Free Chlorine - Kills microorganisms most effectively. Chloramine is an invisible compound that fish take directly into their bloodstream through their gills. Fish exposed to this compound experience stress, damaged and burned gills, erratic behavior and sometimes even jump out of the aquarium.
pH Level - Determines if the water is basic, neutral or acidic. Maintaining a pH in the range of 6.1 to 8.4 in marine systems offers a natural, antiseptic effect, helping fish resist illness and also keep coral from calcifying at an accelerated speed. If the pH is in constant fluctuation, or is fixed at a position that is too high or low, it can be harmful to the organisms in the aquarium.
Alkalinity - measure of the capacity of water or any solution to neutralize or “buffer” acids. This measure of acid-neutralizing capacity is important in figuring out how “buffered” the water is against sudden changes in pH. Alkalinity is important to aquatic organisms because it protects them against rapid changes in pH. Alkalinity is especially important in areas where acid rain is a problem.
Typical Alkalinity Ranges
| (mg/L CaCO3) | |
| Rainwater | < 10 |
| Typical surface water | 20 - 200 |
| Surface water in regions with alkaline soils | 100 - 500 |
| Groundwater | 50 - 1000 |
| Seawater | 100 - 500 |
Bromine - the chemical element of atomic number 35, a dark red fuming toxic liquid with a choking, irritating smell. It is a member of the halogen group and occurs chiefly as salts in seawater and brines. Bromine is found naturally in the earth’s crust and in seawater in various chemical forms. Bromine can also be found as an alternative to chlorine in swimming pools. Bromine is very dangerous if contained in water at all.
Total Chlorine - The sum of free and combined chlorine
No comments:
Post a Comment