Calcium and Alkalinity

ohk....so i hear all this talk about people maintianing there alkalinity and calcium. i do not right now do that, i just do the normal nitrates, amonia etc. i want to start to to the calciums levels and alkalinity because i would liek to start trying to keep some sps..... like acropora.

can someone explain to me what i should buy for what, and is it just like testing nitrates, amonia etc. Where you would take some water drop some drops in and it will change colors ... good/bad, and then if its bad you would put some of whatever the chemical is you would need??

let me hear your input, it would really help........THANKS!!

 

First you need to buy testers for Cal and alk. Test it, depending on the result, then you either add or do nothing.

 

If you want to start a reef, you will need the following tests;
Dkh/Alk, Cal, Mag, PH, SR, SG, and temp. I personaly also like to test for No3

 

THanks for the info ....... cause right now i just test PH, TEMP, NITRATES, AMONIA. What does Sr and Sg stand for???

 

SR---strontium SG---specific gravity(salt)

 

You need to worry about the Magnesium too because it will be difficult to keep calcium and ALK stable without it.

 

The relationship of alk/calcium and magnesium can be misunderstood very easily so it would be best to read up about it.
The best reading I've found is in Randy's links on his Reef Chemistry sticky:
Reef Central Online Community - Reef Chemistry Articles
When you go to that page, scroll down to "common problems" and "calcium and alkalinity" for excellent information.

 

sps are for experienced reefers, you might want to try an easier coral until further research/learning is done

 

Yea or it will be an expensive lesson if your tank is not prepared for it. They take pristine water conditions and don't like parameters to fluctuate.