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Calcium / Alkalinity ratio? (1 Viewer)

dougers31

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Vikings rant, and Calcium / Alkalinity ratio?

I am wondering what my alk(meq/l) and mag. should be if my cal. is around 440ppm. Is there some sort of ratio I can go by? I think I remember someone saying something about some sort of calculator for it but can't remember where it is.

Thanks:goldfish:
 
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Your alk should be between 8-11, depending on the person and the tank. Calcium between 380-460ish, and magnesium should be as high as you can get it 1500+++

Think of alk/calc as a teeter totter, as one goes up, the other goes down, and with out the right supplementation they can get out of whack

HTH
 
Your alk should be between 8-11, depending on the person and the tank. Calcium between 380-460ish, and magnesium should be as high as you can get it 1500+++

Think of alk/calc as a teeter totter, as one goes up, the other goes down, and with out the right supplementation they can get out of whack

HTH

Are there any drawbacks to having mag at 1500+ or does everything stay balanced no matter what the mag is at?

I've heard that to be ionically(?) balanced calcium and alk should be at specific points (ex. 400cal / 3.0meq/l) The reason I ask is I am just starting to use two part and want to get everything perfect before starting a dosing regimine.

p.s. So if the vikes start playing well and looking good does that mean your avatar will start losing spots or his blue hair.......;)
 
Thanks David,

I just tested everything and as of right now I'm reading salifert cal.=455 / api =520? not sure which is more accurate(leaning towards salifert)

Alk(sea chem)=3.75meq/l

ph(sea chem)=8.15

mag(salifert)=1380
 
yeah, I don't know... I got a bad batch of alkalinity like almost 2 years ago, and then got a bad few calcium test kits.... What I heard is that Habib got really sick, and during his absence, things went down... not sure if that is true or not, just what I heard...
 
Are there any drawbacks to having mag at 1500+ or does everything stay balanced no matter what the mag is at?

I've heard that to be ionically(?) balanced calcium and alk should be at specific points (ex. 400cal / 3.0meq/l) The reason I ask is I am just starting to use two part and want to get everything perfect before starting a dosing regimine.

p.s. So if the vikes start playing well and looking good does that mean your avatar will start losing spots or his blue hair.......;)

Mag - This is the "bucket" that holds your Alk/Calcium, the higher the number, the bigger the "bucket" and the more stable those 2 will be. From everything I have been told, there are no drawbacks to having your mag that high.

As far as the vikes, I doubt it...they could go 16-0, then win the superbowl, and I would still think Chilly is a clown:gay1:
 
As far as the vikes, I doubt it...they could go 16-0, then win the superbowl, and I would still think Chilly is a clown:gay1:

After today I think I'm starting to agree with you:mad:

Run, run, pass, punt.......pretty complicated gameplan. Besides that and the fumbles, the ref's seem to still be stickin it to us.....that fourth and one play at the goaline was a joke, and if we would have gotten close to a TD late (before Gus got intercepted) I'm sure there would have been another phantom holding call or two to stop us from scoring. It's a conspiracy I tell ya! :biggrin:
 
Magnesium at natural saltwater levels will be fine. Anything higher is going to be negligible with buffering CA and Alk. Just not necessary to add the additional sulfates and chloride to raise it any higher plus takes more additives to get it that high. 1280-1300ppm range, you won't have any problems being able to elevate your CA and Alk levels to where you want them. Now if it were to fall below 1100ppm then that's when it becomes harder to elevate your CA/ALK.
 
You will see some of recommend keeping it higher. Some of us = lazy people. When we see it get below NSW we jack it up knowing it will be a while before it will get below NSW levels again. Some one less lazy or more of a tweaker will aim for NSW levels. There are some anecdotal reports that higher mag helps keep algae away... anecdotal as far as I know anyhow.
 

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