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[APD] Re: K+/Ca++ and Na+
On Thursday 08 January 2004 20:09, you wrote:
> My tap water is very soft, so I adjust it up to GH 8 KH 5 with CaCl2, epsom
> salts and NaHCO3. I notice some slightly distorted growth in my amazon
> swords, not too severe though, but it was much worse before I started
> adding CaCl2.
Clint,
What you see as "slightly distorted growth" might be normal in some
Echinodorus. The leaves of some common sword plants are often curved
sideways into a scimitar-like shape. That is not a nutrient problem.
I know that sodium alone can in some cases trigger calcium deficiency. I
suspect there is an additive effect with sodium + potassium, but I can't
substantiate that.
It doesn't sound to me like conditions in your tank are likely to cause much
sodium-calcium antagonism. In my case the tap water sodium concentration was
7x the calcium concentration. In other cases I'm aware of where there have
been problems the sodium:calcium ratio was at least 7:1. Your water
shouldn't have anything near that ratio.
Since you are adding quite a bit of hardness using both CaCl2 and epsom salt
you should be sure that you are keeping the calcium and magnesium in
reasonable ratios. As a general guideline, the magnesium concentration
should be less than the calcium concentration.
Roger Miller
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