Definitive Guide To Levels

[Crooked]

Hi Guys,

Those of you who have checked out the "Hello I'm New Forum" will know that I am awaiting delivery of my first reef system.

Whilst waiting I have been scouring the site for a table that outlines the ideal levels in a marine reef tank.

eg. Temp,SG,Calcium,Nitrate,Nitrite, Magnesium etc. etc. etc.

Is it there but I've missed it.

Obviously some levels have to be zero, but I was looking to compile a list.

Any one know the answers ?

Regards,

Andy B.

[Glenn@home]

the thing is most are defined by ranges eg temp anywhere bnetween 24 - 28C but you will find some higher and lower im sure.

Salinity should be 35ppt which equates to a sg of 1.026
Ca 385 - 450 ppm
Nitrite and nitrate tending towards zero.
Same for PO4
Ammonia must be zero before adding livestock
Magnesium 1250 - 1350 ppm or is ppt?
pH 8.3 is quoted as the ideal but many run slightly lower (7.9) up to 8.4 i believe.
Alk 7 - 11 dKH

HTH

Glenn

[elliot]

nitrite MUST be 0

e

[Crooked]

Originally posted by Glenn@home@Apr 22 2005, 19:29
the thing is most are defined by ranges eg temp anywhere bnetween 24 - 28C but you will find some higher and lower im sure.

Salinity should be 35ppt which equates to a sg of 1.026
Ca 385 - 450 ppm
Nitrite and nitrate tending towards zero.
Same for PO4
Ammonia must be zero before adding livestock
Magnesium 1250 - 1350 ppm or is ppt?
pH 8.3 is quoted as the ideal but many run slightly lower (7.9) up to 8.4 i believe.
Alk 7 - 11 dKH

HTH

Glenn
Cheers Glenn,

This is a great help,

maybe a definitive list should be in the FAQ's section ?

Andy B.

[kim]

Originally posted by Glenn@home@Apr 22 2005, 19:29
Magnesium 1250 - 1350 ppm or is ppt?

1,250 ppt would be a neat trick !

:lol:

kim

[elliot]

Originally posted by kim+Apr 22 2005, 20:01--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (kim @ Apr 22 2005, 20:01)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Glenn@home@Apr 22 2005, 19:29
Magnesium 1250 - 1350 ppm or is ppt?

1,250 ppt would be a neat trick !

:lol:

kim [/b][/quote]
where my buffer gone :huh:

e

[Cardi]

I posted this list a year ago or more perhaps, I'd dragged it together from all over the web but I make no statement of it being definitive....or even correct :lol:


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 it’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
0.06ppm 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 higher levels do not appear to be toxic

Silicates
Natural levels are around 2ppm

Magnesium
1280ppm is natural sea water

[xxmattyxx]

Originally posted by kim+Apr 22 2005, 21:01--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (kim @ Apr 22 2005, 21:01)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Glenn@home@Apr 22 2005, 19:29
Magnesium 1250 - 1350 ppm or is ppt?

1,250 ppt would be a neat trick !

:lol:

kim [/b][/quote]
:wacko:

[Glenn@home]

Tony et al

As long as both Ca and Alk are within the acceptable range outlined in my post and others there is no specific reason why having them in any particular relationship is better than any other according to rfh on Reef central.

Ideally since we want stability then it seems preferably to have all parameters in the middle of acceptable ranges that way we have some leeway before a particular value goes outside of an acceptable level.

other than that it doesnt matter as long as they are in their accpetable ranges.

HTH

Glenn

[Crooked]

Thanks Glenn,

With my limited experience and the information I have gathered over my 2 year research, a lot of what you are saying makes sense.

I am keen to establish my tank within these parameters.

regards,

Andy B.

[clippo]

my magnesium level is reading around 1500ppm (calcium 420ppm, KH 2.8meq/l) - I suppose this could be a dodgy reading, but just in case, are there any problems associated with a high mag level?

[elliot]

none that I have ever found...... have been up at 1500ppm several times ;)

e

[Glenn@home]

are there any problems associated with a high mag level

Well not until the water solidifies :lol:

As a point of interest if this is a valid reading why or how would the mg level rise this high? have you been adding anything to the tank which might cause this?


Glenn

[clippo]

I used to add Kent osmo-prep marine to my top-up RO water (1tsp per 5gals), but haven't done this for months now. I currently do a monthly water change using RO/DI plus Reefcrystals - for top-up I alternate between dripping kalk (made up of RO/DI plus Aquamedic Kalk powder) or just plain RO/DI (out on RO-Man 50gpd 4 stage unit - couple of months old). I am pretty sure the level has risen since starting to drip the kalk - I suspect either the Salifert kit is reading wrong, or could there be contamination in the kalk powder?

[Glenn@home]

Clippo

I must be honest and say I havent heard of Mg compunds being a signifcant contaminant of kalk powder before, since you are buying a brand name product i wouldnt expect this either.

Have you retested? if not perhaps that would be the 1st thing, if your still getting a reading this high then mayhbe get somoen else to do a check to make sure the kit is ok.

HTH

Glenn

[sas]

Hi

I would agree with Glenn, stability is the key. Better to run a constant non-fluctuating level.

The levels already listed by others are what you should aim for.

One thing Nitrite in salt water has no effect. This is a carry over from tropical keeping, where it is obviously a big problem. Salt effectively neutralises its detremental qualities.


Cheers Karl :thumbsup: