Red Sea MAX - Feeding and Nutrition; Feeding Guidelines

Red Sea MAX User Manual
The first chapter discussed water temperature and salinity. To
monitor the other parameters, the Red Sea MAX Starter Kit
provides you with the Red Sea Marine Lab, consisting of test
kits for:
• Ammonia
• Nitrite
• Nitrate
• pH
• Alkalinity
• Calcium Pro
Red Sea also offers test kits for phosphate, silicate and
magnesium. Contact your local fish store for details.
pH
Several factors contribute to the importance of monitoring
your marine aquarium's pH level. Chief among them is that
aquatic organisms thrive only within a certain range that
varies from organism to organism. Changes in pH affect
fundamental processes in many marine organisms, such as
calcification, or the deposition of calcium carbonate skeletons.
pH levels should remain in the 8.2-8.4 range for a reef
aquarium.
pH may drop during daylight for several reasons:
• Excessive CO
2
• Alkalinity decreases
• Excessive nitrification
• Organic matter buildup
If you detect other indications of organic matter buildup,
consider reducing the food quantity and partially changing the
water.
Alkalinity
Alkalinity means the amount of acid required to lower the pH,
as well as indicates the store of bicarbonate (HCO
3
) and
carbonate (CO
3
) in the water.
Corals absorb bicarbonate, convert it to carbonate, and then
combine the carbonate with calcium to form calcium
carbonate skeletons. The prevailing wisdom among marine
biologists favors the notion that certain organisms calcify
more quickly at higher alkalinity than naturally occurs in
seawater. Bicarbonate intake thus becomes a limiting factor in
the calcification rate among many corals. This stems partially
from the fact that both photosynthesis and calcification
compete for bicarbonate, and the bicarbonate concentration
starts out low. For these reasons, coral reef husbandry
requires close attention to alkalinity. Without
supplementation, alkalinity levels will drop as corals consume
the bicarbonate. You should maintain alkalinity in the 2.4-4.5
meq/L (7-15 dKH) range. Higher levels, although they do not
adversely affect the coral, do increase the likelihood of
decreased calcium concentration.
For boosting alkalinity, use Red Sea Success Buff. Its unique
formula of carbonate and bicarbonate effectively increases
alkalinity to the desired levels.
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