Fish only tank,,do i need to worry about alk,dkh,mag,cal?

khoivo1 · 06/12/2007, 07:54 AM

hi there,,,just wonder if i need to worry about this thing or any of those so i can buy tester for it and study more about it,,i only want fish only tank,,thanks
90g tanks mag350filter ,wet and dry filter ,,tuzne skimmer

WaterKeeper · 06/12/2007, 08:18 AM

You definitely want to control alkalinity as, if it goes out of range, you will also have pH problems. Neither calcium nor magnesium is important to a FO tank as long as you maintain salinity at the proper level.

khoivo1 · 06/12/2007, 08:19 AM

my alk now is 5.3 is this too hight? what range is for alk do you know??thanks

WaterKeeper · 06/12/2007, 08:35 AM

That depends on what units you are talking about. It is a slight bit high if you are using meq/L (range 2-4 meq) but somewhat low if it is dKH (range 7-11dKH).

DaltonJames · 06/12/2007, 09:14 AM

just do the test just to make sure i think

JCURRY@WESKETCH · 06/12/2007, 10:29 AM

alk, dkh, mag, cal are all important and should be maintained at the proper levels even in a FO tank. The good thing is since you won't have corals to deplete those elements very quickly regular water changes should be enough to maintain the proper levels.

kevin2000 · 06/12/2007, 10:46 AM

I agree with Waterkeeper ... keep an eye on alk and forget the calc and mag.

khoivo1 · 06/12/2007, 12:21 PM

thanks

WaterKeeper · 06/13/2007, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by JCURRY@WESKETCH
alk, dkh, mag, cal are all important and should be maintained at the proper levels even in a FO tank.

J,

I really have no knowledge of low Ca or Mg levels being that important to fish. I'm not saying that they may not be but have never heard of problems associated with incorrect levels. Do you have some info as to why they should be controlled?

rickh · 06/13/2007, 12:24 PM

Just do weekly water changes and you will be fine for everything but SPS. R

drummereef · 06/13/2007, 12:31 PM

There's no better time to learn about the relationship between alk, ca, and mag.

You say you don't want a reef, but fast forward a few months from now when you are eyeing that first coral in the lfs....

JCURRY@WESKETCH · 06/13/2007, 09:28 PM

Fish are very adaptable and can live in sub optimal conditions. I suspect that low Ca & Mg won't kill a fish, but the closer you can keep the parameters of your aquarium to the ocean the better off the inhabitants will be. Most "experts" will agree that your tanks parameters should match as closly as possible NSW. If your looking for references to printed material check out the writings of Borneman, Sprung, Schiemer and Farley to name a few.

06/12/2007, 07:54 AM	#1
khoivo1 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: snowta usa Posts: 748	Fish only tank,,do i need to worry about alk,dkh,mag,cal? hi there,,,just wonder if i need to worry about this thing or any of those so i can buy tester for it and study more about it,,i only want fish only tank,,thanks 90g tanks mag350filter ,wet and dry filter ,,tuzne skimmer

06/12/2007, 08:18 AM	#2
WaterKeeper Bogus Information Expert Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: SW Ohio Posts: 16,147	You definitely want to control alkalinity as, if it goes out of range, you will also have pH problems. Neither calcium nor magnesium is important to a FO tank as long as you maintain salinity at the proper level. __________________ "Leading the information hungry reefer down the road to starvation" Tom Current Tank Info: 130 Now out of service and a 29

06/12/2007, 08:35 AM	#4
WaterKeeper Bogus Information Expert Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: SW Ohio Posts: 16,147	That depends on what units you are talking about. It is a slight bit high if you are using meq/L (range 2-4 meq) but somewhat low if it is dKH (range 7-11dKH). __________________ "Leading the information hungry reefer down the road to starvation" Tom Current Tank Info: 130 Now out of service and a 29

06/13/2007, 12:31 PM	#11
drummereef Team RC Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: STL Posts: 14,754	There's no better time to learn about the relationship between alk, ca, and mag. You say you don't want a reef, but fast forward a few months from now when you are eyeing that first coral in the lfs.... __________________ -Brett 180g Marineland Starfire In-Wall 278 gallon system

06/12/2007, 08:19 AM	#3
khoivo1 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: snowta usa Posts: 748	my alk now is 5.3 is this too hight? what range is for alk do you know??thanks

06/12/2007, 09:14 AM	#5
DaltonJames Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: novi,MI Posts: 325	just do the test just to make sure i think

06/12/2007, 10:29 AM	#6
JCURRY@WESKETCH Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: North NJ Posts: 884	alk, dkh, mag, cal are all important and should be maintained at the proper levels even in a FO tank. The good thing is since you won't have corals to deplete those elements very quickly regular water changes should be enough to maintain the proper levels.

06/12/2007, 10:46 AM	#7
kevin2000 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 3,805	I agree with Waterkeeper ... keep an eye on alk and forget the calc and mag.

06/12/2007, 12:21 PM	#8
khoivo1 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: snowta usa Posts: 748	thanks

06/13/2007, 12:24 PM	#10
rickh Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Lost_in_Michigan Posts: 1,306	Just do weekly water changes and you will be fine for everything but SPS. R

06/13/2007, 09:28 PM	#12
JCURRY@WESKETCH Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: North NJ Posts: 884	Fish are very adaptable and can live in sub optimal conditions. I suspect that low Ca & Mg won't kill a fish, but the closer you can keep the parameters of your aquarium to the ocean the better off the inhabitants will be. Most "experts" will agree that your tanks parameters should match as closly as possible NSW. If your looking for references to printed material check out the writings of Borneman, Sprung, Schiemer and Farley to name a few.