long as they remain within their maximums. Natural Seawater is 2.5 – 2.8meq/L with Calcium of 500ppm

Phosphate (PO4)
0 ppm is desired although 0 – 0.1ppm is acceptable. On Reefs I’s around 0.1-0.2 ppb (parts per billion) compared to natural seawater of 0.06ppm

Oxygen (O2)
7mg/L is desired although 6 – 7.5mg/L is acceptable.

Iodine
0.0ppm6 is desired although 0.02 – 1.2ppm is acceptable

Boron
4.4ppm is about the natural level

Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
0mg/L is desired although 0 - 2.0mg/L is acceptable

Iron (Fe)
Natural levels are 0.000006ppm. Although there appears no upper limit as such (within reason)

Silicates
Natural levels are around 2ppm

Magnesium
1280ppm is natural sea water

[SimonReed]

great, just what i was after !!

cheers !!

[reefclown]

Cardi, no direspect, but that 's utter bollu**s. It all depends on what your are keeping,where it comes from and what you/they believe. If it works don't knock it, if it don't then do some species research and experiment. There is NO GLOBAL FORMULA for closed systems, that's the beauty of nature and the hobby !


IMO, best not to lead people astray, better to lead them down the road to lustfull knowledge starvation.