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Part 4: What Chemicals Must be Monitored to Prevent Buildup.Part 2: What Chemicals Must be Supplemented.The “How To” Guide to Reef Aquarium Chemistry for Beginners
MARINE AQUARIUM 3 VS 3.3 FULL
The full set of articles in this series is expected to include:
MARINE AQUARIUM 3 VS 3.3 HOW TO
This article focuses on what pH ranges are appropriate in coral reef aquaria, what factors tend to drive pH away from normal, what happens to a coral reef aquarium if its pH deviates from natural levels, and how to best control an aquarium's pH. While plenty of chemical mathematics is used to determine some of the interrelationships between various water parameters (such as atmospheric carbon dioxide, alkalinity and pH), this article assumes that most beginning aquarists are better off focusing on the answers, rather than how they are found. This article will describe pH in a more intuitive way (as opposed to a more mathematical way, as in previous articles). To many it is almost a black box measurement: something to be controlled, but whose physical meaning makes little sense to them. Unfortunately for many aquarists, pH is not something that they have much experience with aside from their aquarium and perhaps a swimming pool. For example, water changes almost never solve low pH problems, even 100% water changes. It also turns out that the answers may surprise many beginning aquarists. Consequently, the ways of dealing with various sorts of pH problems are very well understood on a scientific basis. It is well understood, for example, what effect most chemicals have on seawater's pH, how carbon dioxide in the air impacts aquarium pH, how aeration impacts aquaria's daily pH swing, what buffers do and how, etc. Even pH can be debated to some extent, with questions such as, “What pH is best?” Many questions relating to pH, however, leave little room for scientific debate. Aquarists can and do readily debate which foods, lights, water flow regimes, temperatures, filtration, etc., are most appropriate for a coral reef aquarium. Unlike many other areas of coral reef aquarium husbandry, and even other chemistry related issues, pH is one whose answers are often especially clear cut. This third article deals with issues related to aquarium pH.
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The second article focused on which additives are necessary and useful, and which may not be. The first article in this series focused on issues related to the saltwater used in a coral reef aquarium, including selecting salt mixes, measuring salinity and purifying tap water. Those issues that are important to understand are much more straightforward and can be solved without excessive anxiety. Fortunately for hobbyists, knowing the answers to these questions is rarely important to keeping a wonderful reef aquarium. Some of these issues are actually very complicated, and the answers to many questions are simply not known. New aquarists are bombarded with a huge assortment of issues and opinions related to aquarium husbandry practices, and none seems to cause more anxiety than chemistry issues. Its primary purpose is to get new aquarists to focus on those aspects of reef aquarium chemistry that are truly important, instead of on those that are not. This article is the third in a series that deals with coral reef aquarium chemistry issues on a basic and practical level.
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The “How To” Guide to Reef Aquarium Chemistry for Beginners,