New tank! Water testing

SammiMitch

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Howdy howdy howdy reefing friends!
Started a new 20gal nano reef it's been running for about a week and a half now. Dead rock from my old reef and live caribsea sand with crushed coral under the sand. Here are the results of my water tests for today. (First official test)
Temp- 76F
Salinity 1.023-1.022 (it's in between)
Ph- 8.4
Ammonia- 0ppm
Nitrites- 0ppm
Nitrates-0ppm
Calicum- 400ppm
Kh- 13
Phosphates- .25ppm
How's it looking guys. Right on track?

IMG_2199.JPG
 
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SammiMitch

SammiMitch

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Grap a bottle of ammonia and add 1-2 ppm to your aquarium and with the live sand you will be cycling sooner. Better yet dump a bottle of dr Tims one and only in the tank and use his ammonia and you will probably be done with your cycle on a couple weeks
Oooo! That's tempting. Where can I get some?
 
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SammiMitch

SammiMitch

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Dr foster and smith or dr Tims aquatics. You can also buy several different types at your Lfs, bio spira, cycle, and several others but they all will need an ammonia source.
saldy I have no lfs...just petco. :/ but I can always order online! :D
 

jeff williams

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saldy I have no lfs...just petco. :/ but I can always order online! :D
Petco has those bio spira and fluval cycle plus petco owns dr foster and smith so if your order is under the minimum for free shipping petco can order it from dr f&s and have it shipped to your house free
 
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SammiMitch

SammiMitch

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Petco has those bio spira and fluval cycle plus petco owns dr foster and smith so if your order is under the minimum for free shipping petco can order it from dr f&s and have it shipped to your house free
Just got my bottles of dr tims in. Checked the ammonia this morning it's at .50 ppm so it's crusing right along. I also baught a new powerhead. :D since my old one broke. It's a hydor 240. I like this one a lot better seems like just the right amount of water movement.

IMG_2209.JPG
 

jeff williams

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Just got my bottles of dr tims in. Checked the ammonia this morning it's at .50 ppm so it's crusing right along. I also baught a new powerhead. :D since my old one broke. It's a hydor 240. I like this one a lot better seems like just the right amount of water movement.

IMG_2209.JPG
Ya I like my Hydor 850
 
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SammiMitch

SammiMitch

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Update on the water testing. Today:
Temp- 76F
Salt- 1.023-1.024
Ph- 8.0 ( not sure why it's dropping?)
Ammonia- 1ppm
Nitrites- .25ppm
Calcium- 380ppm
Phosphates- 0ppm
Kh- 11
So I'm not sure why my ph is dropping? Any ideas? Also how do you get your calcium to stay stable? I have crushed coral under my sand, I thought that was supposed to help? Do you guys dose daily? I want to try and keep it stable bc eventually I want coral. Thanks for the advice! :D
 

Randy Holmes-Farley

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Update on the water testing. Today:
Temp- 76F
Salt- 1.023-1.024
Ph- 8.0 ( not sure why it's dropping?)
Ammonia- 1ppm
Nitrites- .25ppm
Calcium- 380ppm
Phosphates- 0ppm
Kh- 11
So I'm not sure why my ph is dropping? Any ideas? Also how do you get your calcium to stay stable? I have crushed coral under my sand, I thought that was supposed to help? Do you guys dose daily? I want to try and keep it stable bc eventually I want coral. Thanks for the advice! :D

pH is fixed mathematically by the alkalinity and the level of carbon dioxide in the water. Often the carbon dioxide level is impacted by both tank processes (such as photosynthesis) and the level of CO2 in your home air. Crushed coral won't raise pH.

That said, pH 8.0 is fine. :)
 
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SammiMitch

SammiMitch

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Howdy again guys another test update!
Temp- 76
Water- 1.024
Ph- 7.4
Ammonia- .50ppm
Nitrites- 5.0ppm
Nitrates- 80ppm
Calicum- 420ppm
Phosphates- 0ppm
KH- 10
Got some pretty brown stuff growing on my sand and rocks. Not sure if I should do a water change yet. Or just letting it go.

IMG_2219.JPG


IMG_2220.JPG
 

Brew12

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I would do a water change to drop nitrates but you don't have to
 

fishkeeper2

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pH is fixed mathematically by the alkalinity and the level of carbon dioxide in the water. Often the carbon dioxide level is impacted by both tank processes (such as photosynthesis) and the level of CO2 in your home air. Crushed coral won't raise pH.

That said, pH 8.0 is fine. :)

Crushed coral raises alkalinity within your tank, which indirectly helps with maintaining a steady pH by affecting its buffering capacity. Some crushed coral comes mixed with limestone and argonite, others are all argonite.
 

Randy Holmes-Farley

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Crushed coral raises alkalinity within your tank, which indirectly helps with maintaining a steady pH by affecting its buffering capacity. Some crushed coral comes mixed with limestone and argonite, others are all argonite.

I don't agree that this is a significant factor. Crushed coral will only dissolve when the pH gets very, very low (well down into the 7's). It does not help maintain pH in a normal reef tank. It does not dissolve in normal seawater. Seawater is already supersaturated with respect to calcium carbonate of all crystal forms.

Aragonite can very slowly dissolve deep in sand beds where pH can get quite low due to degradation of organics locally, but that's not going to maintain pH in the main tank. That also adds a very small amount of alkalinity to the water, but it isn't enough to be a significant factor in tank pH.
 

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