ryanr
- #1
HI everyone,
Welcome to Part 2 of my Saltwater adventure.
For those that have read Part 1, welcome to the next step in my journey, for those that haven't read it: Starting a Saltwater System - Part 1 - Where to start (Research)
In Part 1, I covered the fundamental research that I undertook before starting my tank... To re-cap, I researched:
The Reefs of the World
- Appreciating the scale of the project
- What Makes a Reef
Reef Life
- Anemones
- Corals
- Fish
Deciding on a Setup
- Reef
- FOWLR
- FO
So by now, you've probably chosen what sort of setup you would like to keep.
The next step in the process was understanding how to bring this diverse eco-system into the home.
How do we simulate the Reef environment in the home?
Note: By reef, I mean the ocean, but given all marine fish typically come from a reef, it's easier to cover the generics of the reef environment
So Step 1, Water Chemistry
I put Water Chemistry at the top, because without first understanding this, it's kind of hard to get your head around the rest.
Natural Sea Water is a somewhat complex composition of many elements.
There are the standard elements that most Freshwater keepers are familiar with, pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and carbonate hardness (KH). KH is often referred to as alkalinity in the marine environment.
But what separates Saltwater from Freshwater is.......... SALT, and we're not talking aquarium salt, it's natural salt. Enter terms such as Specific Gravity (SG), salinity, conductivity <and to be honest, I forget the rest>, but essentially, all of these terms refer to 'how much salt there is'
Specific Gravity - is a 'generic' measurement of how 'heavy' the water is. It is a chemistry term used to measure the weight of any liquid, and is often used as a comparison for quality/purity of a liquid. But I digress, in the marine environment, we use SG to 'measure' how much salt is in the water. But what does it mean
- Pure water has a specific gravity (SG) of 1.000, it basically means that 1 litre of water weighs 1kg
- Natural Sea Water <typically> has a specific gravity of 1.026 - meaning that 1 litre of NSW actually weighs 1.026kg - Salt water is heavier than pure water!
Salinity - is a 'generic' measurement of the 'concentration' of salt in the water. Measured in ppt (parts per thousand).
- Pure water has a salinity of.... you guessed it... 0
- Natural Sea Water has a salinity of approx 33-34ppt. This means that for each litre of water, there is 33 to 34 grams of salt.
Note There is fairly consistent and accurate correlation of SG to Salinity
Conductivity - is measurement of the water's ability to conduct electricity, but to be honest, I didn't research this too much. SG and salinity were enough for me.
So which measurement is better? Well, conductivity is said to be the ultimate measurement, but it's more expensive to test, salinity is quite accurate, and SG is also a good guide. Ultimately, it comes down to the equipment you use. I highly recommend a refractometer, which can test both SG and salinity.
OK, so now we've covered the basics of Saltwater chemistry, let's look at all the other things you've read about. Most of these, in fact all of these, really only apply to a Reef system.
Corals depend upon 3 primary elements, Magnesium (Mg), Alkalinity (KH) and Calcium (Ca), and can be sensitive to Phosphates (PO4) as well as some of the trace elements such as Strontium (Sr), Iron (Fe) and a few others - to be honest, I only worry about the 3 primaries (for now). If you've decided on a FOWLR setup, then these are not important to you, but for a reef keeper, understanding your corals requirements for these elements is important
Testing Equipment
Ok, so now we have a base understanding of Saltwater chemistry, what testing equipment do I need?
Well, similar to Freshwater you should have:
High Range ph (must go into the 8's), Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrates
You will also need some way of measuring salt content. A hyrdrometer is a good guide, but can be inaccurate, so I recommend a refractomer. Testing conductivity is not necessary for most.
For reef keepers, you should also consider adding to your testing arsenal:
KH, Magnesium, Calcium and High Resolution Nitrate (capable of sub 5ppm) and High Resolution Phosphate (for Phosphate, I recommend the Hanna Checker)
Welcome to Part 2 of my Saltwater adventure.
For those that have read Part 1, welcome to the next step in my journey, for those that haven't read it: Starting a Saltwater System - Part 1 - Where to start (Research)
In Part 1, I covered the fundamental research that I undertook before starting my tank... To re-cap, I researched:
The Reefs of the World
- Appreciating the scale of the project
- What Makes a Reef
Reef Life
- Anemones
- Corals
- Fish
Deciding on a Setup
- Reef
- FOWLR
- FO
So by now, you've probably chosen what sort of setup you would like to keep.
The next step in the process was understanding how to bring this diverse eco-system into the home.
How do we simulate the Reef environment in the home?
Note: By reef, I mean the ocean, but given all marine fish typically come from a reef, it's easier to cover the generics of the reef environment
- Water Chemistry
- Filtration, Nutrient Export & Flow
- Lighting <more important for reefs>
So Step 1, Water Chemistry
I put Water Chemistry at the top, because without first understanding this, it's kind of hard to get your head around the rest.
Natural Sea Water is a somewhat complex composition of many elements.
There are the standard elements that most Freshwater keepers are familiar with, pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and carbonate hardness (KH). KH is often referred to as alkalinity in the marine environment.
But what separates Saltwater from Freshwater is.......... SALT, and we're not talking aquarium salt, it's natural salt. Enter terms such as Specific Gravity (SG), salinity, conductivity <and to be honest, I forget the rest>, but essentially, all of these terms refer to 'how much salt there is'
Specific Gravity - is a 'generic' measurement of how 'heavy' the water is. It is a chemistry term used to measure the weight of any liquid, and is often used as a comparison for quality/purity of a liquid. But I digress, in the marine environment, we use SG to 'measure' how much salt is in the water. But what does it mean
- Pure water has a specific gravity (SG) of 1.000, it basically means that 1 litre of water weighs 1kg
- Natural Sea Water <typically> has a specific gravity of 1.026 - meaning that 1 litre of NSW actually weighs 1.026kg - Salt water is heavier than pure water!
Salinity - is a 'generic' measurement of the 'concentration' of salt in the water. Measured in ppt (parts per thousand).
- Pure water has a salinity of.... you guessed it... 0
- Natural Sea Water has a salinity of approx 33-34ppt. This means that for each litre of water, there is 33 to 34 grams of salt.
Note There is fairly consistent and accurate correlation of SG to Salinity
Conductivity - is measurement of the water's ability to conduct electricity, but to be honest, I didn't research this too much. SG and salinity were enough for me.
So which measurement is better? Well, conductivity is said to be the ultimate measurement, but it's more expensive to test, salinity is quite accurate, and SG is also a good guide. Ultimately, it comes down to the equipment you use. I highly recommend a refractometer, which can test both SG and salinity.
OK, so now we've covered the basics of Saltwater chemistry, let's look at all the other things you've read about. Most of these, in fact all of these, really only apply to a Reef system.
Corals depend upon 3 primary elements, Magnesium (Mg), Alkalinity (KH) and Calcium (Ca), and can be sensitive to Phosphates (PO4) as well as some of the trace elements such as Strontium (Sr), Iron (Fe) and a few others - to be honest, I only worry about the 3 primaries (for now). If you've decided on a FOWLR setup, then these are not important to you, but for a reef keeper, understanding your corals requirements for these elements is important
Testing Equipment
Ok, so now we have a base understanding of Saltwater chemistry, what testing equipment do I need?
Well, similar to Freshwater you should have:
High Range ph (must go into the 8's), Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrates
You will also need some way of measuring salt content. A hyrdrometer is a good guide, but can be inaccurate, so I recommend a refractomer. Testing conductivity is not necessary for most.
For reef keepers, you should also consider adding to your testing arsenal:
KH, Magnesium, Calcium and High Resolution Nitrate (capable of sub 5ppm) and High Resolution Phosphate (for Phosphate, I recommend the Hanna Checker)