钙和碱度是礁石水族馆中至关重要的化学参数。石质珊瑚使用它们来建造其碳酸钙骨架。水中缺乏钙和碱度将抑制珊瑚礁珊瑚和无脊椎动物的生长，这最终会导致健康问题。
什么是钙？
Calcium是盐水中的主要离子之一。它是盐水，氯化物，钠，硫酸盐和镁的第五大离子。在大多数健康的礁石中，钙水平徘徊在百万分之425（ppm）。它定期与溶液中的阴离子（例如硫酸盐，碳酸盐和碳酸氢盐）配对。
什么是碱度？
碱度比钙要难以解释。它不是特定的离子，而是盐水的缓冲能力。缓冲能力可以被认为是降低酸所需的酸量pH盐水,碳酸氢盐into carbonic acid. It sounds overly technical, but in layman’s terms, higher alkalinity levels equal greater chemical stability in our reef tanks.
维持钙和碱度
快速浏览一下，似乎仅仅添加所需的成分就可以轻松解决问题。例如，如果您的礁石储罐的钙水平为300 ppm时，当您希望一个接近400 ppm的值时，理论上可以添加钙补充剂来增强其。不幸的是，在实践中，礁石水族馆的化学很少如此。以这种方式添加钙补充剂通常会出现相应的碱度水平下降。
钙和碱度之间的这种有问题的透明作用源于两个离子之间的相互作用。两个离子结合形成碳酸钙并脱落溶液，从而降低了两个水平。
以下是维持健康钙和碱度水平的五种实用技术：
选项＃1：换水
The first technique is very basic:水变化。Water changes help manage fluctuations to a large degree. Most salt mixes available in the hobby today are formulated to have slightly higher concentrations of both calcium and alkalinity. Frequent water changes replenish major elements as well as trace elements.
For reef systems that are packed with stony corals, additional supplementation may be required. That brings us to…
Option #2: kalkwasser
Kalkwasser是一种古老的补充剂，可在增强钙和碱度方面非常有效。Kalkwasser是氢氧化钙，被认为是一种平衡的补充剂，可将钙和碱度促进。
Kalkwasser comes in a white powder that you mix with purified water. It gets very cloudy for a few hours, but after that the cloudy particles settle, leaving a clear supersaturated solution. That solution is then added very slowly into the aquarium. It is important to add the solution slowly because it is very concentrated and can precipitate out quickly, thus defeating the purpose of adding it in the first place. You will know you’re adding it too quickly if the water looks cloudy after kalkwasser addition.
当适当地管理时，Kalkwasser工作得很好。许多业余爱好者将Kalkwasser用作顶级水，而不是使用常规的纯净水。
选项＃3：钙反应堆
维持钙和碱度的一种更自动的方法是钙反应器。这些设备在反应室中缓慢溶解碳酸钙培养基，并将钙和碳酸盐离子慢慢引入储罐中。它们非常适合保持水化学岩石固体几个月。
选项＃4：两部分解决方案
As great as kalkwasser and calcium reactors are, they are balanced supplements, which are not particularly effective when there is an imbalance in the reef. If the value of one component is low but the other is normal, using a balanced supplement will not work.
The best option in this situation is a two-part additive. They come in separate bottles, one for calcium, and one for alkalinity. Two-part additives can be added in different amounts, and over time the levels can be boosted. Like I mentioned before, it’s not particularly effective to add just the calcium portion or just the alkalinity portion, but you can inch them up by adding in both with a slightly heavier dose of the component you want to boost.
Option #5: magnesium
The fifth and final method of dealing with calcium and alkalinity issues is to take a look at镁。It may seem counterintuitive that the solution to calcium and alkalinity imbalances is to elevate magnesium, but the three ions interact regularly.
Magnesium is very similar chemically to calcium. It can bind up carbonate ions, thus increasing the overall alkalinity of the water. If you find that no amount of tweaking calcium and alkalinity directly is helping, you may want to make sure it is not your magnesium level that is, in fact, low.
Closing thought
In summary, calcium and alkalinity are two of the most important chemical parameters to monitor closely in your reef aquarium. We hope this article was helpful in understanding them a little better.
