THE BIG 3: Where to keep your Cal, Alk and Mag in your reef tank?

How important are keeping Calcium, Alkalinity & Magnesium numbers consistent for you?

  • All three are important to me

    Votes: 316 53.6%
  • Calcium and Alkalinity are all I really care about

    Votes: 104 17.6%
  • I really just watch my Calcium level

    Votes: 4 0.7%
  • I really just watch my Alkalinity level

    Votes: 146 24.7%
  • Other (please explain)

    Votes: 20 3.4%

  • Total voters
    590

revhtree

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Let's see where all the cool kids are keeping their BIG THREE levels at these days! Calcium, Alkalinity and Magnesium are often referred to as the BIG THREE and the most important trifecta of numbers that keep are corals healthy, happy and growing. Of course there is more to THAT story but it all starts with the trinity of reefing chemistry. Let's talk about it today!

1. What do the numbers look like for you when it comes to Calcium, Alkalinity and Magnesium? What's your target?

2. How important are these three numbers for you? Do you have a hard time keeping them consistent?



Tang Go's @Thank_Space amazing drop off reef shared via @Aquaforest
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Stoney

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I used to test all three weekly but now just Alk twice a week and Ca/Mg once every few months. Ca/Mg just vary so slowly (w/ 10% weekly wc) and have such a wide range of acceptable numbers that the corals dont seem to mind. Ca has settled out to slightly under 400ppm and Mg to 1200ppm.

I really wish auto testers like the trident would focus on Alk, PO4, and maybe NO3. Just seems like a waste to have Ca and Mg on an auto tester when they're so stable.
 

guylaga

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Alk gets tested at least twice a week, so long as that is tracking where I want it I'm happy since I dose Alk and Ca equally.

Will still test Ca and Mg twice a month or so just to make sure they are staying in-range.
 

unchaotic

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Watching Alk like a hawk now. Switched from FOWLR to mixed reef and my kalkwasser dosing was driving everything through the roof for the first two months or so. So I cut back and got relaxed on testing. My Alk plummeted and my Red Dragon acro started bleaching. Might have been ok if I'd have just left it alone but I fragged it and it all died in a few days.
 

elorablue

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All im concerned about right now are Alkalinity and PH. Test for those every 2 days. Alk kept at 8.7, PH 8.1 (trying to get that up)
calcium and magnesium I couldn't care less about because in my tank they're always around 500 and 1500 and never change, so I test those every 2 weeks or so.
 

Charlie’s Frags

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I monitor all 3 with my trident but don’t care if they are “rock solid stable” or not. I like them in certain ranges
Alk 7-9
Cal 450-500
Mag 1300-1400
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ScottB

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I answered alkalinity as the other two never move around regardless of how I dose (kalkwasser, 2-part, CaRx) the only thing that moves around is ALK.
 
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Stv

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Ca 420 - 425
Alk 8.5 - 8.8
Mg 1300 - 1350
Ph 7.8 - 8.0 want it to be around 8.3.
Going to make a diy C02 scrubber to ty and bring it up. Did the cap of water outside. It went from 7.81 to 8.19 in an hour.
I made one out of a 16oz water bottle and ran the intake off the back for fresh air from my skimmer. It made my ph problems go away permanently. 7.8 for months to 8.2 steady in a week. Everything is showing growth now and 30% livelier.
 

Mastering the art of locking and unlocking water pathways: What type of valves do you have on your aquarium plumbing?

  • Ball valves.

    Votes: 57 50.4%
  • Gate valves.

    Votes: 62 54.9%
  • Check valves.

    Votes: 25 22.1%
  • None.

    Votes: 28 24.8%
  • Other.

    Votes: 9 8.0%
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