Should I be dosing anything?

[Zpmada]

Hi all,

I have a 55 gallon tank with CPR hang on refugium with chaeto, reef octopus hang on skimmer classic, aquaclear 70 with filter floss, BRS GFO, carbon in bags.

I've been using Reef Crystals salt. I changed about 10-20% on December 23. Today, January 5th (two weeks later), my parameters are:

PH: 8.1/8.2 hard to tell
Ammonia: 0ppm
Magnesium: 1280ppm (I did does once)
Salinity: 1.023-1.024
Strontium: 0 but test kit seems inaccurate
Phosphate: 0ppm
Carbonate Hardness: 7dKH (using an API Freshwater kit - does it matter?)
Iodine: <0.03ppm
Iodate: <0.03ppm
Iodide: 0.01ppm
Potassium: 270ppm
Water Temperature: 75.2F
Calcium: 350ppm

Do I need any other test? Not sure how to read the Nitrate, but i attached a photo.

 

[HumbleFish]

API test kits are notoriously inaccurate/unreliable. But if those readings are true, I would raise both calcium and magnesium. What's your alkalinity?

This is a good read: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/

 

[Zpmada]

I think alkalinity is the same as carbon hardness: 7dKH.

Do API kits tend to under estimate or over estimate or just randomly inaccurate? My salifert Strontium kit was giving me calcium in the 400s but when I saw Strontium at 0 I thought that had to be wrong. How can calcium be OK but Strontium 0? If calcium is ok wouldn't Strontium be higher than 0 atleast?

 

[tomreefer]

API test kits are notoriously inaccurate/unreliable is not true the issue is usually human error by misreading the actual number, I had four people look at color and 3 different answers. Example with your image it looks like 5ppm NO3. However, some may say higher or lower depending on how people differentiate colors. That is why some test kits better easier to tell difference by color comparison. Hanna checkers I use for Alk + Cal because I feel can't tell with a lot of kits the color change. However, Salifert and Red Sea Pro good with these.

NO3(Nitrate) hard to read though that is why not reliable, I would use Red Sea Nitrate Pro or Salifert since you can kind of tell color change.

Calcium Level is low and magnesium is low if those correct.

Whatever test kits you use it's important to check expiration dates.

I like the Red Sea Pro Kits for testing and I also use Hanna Checkers to double check.

I would make a new batch of saltwater to the directions of the Reef Crystals salt and check the levels of Calcium, Alk, Salinity and see what you get. Did you change recently from a different salt mix?

 

[tomreefer]

Again most people human error with doing test kits, either don't shake the reagents long enough, contamination, misreading color and probably more.

Example of this Hanna Calcium checker tells you to add 0.1ml of tank water to test vial -- some added 1ml or others added a bit more of 0.1ml and you will get different readings.

There is videos of how to use the kits properly.

I used API Calcium and many people forget to shake the bottle #2 and if you don't you will get a misread. The instructions not clear endpoint color is blue in this kit. Pink to Blue noticeable but Blue to Purple a little harder to extinguish from. I got 420 API; 415 Red Sea and Hanna 415 pretty close. Red Sea a lot easier in my opinion seeing the end color.

 

[mcgyvr]

You start dosing when water changes alone aren't sufficient to maintain the levels/consistency you want and you don't want to increase your water change schedule/amount.

A single round of testing isn't sufficient to determine your consumption.. One needs to determine how much cal/alk/mag,etc... you are consuming on a daily/weekly basis to ensure you are keeping parameters relatively stable/consistent..

Consistency is more important than a specific number for the most part..

You also need to ensure you are testing accurately so you aren't reacting to something that isn't true..
Your numbers seem suspiciously low for Reef Crystals salt.
You should test every couple days to see what your daily consumption of each parameter is AND test a fresh batch of Reef Crystals salt mix to include that data.

 

[HumbleFish]

I think alkalinity is the same as carbon hardness: 7dKH.

My bad. Yes, that probably needs to be raised to 8-9dKH IMO. Basically, unless you are setting up a specialized reef (e.g. SPS dominant) below is what I aim for with the Big 3:

Alk: 8-9dKH
Cal: 450ppm
Mag: 1350ppm

All are a little on the high side, but it gives me wiggle room in case I get lazy. (I dose manually.)

 

[Zpmada]

Thank you. How do you get those numbers up? What do you dose? I read something about adding Calcium via the ATO but dont understand this.

Currently I have Kent Marine Tech M (Magnesium) and Kent Marine kent lugols iodine solution. What should be compatible with those products?

Thanks!

 

[Zpmada]

Also forgot to say that I have gone through about two 50lbs boxes of Reef Crystal's and the numbers that I posted above are two weeks after a water change. I am going to try changing to Live aquaria reef salt. I have a number or coral so perhaps they are consuming everything.

 

[tomreefer]

Personally Salt isn't the issue a lot of people have success on regular instant ocean salt. Go with a salt that you want your tank parameters close to. Every salt batch will be different usually. I like Red Sea Salt because on how it mixes well and I just switched that from IO. IO just left a film and don't mix as well as Red Sea Blue Bucket I use, also Red Sea you can use immediate while IO should not be used before 24hrs. I heard great things about Fritz as well.

Do a fresh batch of salt and check those params Calcium and Alk. Once you figure out what your corals take than you can dose to compensate, if that makes sense.

 

[mcgyvr]

Also forgot to say that I have gone through about two 50lbs boxes of Reef Crystal's and the numbers that I posted above are two weeks after a water change. I am going to try changing to Live aquaria reef salt. I have a number or coral so perhaps they are consuming everything.

Why do you want to switch?
Reef Crystals is actually a decent/cheap salt to use if you have a bunch of corals..

Have you tested a freshly mixed batch of salt to check your numbers?
Reef Crystals should measure as follows when mixed to 35ppt (1.026 sg)
Calcium 490ppm
Mag 1440ppm
Alk 13dkh

If you aren't getting those (or close to it) then your testing may be flawed and you don't want to react based on inaccurate numbers..

If you are getting those and those 2 week later numbers are accurate then you absolutely should be looking into dosing to keep parameters more stable between water changes.

 

[tomreefer]

I agree with mcgyvr I switched because I was tired of Instant Ocean not mixing well and went with Red Sea which for sure mixes better.

I would count on your testing wrong or your kits bad or possibly bad batch of salt which is not likely.

 

[treesprite]

Are you testing salinity/sg with a refractometer or a hydrometer? Hydrometers tend to be inaccurate and inconsistent, and change over time.