End of Cycle Nitrate, PH, Alkalinity.

[cjpitt80]

Wattup everyone,
I've "finished" cycling my tank (though as a "cycle", it's cyclical in nature and can never actually be finished) but I digress... My ammonia and nitrite are at 0. Nitrate has been steady at 2ppm for about a 2 weeks now. My alkalinity is 5.5-6dkH, not sure if I am doing the Red Sea test correctly because it doesn't turn the blue starting color until I add 2 drops, so I don't know when to start counting drops. My pH is 7.9-8.1ish or so. My current bioload is 2 black mollies (Lewis and Clark) a couple zoa frags, and a small clean up crew 10 hermits, 5 margarita snails, 2 peppermint shrimp. I also have 3 bangaii cardinals in a QT.

Should I change anything regarding my parameters? From my reading, everyone says "don't chase numbers" so I'm not too concerned with the slightly low pH. I have ulva sea lettuce in the sump and I'm waiting on chaeto and some red ogo along with pods for the fuge, so my novice thinking is the nitrates will be taken care of. Is the alkalinity (or anything else) something I should be overly concerned with right now? I'm using Red Sea Coral Pro salt and I've never done a water change. I plan on using the Triton method and doing as few water changes as possible. Do I need to do a water change now? If so, how much? Should I dose start dosing soda ash or baking soda now? Basically, should I do anything now, or just send a sample to Triton?
Thanks in advance!

 

[mcgyvr]

I doubt your alkalinity measurement is correct... It should be in the 11-12dkh range if I'm reading their website correctly.. https://www.redseafish.com/red-sea-salts/coral-pro-salt/

I'd suggest watching a video on youtube for how to use the test kit properly..

I would not be concerned about your PH at all...

If you really want to do Triton then start following here.
https://www.triton.de/en/products-services/triton-method/
See the "For a new system:.... " section and go from there..

 

[cjpitt80]

I doubt your alkalinity measurement is correct... It should be in the 11-12dkh range if I'm reading their website correctly.. https://www.redseafish.com/red-sea-salts/coral-pro-salt/

I'd suggest watching a video on youtube for how to use the test kit properly..

I would not be concerned about your PH at all...

If you really want to do Triton then start following here.
https://www.triton.de/en/products-services/triton-method/
See the "For a new system:.... " section and go from there..

Mcyver
Thanks again for your help. I didn't think about Utube for a vid. I was a little leery of the alkalinity because right on the bucket it says what the range should be. When I very first mixed the salt to 35ppt, I only got 9dkh, but again the start color doesn't appear until 2 or 3 drops... I'll check out the Triton site further for what order to do what. I'm trying to stock slowly, but I want some color in there, hence the Rasta zoas ;-). yes, I know Patience....

 

[cjpitt80]

As a POC, i have the Red Sea Marine Care Multi Test Kit..

 

[stingythingy45]

Yeah, you should be counting those first 2 drops.
Anyways, invest in the new Red Sea test kit with Alk,Ca and Mg.
They work great and aren't too pricey.

Btw, are you checking SG with a refractor or hydrometer?

 

[cjpitt80]

Yeah, you should be counting those first 2 drops.
Anyways, invest in the new Red Sea test kit with Alk,Ca and Mg.
They work great and aren't too pricey.

Btw, are you checking SG with a refractor or hydrometer?

Hmm.. Well if I add those drops I still only get to 7-7.5ish or so. I'll check again today. The directions say "Add 1 drop of KH indicator and shake for 10 seconds. The test sample will obtain the
titration "œstart" color as shown on the instruction card." My issue is when I add 1 drop and shake, it's a very very light blue color. It's really almost clear with just a hint of blue. So I'm not sure if I should start counting test drops AFTER I get to the blue color on the card or count total drops. Either way, it seems to be low and I notice the same thing whether I start with 5 or 10mL. I plan to get a Hanna checker for Ca Mg Alk... I can't stand these colorimetric tests...

I have a Traceable salinity pen https://www.traceable.com/4367-traceable-salinity-pens.html calibrated at to 35ppt at 25C and I have the BRS refractometer which seems to be a little more accurate (technically more "precise" but whatever) I think my salinity measurements are good, but I'm unsure about the alkalinity. Like I said when I first mixed my salt I was only at 9dKH. I didn't really check the alkalinity during the cycle because I didn' think it was necessary. Right now, I only have 2 zoa frags(had them less than a week) so alkalinity demand should be next to nothing, right?

 

[mcgyvr]

so alkalinity demand should be next to nothing, right?

Correct...
And I have seen reports of people measuring Red Sea Coral pro alkalinity all over the map..
But it sure seems like they are stating it should be 11-12dkh on their site..

 

[cjpitt80]

Correct...
And I have seen reports of people measuring Red Sea Coral pro alkalinity all over the map..
But it sure seems like they are stating it should be 11-12dkh on their site..

Yeah, well it seems like something ain't quite right. Just did it again and didn't get to the blue starting color until drop 3 and turned yellow on drop 6. So that's either 5.5dKH if counting all drops and 2.5 if counting from "blue".... Looks like I need an alkalinity reference standard or something. I'm actually trained as a biologist, so I do know how to do titrations and things... I guess I'll be getting the Hana checker, I really hate these color based tests.

It may all be moot anyways. I'm about to send in a ICP sample. I contacted Tim at Triton, and he said they actually recommend the regular blue bucket Red Sea Coral salt, not the Pro in the black bucket like I have because the parameters may be too high with dosing. So looks like I'll be changing salt and getting a decent alkalinity tester. Spent $50 on this multi kit that don't seem to work