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Dave VG
10/08/2007, 06:11 PM
Exactly what is considered to be stable parameters? What I mean is 380 to 450 is what they say to keep calcium at and 8 to 12 dkh for alk etc. How much variance in these numbers is considered stable? 1 to 2 dkh for alk, 50 to 100 ppm for calcium or is anything in-between the numbers above?

nwrogers
10/09/2007, 01:49 PM
That is a tough but good question Dave. I am not sure why you are not getting a response but it may be that no one wants to stick there neck out there or maybe no one is really sure. Water chemistry has never been my strongest subject when it comes to reef aquaria but I can share some anecdotal evidence from my past experiences. Take it for what it is worth…

I think giving an answer to your question of what is an acceptable variance for alk and calcium is hard. There are so many variable like other stress factors, the species you are trying to keep, the time between fluctuations, etc. I would recommend trying to find your calcium and alk demands over the next few weeks/months and to not worry to much about any fluctuations in water parameters. Until you find out what your tanks demands are for calcium and alk it is going to difficult to keep those parameters stable. Start with an amount and dose it for two weeks. Test it at the same time twice a week and compare the four results over the two weeks. If the fourth result is lower than the first increase the amount you are dosing. Keep doing this until you are at an amount you are happy with and it is staying the same between tests. Then you can test less often and your parameters will be stable. Make sure to dose everyday and you will find over time with a little testing and experimentation your levels with stabilize. How important is it for them to be stable? Well in my experience having levels that are not stable will not kill a coral but it can greatly reduce its growth rate. Once you dial in your calcium and alk demands you will see your coral’s growth explode. Until then they will stay alive but they will just grow really slow. Just my experiences. Good luck!

Dave VG
10/10/2007, 04:54 AM
Thank you nate. I have been keeping a log for about two weeks. So i guess i'm on the right track and just need keep logging and adjusting.