Tank just started, had a couple of questions

[guilford]

I just got my tank started (it currently has rock in it, but that's it) and I had a few questions for the local group:

1) What temperature and salinity do people run at? I currently have the salinity at 1.026 and the temperature at 79. With the temperature at 79, the chiller has come on briefly in the afternoon during these past few warmer days, and the heater definitely comes on at night.

2) I have my own CO2 tank for the calcium reactor. For those around here that own their own tank (as opposed to renting), where do you get them filled?

I'll try to post a few pictures of the rock in the tank tomorrow.

Brad

 

[Kennetht]

I keep my tank around 1.022 - 1.023, and the temp around 79 to 80. I would say that 1.026 is too high for a reef.

 

[Sir Knight]

1.025 to 1.026 would be a good place for salinity in a reef tank and a temp from 77 thru 80. I keep my tank around 77 to 79 degrees. Ph around 8.2 to 8.4 and mag 1300. Lower salinity is not a good idea for a reef tank because most wild corals come from waters in the range I listed above. There are exceptions but they a few and far between. Keep your alk at around 9.6 to 11 KH and Cal at around 430 to 480.

Now you may ask what if it is a fish only tank. Well it has been proven that most fish do better in reef tanks, it may have to do with the values above and the stability

 

[cee]

CO2 can be filled at any welding supply place. I fill mine at Air Liquide in Oak Ridge. A little more costly, but very convienent for me.

 

[fishdoc11]

1.026 and 79 sounds good to me. I keep mine at 1.025 - 26 and 79 - 80. I like my alk ~ 8 - 9 dKH and my Ca ~ 400 although it usually runs lower. I shoot for close to NSW levels.
Chris

 

[ct_vol]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8626390#post8626390 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cee
CO2 can be filled at any welding supply place. I fill mine at Air Liquide in Oak Ridge. A little more costly, but very convienent for me.

Awesome!!! Thanks Dave... I've been going all the way to damn Holston Gas in Knoxville... Great guys down there, but I need my CO2 filled up more often than my Oxygen and Acetyline...

I keep my temp 79 and my salinity 1.025

 

[EvilMel]

I try to keep my salinity at 1.025-1.026 and my temp stays put at 78. But honestly...I don't check it that much. That's the story of my life really...decent reefing due to controlled neglect (except for water changing, which I have actually been slacking on a little lately).

Hey Ken...what have you heard about the SG being too high at 1.026? I heard that natural seawater was more like 1.025 (contrary to the 1.023 at which most people are initially told to keep their tanks).

 

[awcurl]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8629336#post8629336 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by EvilMel
(except for water changing, which I have actually been slacking on a little lately).

I was wondering why you haven't been by to get water.:bum:

 

[awcurl]

:bum:

 

[Kennetht]

I was having problems with Ich and algae, and the LFS told me to drop my SG. Once I went to 1.023 the Ich stopped showign up and if it does, one good dose of garlic takes care of it.

 

[EvilMel]

Yeah yeah Art...I know.

I have heard that hyposalinity does help, but I thought it was supposed to be like super low salinity for that. Interesting.

 

[fishdoc11]

You have to lower your SG to 1.009 to kill ich and keep it there for 4-6 weeks(hypo) which of course you can't do in a reef tank. Ich will sometimes be taken care of by the fishes natural immunity which I would think is what happened in your case Kennetht. It doesn't hurt to keep a reef tank at 1.023 but it is easier to keep levels of Mg etc... up if you keep it at 1.025 - 26.
FWIW, Chris

 

[geekdafied]

Some friends and I looked into the whole salinity thing in natural sea water. When we went on a diving trip in the keys. If you test the water right at the beach and even in water up to your waist, the SG was 1.025/6 but when we dove down to 20+feet was more like 1.023. The deeper the water got, the lower the salinity. Shallower water has to deal with evaporation more then the deeper water. Since most sps's are found in shallow water, they would benifit from a higher salinity, but most fish/other corals are found deeper where the salinity is lower.

Hope this helps any of you.

Brian

Oh in case you are wondering how we tested the deeper water, we used 3 seperate hydrometers, kept them in zip locks untill we got further down. Used the baggy as a air lock/bubble and then tested it as if you were testing your tank.

 

[ct_vol]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8635887#post8635887 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by geekdafied
The deeper the water got, the lower the salinity. Shallower water has to deal with evaporation more then the deeper water. Since most sps's are found in shallow water, they would benifit from a higher salinity

Wow, that makes too much sense... Thanks for sharing... I at least found it interesting... Would have thought it varied more by region than by depth...

 

[geekdafied]

it may vary by region too, that was just in the keys, but it would make sense to be like that every where because all oceans are connected.


I keep my salinity at 1.024, kind of in the middle. Also most LFS's keep theirs at 1.020 so its less stress on the fish when you acclimate them. Its easier to adjust when the salinity is higher rather than lower, don't know why but thats what I was told. I've worked in a few LFS's and they were all the same way.

 

[ct_vol]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8626390#post8626390 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cee
CO2 can be filled at any welding supply place. I fill mine at Air Liquide in Oak Ridge. A little more costly, but very convienent for me.

Damn it!!!!! Wouldn't you know that I went to get my CO2 tanks filled today and Air Liquide doesn't fill them anymore... I had to go to Knox at AirWeld Inc... They thought I was making beer... I didn't have the heart to tell them what I was really doing...