Carbonate Hardness Levels??

Discussion in 'Water Chemistry' started by jasond56, Jun 1, 2006.

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  1. jasond56

    jasond56 Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

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    Oak Park, Illinois
    What exactly are Carbonate Hardness Levels? Where should they be for a marine tank which contains fish, live rock and inverts (no hard corals)? How do I check these levels?

    Thanks in advance!

    Jason D. :)
     
    jasond56, Jun 1, 2006
    jasond56, Jun 1, 2006
    #1

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  2. Diver_1298

    Diver_1298 Eyelash Blennie

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    Location:
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    The following is a quote from http://www.seachem.com/ test kit that I purchased from my LFS. I hope this answers some of your questions


    "Natural seawater has a total alkalinity of about 2.5 meq/L, of which about 0.1 – 0.2 meq/L is from borate. In an aquarium, it is advantageous for both pH control and improved calcium stability to have a higher borate content. This, however, should not be at the expense of carbonate. It is useful, then, to maintain a total alkalinity of about 4 – 5 meq/L with a borate component of about 1.5 – 2.0
    meq/L."



    Jim
     
    Diver_1298, Jun 4, 2006
    Diver_1298, Jun 4, 2006
    #2
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  3. jasond56

    jasond56 Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

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    Hey thanks! I'm going to have those levels checked tomorrow. Something funny is going on in my tank - maybe these levels are the culprit....
     
    jasond56, Jun 4, 2006
    jasond56, Jun 4, 2006
    #3