Something I've always wondered!

[oicu2]

Here's a couple of silly questions for you! If my calcium level is at 450, do I still need to add supplements? I was told by my lfs to use Kent Tech CB part A and B. But, my calcium level is stable at 450 without the supplements. Do I really need it? In addition, my phosphate level is always at 0. Can I go without running a skimmer?

The following are my parameters:

Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 10
Ph: 7.9-8.0
Amonia: 0
Phosphate: 0
Salinity: 1.023

75Gal Reef:

90 lbs live rock
Cabbage leather
Encrusting gorgonia
Pumping Xenias
Ricordea Shroom
Bubble coral
Montipora
Orange paddle sponge
Yellow figi leather

On the way fedex:

Ultra red Blasto
Clove polyps
Orange montipora cap
Demon eye zoos

Other critters in tank:

Feather duster
Anemone

Regal Tang
Flasher wrasse
Red banded goby
Blenny
Purple pseudochromis
Snails and hermit crabs

Equipment:

30 gal. mud sump/refugium w/ caulerpa
ViaAqua 3300 pump @ 800+ gph
Proclear overflow (u - tube)
Coralife super skimmer 125 Hang on setup(which I can't seem to fine tune. I hate skimmers)
VHO lighting - 260 watts altogether, actinic, daylight and moon light.
1 - powerhead , MaxiJet 600 in one corner
Return on other corner

I have a feeling I'm lacking something in the equipment area or maybe I have the wrong equipment. Please critique!!! Be honest, I can take it!

 

[theatrus]

What is your alkalinity reading? 450 calcium is fine. You may need to dose to maintain, but the amount of dosing you need to do is really tank specific.


You do not need a skimmer, and your bioload is light enough that you're fine. If you add more fish, it can be beneficial.

 

[spineshank385]

ph is a little low and nitrate is a little high

ph should be 8.2-8.3 or so during the day, its ok for it to fall a little at night, but if you reverse photoperiod on the refugium, it should help with the falling ph at night.

you want nitrate to be as low as possible....i keep mine under .05 using a salifert test kit.

 

[oicu2]

Ahh, alkalinity!! That is one test that I don't have but will get asap. As for my calcium levels, I rarely use the supplements and they remain at 450. I know my ph is low, but I don't know how to raise it. Nitrate is high due to poor rural water. I am running a reverse osmosis but city wate is so bad that the RO is doing its best to put out good water. TDS on RO is 24, faucet water is 400+. I'm in the process of purchasing a DI filter to add to my RO. It may help bring nitrates down.

Spineshank, what do you mean by reverse photoperiod on refugium? Do you mean that I should turn off the light at a certain time of the day? I was told not to turn them off at all because of the caulerpa in my fuge.

By the way, thank you both for the instant response. Now, how does my equipment look?

 

[techrach]

You could Drip Kalk fro Maintence of C alcium and raise PH.

 

[spineshank385]

if you dont want to drip kalk (mostly used for calcium), you could use any kind of PH buffer available from the LFS. If i have problems (i never do, but just in case), i use seachem's reef buffer i believe its called.

As far as the reverse photoperiod, it is turning your refugium lights on after your tank lights go off. Refugium lights off during the day, on at night. The PH drop at night is caused by the lack of photosynthesis (increases PH). Having some kind of lighting on at all time reduces this problem.

what is the pressure and temperature of water going in to your r/o unit? If you have low pressure or low temperature, it will reduce the efficiency severly.

Also, i dont believe it is necessarily good to have your refugium lit 24/7, especially with caulerpa in there.

 

[theatrus]

Well, reverse is to turn it on when the main lights turn off. If its on 24/7 its just fine.

Equipment looks good, but you may want to get a new skimmer in the future. Octopus skimmers (such as from aquacave.com) are the current rage in the price/performance department. You may also want to pickup a second power head (such as a MaxiJet1200).