You don't have to worry about another password to remember. Plus, we'd never share your data or post anything on your behalf. UserName already exist. Email already exist. Successfully sent new password on your email! Email does not exist. Login Sign Up. Share this article on:. About author I have been in the hobby for a while, my main focus is automation. Guppies: 10 Things you should know Top 10 top-dwelling fish to fill to Can Someone Please ID API Test Strips. Not only is this the easiest option, but it is also one of the most affordable options to test alkalinity.
Just open the container, pull out a dipstick, and dip it in your water. Wait a period of time and compare the color on the alkalinity value to the color chart. Pros : Super Simple, inexpensive, easy to test, test 5 parameters at the same time Cons : You have to compare a color chart to determine the value, and it can be open to interpretation, will provide you with a range for the value. Super simple to run a test, I always have one of these test kist laying around.
Unlike the dipstick, you will see a sudden change in the color. Each drop is equal to one dKH. Aquaforest is well known in the industry and know for there labs grade products. This is the only test kit like this with two reagents, but they are simple to use. Pros : Trusted brand, great price, you can quickly run a test to get an idea of your alkalinity value Cons : The two reagents add an additional step to the process.
Super simple to run a test and the Salifer test kits are well known in the hobby. Pros : Trusted brand, you can quickly run a test to get an idea of your alkalinity value Cons : The two reagents add an additional step to the process. A well-designed test kit that makes it easy to perform most of the test using one hand.
The test is easy to run and made by a well know trusted source in the hobby, Red Sea. Unless you are an advanced aquarist maintaining a complicated reef system you can usually take care of trace elements with regular water changes. Dosing them is often problematic and unnecessary, and testing for trace elements can be expensive. If you do look into testing and potentially dosing trace elements, Potassium is considered the most important trace element in reef aquariums and likely the best place to start.
Back to login. Alkalinity is important in saltwater aquariums for a number of reasons. Proper alkalinity ppm or dKH is vital for coral calcification and skeletal formation; it prevents pH swings, alkalinity burn, coral bleaching, and tissue loss; and it improves equipment performance.
It is best to test for alkalinity weekly, or as needed depending on your dosing schedule, in order to maintain a healthy aquarium. Simply put, the greater the tank's alkalinity, the greater its ability to prevent rapid swings in pH.
Total alkalinity is the measurement of all bases in the water and can be thought of as the buffering capacity of water, or its ability to resist change in pH.
The most common and important base is carbonate. One dKH is equal to And it can feel overwhelming. If you want to focus on a particular water parameter, feel free to use the links below.
In a hurry? No problem: you can find handy charts of the top nine ideal reef tank parameters AND the other three reef aquarium water parameters! Alkalinity is a complex concept to describe because it revolves around scientific explanations.
We care about chemistry. Measuring alkalinity is a way to estimate the amount of bicarbonate available in the water. Bicarbonate is a vital molecular compound for the health of our reef tanks. Why is alkalinity important in a reef tank? Alkalinity impacts the pH of the water pH comes in as the sixth most important water parameter.
Therefore, you need to keep alkalinity in the appropriate range in a reef tank to ensure sufficient bicarbonate for your corals to grow. The ideal alkalinity for a reef tank is dkh. Perhaps more important than reaching a level within that range is trying to stay consistent once you find an alkalinity level that suits the inhabitants of your tank and is easy to maintain, based on your local water.
So do what you can to maintain stable alkalinity. Even if you are trying to get your alkalinity up, you will want to do so very, very gradually to avoid shocking any of the animals in your system.
That same chemical in your glass cleaner that helps make your glass shine and stay streak-free? Ammonia occurs naturally as a byproduct of the organic waste breaking down in your tank. Ammonia gets into your reef tank when your fish pee yes, normal biological functions apply to fish, too and when food and other biological components plants, live rock, etc.
The problem is ammonia is toxic waste in your aquarium. In chemical terms, ammonia is a base or a basic compound — the opposite of an acid. But while acids and bases are opposites, they cause a similar burn when they contact living things. The ammonia in your tank will burn your saltwater fish and corals and possibly kill them if high enough.
The good news is that a healthy, fully-functioning biological filter protects your tank by removing ammonia from your water. However, if you have detectable ammonia levels in your tank, it means your aquarium is too new it has not fully cycled yet.
Or you could have a problem with your biological filter. If your tank has fully cycled, there should be NO detectable levels of ammonia. Ammonia can burn your fish and corals. And at higher levels, it can be toxic. This is why there is no tolerance for this in a reef tank. The ideal ammonia level is ZERO.
Have you seen a milk commercial on television promoting calcium for good bone growth? For that reason, calcium ranks third as the most important of the ideal reef tank aquarium water parameters. So, to keep things simple, I generally think of the optimal reef tank calcium level to be about ppm.
The fourth most important water parameter for you to monitor in your reef tank is nitrate. Technically speaking, the presence of low levels of nitrates in your tank could be considered a good thing. It means your biological filter is working. News flash: you want that!
In a properly cycled aquarium, bacteria convert nitrogen waste often in the form of ammonia into nitrite. Then other bacteria turn that nitrite into nitrate. The problem crops up when your aquarium gets more crowded and mature. More and more nitrate gets generated, allowing the levels to climb. Small amounts of nitrogen in the nitrates get absorbed by certain soft corals or macroalgae. But it also acts as a fertilizer, boosting problem algae growth.
Nobody wants that! The animals in your tank will produce nitrates, but it also comes from the food you feed them, as well as from brine shrimp hatchery water.
If you are feeding live artemia to your tank, you should filter the water so as to only introduce the clean shrimp to the tank. Some invertebrates are intolerant of high nitrate levels.
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