Magnesium: Your Magnesium is right on target. For more information consult this article.
Calcium and Alkalinity: Zone 1
Zone 1 is the easiest problem to correct. Unfortunately, it is also very uncommon. In this case, both calcium and alkalinity are on the high side of normal. Moreover, if you leave the tank alone, the problem will likely correct itself, and you will end up in the red target zone (though you may also pass through it into zone 2 if you wait too long).
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Figure Zone 1: A graph showing how to correct values within zone 1 by allowing calcium carbonate to be deposited in the tank (the blue arrow). |
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What this zone implies is that both calcium and alkalinity are elevated, and that by removing calcium carbonate from the water, either through biotic deposition into coral skeletons or coralline algae, or through abiotic precipitation, as on heaters, the levels of each will drop in an appropriate ratio. More specifically, the tank parameters will move along a line parallel to the two lines bordering this zone, and directly into the red target zone (the blue arrow in the figure above). If you are smack in the middle between these two lines, as in the figure, then you will continue to move in the middle of these two lines down into the target zone. This movement can continue right out the bottom end of the target zone (into zone 2), of course, so once you reach the target zone, you’ll have to reinitiate normal calcium and alkalinity additions. |