Reef Chemistry Cheat Sheet

[steve-s]

A lack of a DI resin. RO unto itself will not remove either P or Si type elements. If you have a DI then either it needs replacing (confirm with a TDS) or from the foods fed. In regards to the P specifically, it will be in a continuous flux between organic and inorganic. Not sure but I doubt Si would continue in the same fashion but Boomer could answer that.

Cheers
Steve

 

[sihaya]

No, I have DI too... and I've all but stopped feeding the tank. I don't know what's going to get rid of this stuff. I've never had it before. Personally, I think it's just because I had to replace the sand bed recently due to the fact that my tank leaked and I had to get a new tank.

 

[Boomer]

Almost all forms of aragonite will have some PO4. On ther avg. it is about 1-5 ppm / 2.2 lbs . That is not much at all and dont' forget it has to be leached out of the aragonite. It is more of an issue of PO4 being attracted to the carbonates surface. And PO4 likes fresh carbonate surfaces.

Most of your PO4 problems more than likely are from organic phosphates being used or converted to PO4. Foods are loaded with the stuff, much more than carbonates.

The brown snot. The issue is it dino's or diatoms.

Sand bed. Did you rinse it well or leave it with all the fines ?

Try not to get lost on the issue or claim that 0 PO4 or 0 Si means no algae problems. Diatoms usally come and go with new media. It is a sink for them to grow on.

Silica in a Reef Tank
http://advancedaquarist.com/issues/jan2003/feature.htm

Phosphorus: Algae's Best Friend
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/iss...pt2002/chem.htm

There will be a new Phosphate article ot shrotly

 

[sihaya]

Almost all forms of aragonite will have some PO4. On ther avg. it is about 1-5 ppm / 2.2 lbs . That is not much at all and dont' forget it has to be leached out of the aragonite. It is more of an issue of PO4 being attracted to the carbonates surface. And PO4 likes fresh carbonate surfaces.

Yeah, I know PO4 likes aragonite. But this stuff is growing over everything (even ontop of other algae!) ::sigh:: Kinda a sad sight really...

I do understand that measuring 0 PO4 doesn't mean no algae problems. In fact, I bet a lot of the time, the 0 PO4 is BECAUSE of the algae sucking it all up. lol

The thing that irritates me though is that I never had algae problems before this! Sure I got a little hair algae here and there like everyone else, but it never became a nuisence. So I'm pretty convinced it has something to do with the new sand bed (for one reason or another). Right now I'm just trying to keep sucking up as much of it as I can. I figure if I don't feed the tank and just keep pulling it out, it will deplete whatever is making it grow...

But, oh well, at least my clams are really happy.

Right now I'm just trying to suck up

 

[MCary]

Not to nit pick but pH is "potential of hydrogen" not "power of hydrogen"

 

[steve-s]

Not to nit pick but pH is "potential of hydrogen" not "power of hydrogen"

Incorrect, it is actually power of hydrogen derived from the french term pouvoir hydrogène.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PH

Cheers
Steve

 

[MCary]

"The concept was introduced by S.P.L. Sørensen in 1909, and is purported to mean "pondus hydrogenii" in Latin. However, most other sources attribute the name to the French term pouvoir hydrogène. In English, pH can stand for "hydrogen power," "power of hydrogen," or "potential of hydrogen."All of these terms are technically correct."

My bad. Since you tryed to prove me wrong, I'll never post here again!

Just kidding,

Mike

 

[steve-s]

LOL ... skewered by my own link. That'll teach me to read properly. :lol:

Cheers
Steve

 

[Boomer]

Well, I see you two worked it out so I'll shut up but we like to use the term "power" as we are deal wtih -log^10 base powers, 1^-1, 10 ^-2, etc.

i.e., .1, .01, .001, .0001, etc., each being by a power of 10. A pH of 7 = .0000001 moles of H+, pH 3 = .001 moles H+, etc. and actually it is really not H + but H3O+

Something to read

http://trevorcroll.tripod.com/health/ph.htm

 

[sihaya]

Well, I see you two worked it out so I'll shut up but we like to use the term "power" as we are deal wtih -log^10 base powers, 1^-1, 10 ^-2, etc.

i.e., .1, .01, .001, .0001, etc., each being by a power of 10. A pH of 7 = .0000001 moles of H+, pH 3 = .001 moles H+, etc. and actually it is really not H + but H3O+

Something to read

http://trevorcroll.tripod.com/health/ph.htm

Nicely put.

 

[Boomer]

I forgot, a good way to remeber this. A pH of 7 means you have 7 numbers and all the numbers are 0 but the last one which is a 1. A pH of 3 means you have 3 numbers, all the numbers are 0 accept the last one which is 1. So, a pH of 3 means we have .001 or 1/1000 of a mole and 1 mole = 6.023 x 10^23 "things", in this case H+/H30 ions, so .001 x 6.023x10^23 atoms of H+ in 1 l of water.

Not this mole

 

[sihaya]

LOL That's a cute mole!