Balanced Calcium and Balanced Alk?

[Cwazy Clown]

I'm using the reef chemistry calc and I have it set so that my alk goes from 7-9 and then it says the balanced calcium is at 425ppm. What does this mean?

 

[Chichas01]

I'm in the same boat. I believe 425 is the 'target' range with an alk of 9 dkh to more or less match NSW conditions. I think essentialy you need to pick either ca or alk as your target and then does accordingly. I think I've always been on the low side of alk so that was what I picked. I'm using the BRS supplements and now that I have my alk around 9, I dose small equal amounts of both daily.
Also, I read a thread recently that disturbed me a little because Boomer stated that the only test kit that test alk for saltwater correctly is Salifert and I've been using Elos. I'm ordering the Salifert kit to see if it tests differently.

 

[Boomer]

7-9 and then it says the balanced calcium is at 425ppm

It means that if you have x calcium you need or should have y Alk to go with it. So, chichas01 is about right. Lets pretend the corals use 20 ppm Ca++. When they did than they took 2.8 dKH with it to make CaCO3, what the hard coral skeleton is made of, i.e Aragonite. That 20 ppm calcium /2.8 dKH is called being balanced for calcium only.

You do not have to have 425, it is just a target but you should be somewhat close, i.e, 410 - 440 with a dKH of 7 -9