Cl/Na ratio

Coralsea_co · Dec 21, 2018

Hello chemists.Has anyone done research on the ratio of chloride to sodium? Is it important in marine tanks? I mentioned that many aquarists use different supplements that will change this ratio.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Dec 22, 2018

It is unlikely there are any studies since it doesn’t vary in the ocean. I expect it is not at all critical since salt mixes vary without apparent issue, but I think keeping it roughly correct is a worthy goal.

The main way it would vary is if sulfate is greatly elevated or depleted. Otherwise, it will be close enough. My diy recipes use sulfate and chloride at appropriate ratios for this reason.

Coralsea_co · Dec 22, 2018

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
It is unlikely there are any studies since it doesn’t vary in the ocean. I expect it is not at all critical since salt mixes vary without apparent issue, but I think keeping it roughly correct is a worthy goal.

The main way it would vary is if sulfate is greatly elevated or depleted. Otherwise, it will be close enough. My diy recipes use sulfate and chloride at appropriate ratios for this reason.

Have a good trip and thank you very much!