Beginner- any advice/comments appreciated

[Wagonpitt]

Hi everyone I got into the hobby a bit over 3 months ago. I love it so far but have a few questions. Long story short just wanted to post my specs and test results and see what you guys have to say.

Tests:
Total/free ammonia- 0
Ph -8.1
Alk -4.5. (Started 5.5 and slowly dropped to 4.5 over 2 months)
Nitrite -0
Nitrate-~0
Calcium - 520
Phosphate .5


Equipment:
90g tank 48" 2x150w mh 4x giesman bulbs

30 - 35g sump
Reef octopus 150s classic skimmer
Refugium with cheato
6500 jebao dcp return pump

Getting reef fanatics ato


Livestock:
9 chromis
1 orange white 1 black white clown
1 serpant star
1 lyretail anthias ( male hid for 2 days and was dead on third morning, female happy healthy from begining)
Peppermint shrimps
Blood red fire shrimp
Zebra hermits
Banded trocus snails

Corals:
Torches hammer acan brain zoas mushrooms lobo and red plating montipora


Just did a water change 2 days ago that brought calcium up from 400 to 520. All the tests have been consistent for last 2 months but just started testing phosphate and calcium about a week ago. Don't know why phosphate is so high and why alk has dropped that low so any ideas appreciated. I always use RO in case that matters.

The lobo and one of the torch corals have on and off days. My other torch is always very happy looking as well as every other coral and fish. Only death I've had is the male lyretail and I dont think that was really my doing based on how well the female has been. After aclimating and introducing to dt he only hid in the rocks, he did come out to eat but that's it. On third day he was gone. Female has been swimming eating and happy from day one.


Sorry long story short turned long again. Lol. Let me know what you guys think

 

[Sk8r]

Get some alkalinity buffer and start a daily dose (do not exceed recommended dose on bottle) until you reach 8.3. Your water is so acidic I would also recommend a re-test to be sure it really is that low. Your corals cannot lay down calcium carbonate in acid water. To stabilize alk, get your magnesium to 1350. Ordinarily I would recommend getting it up first, but your alk is so low, you probably should fight both battles together.
Once mg is 1350, alk and cal will stay where you set them.

Good params for your corals are in my sig line.

Also, get some Mrs Wages Pickling Lime or a canister of kalk of some brand, and put 2 tsp per gallon into your ro/di topoff from now on. As long as your mg stays over 1200, your alk and cal readings will hold steady. The mg will hold the alk steady and the lime (kalk) will supply calcium for your coral and fish.

 

[Wagonpitt]

Get some alkalinity buffer and start a daily dose (do not exceed recommended dose on bottle) until you reach 8.3. Your water is so acidic I would also recommend a re-test to be sure it really is that low. Your corals cannot lay down calcium carbonate in acid water. To stabilize alk, get your magnesium to 1350. Ordinarily I would recommend getting it up first, but your alk is so low, you probably should fight both battles together.
Once mg is 1350, alk and cal will stay where you set them.

Good params for your corals are in my sig line.

Also, get some Mrs Wages Pickling Lime or a canister of kalk of some brand, and put 2 tsp per gallon into your ro/di topoff from now on. As long as your mg stays over 1200, your alk and cal readings will hold steady. The mg will hold the alk steady and the lime (kalk) will supply calcium for your coral and fish.

I will be getting a magnesium test within next couple hours. Can you recommend a noob friendly dosing product for the alk. The pickling line seem easy enough if I can find that brand here (southern Ontario Canada). I was hoping 20g weekly-ish water changes would keep param in order that's what I've read works for a lot of people but obviously not. Also is phosphate not bad or is it just that alk is much more important right now ? Going to store now and hoping to start getting on top of this by tonight. Any other advice much appreciated.

And thanks sk8r I've reading for like 4 months now but just joined and this was my first post. I appreciate your help your basically on every thread I read your always very helpful and friendly and never make people feel bad just try to make things better.


Do you guys have any idea why my alk has dropped so low I do regular water changes and use ro water and instant ocean reef crystals. From what I've understood regular water changes should be enough to keep my system in check. Obviously not but some explanation would help. Thanks again

 

[Ron Reefman]

Friendly advise, don't add anything else to the tank until you get the water parameters in line and stable for a month or two. It's an old saying in the hobby, "Nothing good happens fast in an aquarium!" For a 3 month old system, you have quite a bit of livestock.

I can't explain why your alk is low, but you need to get it up to 7dKH or higher and keep it there ALL the time. The 4.5dKH can kill some corals in a 12 hour period. Even if you just use some baking soda (sodium bicarbonate).

You didn't state a salinity/SG number, so I assume you are OK there?

 

[Wagonpitt]

Sg 1.026 .025 always, sorry I forgot to mention that

Ok so I bought another seachem alk test kit and I bought Red Sea reef foundation pro test kit which comes with magnesium calcium and alkalinity.
2x old seachem alk test results = 5.5. (Confused if dkh or ? Says each drop is .5 meq/l and divide drops by 2)
2x Red Sea pro alk test results 7.6 and 7.4 dkh
Didn't bother retest with old seachem alk
Checked magnesium only once though and it's 1480 -1520

I'm going with Red Sea alk results because from what most people say the Red Sea is more accurate. also looking at my tank all the corals and fish seem extremly happy and based on what Ron said if alk was that low in last few days I should be seeing sad sad corals. Also from what I understand if alk is low magnesium is low but since my magnesium is high I'm assuming the higher alk test is the more accurate one. Also I paid more for it (jk)

I bought Kent Kalk mix instead of the pickling lime because i didn't want to have to go looking and seachem reef builder for the alk.
I know my alk is still lower then 8.3-9.3 recommended but I'm wondering if I start raising alk will that raise my already higher then 1300 magnesium. And does that even matter. I'm thinking wait until someone tells how to go about this.

 

[Wagonpitt]

Sorry first test was new seachem alk test with result of 5.5. I didn't recheck old one. My minds all over the place rushing and worried that I'm killing everything. I didn't even realize that I bought 2 alk tests tonight because alk was included in the Red Sea kit and I bought another seachem kit because I thought the old one is off. Which it seems I was right but bought extra test for 25$ no reason

 

[Wagonpitt]

So I used the calculator and for roughly 110 gallon combined water to raise from 7.6 to 8.4 dkh I need to use 10 grams of the reef builder. I'm not entirely sure if this is right or not I've been reading on how to use it and I read the instructions but still kinda scared. Still though figured if it says 10 grams then 5 grams shouldn't hurt. I mixed 5 grams of reef builder with about 500ml ro water dumped it into when my overflow empties in my sump so it can spread slower in the rest of the system. this should put me at 8dkh. I think I hope:uhoh2:

 

[JUNBUG361]

Sorry first test was new seachem alk test with result of 5.5. I didn't recheck old one. My minds all over the place rushing and worried that I'm killing everything. I didn't even realize that I bought 2 alk tests tonight because alk was included in the Red Sea kit and I bought another seachem kit because I thought the old one is off. Which it seems I was right but bought extra test for 25$ no reason

Try to relax and remember patience. Try not to rush or over do stuff.

 

[Wagonpitt]

I checked the alk again after about 2 hrs and there was still no changes. I didnt have much time today to test everything but cheked alk and no changes. Im going to use the recomended 10grams of the reef builder and see if that does anything. Im still trying to get to atleast the 8.3dkh recomended. If i should be doing something different Or in addition to what im doing let me know. Also im doing a water change mid week so if theres something i could do during the water change let me know. Thanks again

 

[Wagonpitt]

Phosphate .15
Nitrate~0
Calcium 430 420
Magnesium 1280-1320
Alk 8.4
Ph 8.1

These are my params as of today.

Now that ive got alk calcium and magnesium in the correct range. Can someone explain or refer to me a page that explains how to use the kalk and how it works. From what i understand dosing the kalk now will keep the mag calcium and alk steady so i wont have to use reefbuilder anymore.

Should i move to the chemistry area ?

 

[Wagonpitt]

Phosphate .15
Nitrate~0
Calcium 430 420
Magnesium 1280-1320
Alk 8.4
Ph 8.1

These are my params as of today.

Now that ive got alk calcium and magnesium in the correct range. Can someone explain or refer to me a page that explains how to use the kalk and how it works. From what i understand dosing the kalk now will keep the mag calcium and alk steady so i wont have to use reefbuilder anymore.

Should i move to the chemistry area ?

 

[Sk8r]

You don't dose kalk until you have stony coral or a clam that is eating more than you can conveniently dose. If your numbers are accurate, you should be in pretty good balance until the magnesium drops below 1200. I recommend testing daily for a while until you're sure of your tests and numbers, and writing everything down in a physical way so you can check what it was last week, ergo how fast it's changing on its own. Kalk is nothing but calcium dosing, and if you're dosing but nobody's eating it, it's going to go out of balance eventually. So hold off on kalk until you have a stony reef that's 'awake' and feeding actively. You should be able to supply a couple of modest stony corals with a teaspoon of calcium supplement now and again. When it gets to be a teaspoon a day, it's time to start kalk.

 

[Wagonpitt]

I have a notebook that i keep track of results from when i was cycling. Im not able to test everyday to be honest but every 2 or 3 days max for sure. I do have some montipora cap and if you noticed my calcium dropped from 520 5 days ago to 420-430 last night.

Your saying to only start dosing once i see a drop like that within a day or 2 and untill then to use calcium supplement instead of kalk as needed.

Thanks again sk8r

 

[Wagonpitt]

Quick video of my tank

Quick video of my tank

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6cnX7n0DI4k