newbie help -- PH is low

It looks like your are now fishless. If so thats a good thing.

If you just set it up 3 days ago you really don't have any problems you just need to let it cycle. Don't add or dose anything. It will sort itself out.
 
thx again guys....their is so many opions out there...its so hard to tell what to do


i'm just gonna keep monitoring it and keeping a log

hopefully get a new light this weekend

i'm waiting for this protein skimmer to break in....micro bubbles everywhere..lol


any suggestions for a tank scraper??? that white stuff is killin the eyes..ha


ps....i'm lookin to get a MH / dual t-5 fixture...i don't need a moonlights cause i got the MLC on my reefkeeper....anysuggestions???

150watt or 250watt MH??? what color 10k,15k,20k??? also what color bulbs on the t5s????


thx again guys :)
 
If its glass get a Mag float to clean the walls. What do you plan to keep? As in color temps its up to you. I personally like the blue tint, so I am at 20k. But 10k Offers more growth. It depends what you prefer. I say 250W.
 
i have a mag float...medium size ....that stuff is pretty tuff...it's hard to remove from near sand and top/corners of the tank

i like the blue aswell...i think i'm gonna go with a 15k and some atintics for the t5's its a 30long so i hope the 250w wont be to strong
 
Your pH shouldn't be swinging at all right now, lights on or off or whatever, there's nothing in there yet that is photosynthesizing/respirating to cause the pH to swing.
 
I'm not even sure I'd be spending a lot time measuring every little parameter multiple times a day. Especially at this stage. It needs to cycle so like a garden, that's just been planted, waiting is in order. Keep it topped up with RO water and wait. Two weeks is kind of a standard number. Then do a water change. 20% or so and add the first fish. Go slowly and let the tank build up it's bioload over time. A year from now you'll have a strong flourishing tank.

Oh and the measuring of parameters etc. Start that after the first water change. But don't obsess on them. Good husbandry is answer almost always.
 
Amen Brotha

Amen Brotha

HanoverFist said:
Quick read through and I think everyone missed the 3 most important things you need to know.

1) The cycle itself causes depressed ph.

2) Adding a half a bottle of, well, anything will nuke a tank. Fortunately it was buffer, which all just precipitated out with calcium. So now you have white crap all in the dirt/rock - and most likely low calcium and high alk. Do yourself a favor and 1) Read instructions 2) ignore LFS employees who contradict instructions.

3) pH is dependent on the o2/c02 content of water. You should take a glass of tank water outside and aerate it properly and see if the ph rises. If it does, lack of O2 in the water is your problem.


Wow Stop and take a breath! Exhale! Ok try to change the water to get rid of some of that white crud. Then try and direct the flow at the surface more to get more oxygenation to help the dissipation along.(as mentioned above) Also as mentioned most of these buffers are Calcium carbonate hence the higher Calc., also if I'm not mistaken baking soda acts in much the same way(sodium bicarbonate) Dont spend money on that stuff! You havent even given your tank a chance to get itself going.
Also as mentioned and I can't stress this enough BE PATIENT, Dont rush things along we've all been there and trying to save you the trial and error already experienced (right Brian) Read thru about 10 pages of these post maybe more and you will find plenty of people that have gone thru the same if not similar issues and 1 thing always rings true! Be patient!


KYLE^ Are you trying to apply for a job at Reef Culture nice Free advertisement! LOL :P:wavehand:
Click to expand...
 
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i plan on picking up a light this weekend

i wanted to do a combo light MH and two t5's would i be ok with a 150watt or should i do 250watt???

tank is a 30 long
 
first pic.....i know it will work good...but its deff gonna put of some heat which may be a issue for me

Aqua Medic Ocean light


or try goin the LED route....i have heard decent thing bout this small company...really good prices for a led...decent par ratings...and the BIG thing....very litte heat

LED choice 1

LED choice 2 add lense kit..it's like 25
 
One other thing -- turn your lights off at this stage. There is absolutely no reason to have them on until you have coral. They will tend to feed algae blooms otherwise.

On a 30 long a 150W should be plenty for light penetration.
 
I thought it looked like a 30 tall? Anyway, good luck on all of the choices... I think there's enough emerging data coming out to support LED (especially in heat-conscious AZ) for growth and health of corals. Do your research on the right LED set-up, but if you change out your lights every year (for sake of argument... some people say the color shifts in about 6 months), you've got to have a savings in energy, heat, and replacement... I'm sure that the costs equal (the high-upfront cost of the LED's) in about 2 years.
 
ohhhhhhhh....i think i want this actually

MAX - Spect 110w


i think this has the best mix of colors i have seen in a led fixture for the money any ways

alot of good par readings....i dunno if i trust those 1watt led's from the evolution seriers


i just hope the 110watt is good enough for my tank

dimesions are 30" x 17" x 12" lenght x height x depth
 
Just my two cents but with a 12" tank depth a 250w halide or the G2 is overkill. You could get away with a 150w 10k and blues (actinic, purple, whatever you like for color) for your t5's. Is the G2 dimmable, cuz you'll probably fry stuff if it isn't. Or go with an AI LED so you can dim it down a little.
 
my bad....tank is 17 tall = depth...lol

it's 12" wide and 30" long

i'm pretty set on that MaxSpect...looks like real hight quality...actually has 3watt LEDs ..and it's on of the only led brands that has the violet colored leds in the mix......overtemp control.. huge heatsink and fan...i can control the white or blue lights indepently on built in timers and each led is detachable...so i can mess with the color spectrum...not to mention if i do happen to have a burnout i can replace it without sending it in

another thing i thought was cool with this model is i can add a lense kit if it isn't enough...they make a 90degree and a 60degree kit... and if its too much i can raise it or just disconnect a few leds


i did some research and wasent to impressed with the evolution line...1watt leds are bright..but loose ur PAR quickly when goin thru water....the Maxspect have done alot of testing and videos with par meters showin decent numbers

the step above this light actually has two 30watt LEDs!!!!!!

i'm hoping these work out good...if so i'm gonna run this brand on my 125gallon whenever i attempt to start that up


all in all i'm hoping LEDs work out....no replacing bulbs and low to no heat sound like a win win for myself

i found this company...free shipping for orders over 175....the light is marked at 429..no tax
MaxSpect G2 110
 
This may sound like a silly question, but could have ramifications for long-term success:

What are you planning on keeping in there? That's an awfully small amount of live rock to keep a successful reef. It can be done if you have filtration capacity distal to the display tank, but I don't see an indication of that here. If you're going fish only, you might be OK with regular water changes -- but I'd personally put some more rock in there.

How has the initial problem gone since the last few posts?
 
If it were me, I would get the rest of my live rock in before I do anything else. Let the tank run/ sit as long as I could stand it and then move on from there. Testing is good, but be careful with the hyper-vigilance, it may lead you down the long road. Reef keeping is like an endurance sport - slow and steady wins the race. Take your time and enjoy it; don't stress out until you've purchased that way too expensive fish or coral.
 
i'm gettin alot more live rock in there...lol sry

i have a friend with a 225.....its been established for a few years....its got some amazing coraline in there....he has been cooking some figi rock for me ...i'm just letting it build up in his tank :)


last friday i did a full water change and cleaned the tank.....from putting in all that "buffer crap" it was building up a really hard white film....i imagine it was from having way to much calcium.....so did all that ..which was a huge pain....reset up and added some sand and live rock rubble from my buddies tank...water already looks really good...ph was 7.5 friday...it's already up to 7.74 :)


i decided on going with the maxspect 110 i was really thinkin bout runnin the AI unit but i dont like the light spread...i know i could raise it..but i think its over kill...the maxspect should work out good
 
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