I need some good advice!

C

CreativeTony82

New member
So, I've kept fish only tanks before and have been pretty successful but this is my first stab at trying to keep corals. And I'm looking for all the help I can get! So here's the run down

I have an Aquapod 24
120 watts of lighting
1200 and 900 powerheads
about 35 lbs of live rock
1 cardinal fish
1 pseudo
1 tank raised clown(osceleris)
1 lawnmower blenny
a few small zoa frags and a small pom pom xenia.
10 margarita snails
6 blue legged hermits
6 reds
1 emerald crab

And now is when the questions begin! I have never been completely confident with my knowledge on buffers and alkalinity and supplements. The tank is up and running good after 2 months with zeros across the board but i want to start getting more corals and make sure I'm giving them everything they need. I would like to get from you people, a rough timeline of the types of supplements I should be adding to my tank. I am using Instant ocean salt and RO/DI water.

What is a good ph test because I can never really accurately tell what the ph is with either of my two tests (API and tetratest) what is the best/easiest way to test ph?

I own Seachem Reef Builder, Seachem marine buffer, and the kent marine nano reef parts A and B. Do I need to add any of these during water changes? I've been adding a little reef builder to the new water and my kH is at 12. I'm thinking I should not use so much. Also thinking that maybe I should not use my saphire aquatics skimmer as it may be taking away essential nutrients? Or is it worth it to keep the nitrate down, and I just need to add some other supplements to keep corals happy? And I'm thinking when I find a better way to monitor pH that I just add the buffer as recommended on a daily basis until it's at 8.3? But shouldn't the Instant Ocean automatically make it 8.3? cuz my tests always look low to me? maybe like 7.9? I've added the ph buffer before but it's always also raised my kH past 12. but my water conditions are good otherwise? 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 0 nitrate, 12 kH, and like 1.024 gravity. Is the kent marine nano stuff basically the same as these two but in liquid form? Can I use just the part A to add the trace elements or do I have to add equal amounts of B as well? how does that work? Also my calcium is only at 300. I'm thinking i should do more water changes and this should bring it up to 400-500 just with the instant ocean? If not what supplements should I be dosing and how much every day? I'm confused. And after I get pH and kH stable, what should I add on a regular basis? Calcium? B-Ionic(what is it?) plankton? iodine? I don't really like adding stuff to the water but I need to know what corals need to thrive! And also, all my coraline algae on the live rock turned bright white after curing it in the tank during cycling. Can this come back to purple? HELP A BROTHER OUT! Thanks in advance! Tony. sorry to be overwhelming! ;-)

DSC01692.jpg
 
The easiest and best way to test pH is with a digital meter. Pinpoint makes a good one. I use the probe that came with my Aquacontroller. The color test you are using are very inacurate and deceiving. The buffer is not a good method of dealing with pH issues.

Now as far as the buffer goes, here's what I do. Instant Ocean is known for its low calcium levels. I bolster this with about 70ppm of calcium chloride. I dose Randy's 2-part so that's easy for me because I bought it for this application. The 2-part you are using is probably very similar to my diy recipe. I'd ditch the buffers as they are not needed. I dose the 2-part daily to maintain the alk/calcium levels throughout the week.
 
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ok sweet. the pinpoint is 90 bucks. kinda steep but I guess it's worth it huh?

As for the buffers. I'm getting that I could add a calcium supplement along with the 2 part nano reef stuff? It's saying 8 drops per 4 gallons from each bottle every day? . that sound right?
 
I think you are not into this too deep yet. It sounds like you bought a bunch of stuff you may not need.

First things first, the Instant Ocean is not going to get your PH where it necessarily should be. PH is influenced by many things. One of which is O2 and Co2.

First thing I would do is get a PH meter and not use test strips or test kits. A meter is very accurate. As well I would buy Salifert test kits for Calcium, Alkalinity and Magnesium. My experience with them has been very positive.

Once you get some good test kits then you will be able to accurately determine what to do. Let me dispel another myth. A skimmer should always be used. If indeed it strips out needed nutrients, your frequent partial water changes will replace those so don't fret over that.

Using a balanced 2 part additive is always the best way to add calcium and alkalinity. So I would try to use that method.

But first you need to see if you need to add anything. With a small coral load a lot of times partial water changes will give your tank all it needs.

Here is a link that talks about the proper tank parameters. As well I would spend some time in the chemistry forum. You will get a good eduction there with regard to tank chemistry.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php

With such a small amount of water I would think that water changes would be sufficient until you get a larger coral load or you get a lot of coralline algae growth.

I hope some of this helps.

Regards,

Pat
 
My recommendation as far a dosing the tank with these suppliments is to NEVER follow the directions on the side of the bottle. :) I mean this in the nicest way of course. Learn and use this calculator - http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chem_calc3.html It will really help you nail the levels you are looking for.


As the the pH issue. Depressed pH is due to elevated CO2 levels in the tank. If you open your windows and let some fresh air in, you will see an improvement. But, no way of knowing what your pH exactly is until you get a meter. ;)
 
ok thanks for the quick replies guys. and thanks for that link pat. I will definitely read it over really good tomorrow. I understand I need to get my pH right and the pinpoint should do that. And I'll definitely try out the Salifert test kits. Should be able to get my pH and Calcium on track then but I kinda thought adding the 2 part solution every day would raise my kH way high? Is that not the case with this stuff? And I'm glad you say to use the skimmer. It does work very well. Ok, I'm gonna shut my mouth until I read that link. Thanks again!
 
No, the 2-part will not raise the alk too high if you check out the calculator and dose the proper amount based upont the demand in your tank. ;)
 
wow sweet! thanks man. sorry I had posted that before I saw you posted the calculator link. Looks very easy to use. Awesome. Thanks again guys!
 
awesome. thanks alot for helping me out. just ordered a refractometer, pinpoint ph monitor, a couple test kits and some things from esv. should help to get me on the right track and get some corals growing in this thing!
 
Very nice. Let us know how it goes. :thumbsup: Oh, and I learned real quick how much money I can save making 2-part on my own. Check out Randy's article about his homeade 2-part recipe. Very easy and CHEAP! ;)
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9509689#post9509689 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CreativeTony82
ok thanks for the quick replies guys. and thanks for that link pat. I will definitely read it over really good tomorrow. I understand I need to get my pH right and the pinpoint should do that. And I'll definitely try out the Salifert test kits. Should be able to get my pH and Calcium on track then but I kinda thought adding the 2 part solution every day would raise my kH way high? Is that not the case with this stuff? And I'm glad you say to use the skimmer. It does work very well. Ok, I'm gonna shut my mouth until I read that link. Thanks again!
Click to expand...

Don't get too caught up in getting everything exact. Especially ph. While there are ideal ranges that many people strive for, Ph can be a real pain to get just right. The better thing to shoot for is small swings between high and low ph for the day. Remember PH will typically be higher during the day when the lights are on and drop at night when the lights are off. That's one of the reasons many people have a sump and grow cheato. They have the sump light on the opposite of the main lights to help keep the ph levels up.
The real important thing is to not obsess over the ph. My ph runs between 7.9 and 8.09 to 8.12. Not a big swing. Someday's it's less swing than that. My corals are doing just fine and I know of many other people that have ph levels that are similar and they have great reef tanks.
Making sure the tank has plenty of fresh air will likely do the most for the ph.

Regards,

Pat
 
werd up! appreciate it. I knew keeping things as consistent as possible was most important but it's good to hear that low ph numbers aren't totally diasasterous. On a side note, and I may make a seperate post for it but maybe it can be answered pretty easily. I have set up a 10 gallon tank next to this main one. I had to get it because I had alot of left over live rock. And per gallon it's got alot more light on it so I'm thinking about making it mostly hard corals. My question is.

In what ways could I connect the two tanks? I'd love to have a little sump next to/under the 2 tanks, but it'd be really nice to have them both running with the same water/heater/everything. I know an over flow type system would work but I'm pretty sure that would require drilling holes. I'm trying to think of something that would never provide the opportunity for one tank to receive too much water and overflow???
 
Without drilling holes I don't know if you can. Some type of siphon system will need to be used. There are better qualified people to answer this than me. I keep my system simple. It keeps the water where it belongs.

Regards,

Pat
 
I was also thinking about your question and I too would do seperate dedicated systems. If you are refering to 'stoney' corals, they have a high demand for pristine water quality. Not that you don't have this, but your current coral demand might be very different. Most SPS dedicated tanks are just that, dedicated to keeping SPS. They are low nutrient systems with equipment built around this demand. Extreme lighting and skimming with an extrememly low bioload. Nitrates and Phosphates being the worst enemy. I would set up the new system with these things in mind, imo.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9521261#post9521261 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by juniormc8704
off topic here but drummereef what kind of substrate do you use? nice corals in your gallery.
Click to expand...

Thanks juniormc8704! I really need to get some updated pics in there. Everything is growing like mad. :) I use Caribsea Fiji Pink aragonite for the substrate. I run a DSB that is roughly 4-5 inches.
 
yeah, I'm thinking I may just leave it the way it is. The added gallons would be nice but I'm thinking it wouldn't be worth it. I think the only way to do it is to build 2 simple siphon overflows returned with 2 individual pumps. Just that they'd be sharing 1 sump. And that's alot to be messing with just for these 2 little tanks. And I don't know if I really want to be cutting into the back of the aquapod hood. but it makes sense about keeping them seperate if I go the sps route. because the AP is already pushing the fish limits right now. but we will see. I'll post up how things are going as soon as that probe and other stuff come in. thanks everyone. Tony
 
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