20 long questions

[NoahLikesFish]

You can use baking soda or soda ash to adjust the alkalinity and pH in your reefaquarium. Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) will raise pH after an initial small drop. This temporary drop in pH goes away in a few hours. I believe this makes baking sodathe best choice if your pH is 8.1 or higher.

 

[Sharkbait19]

Monti needs pretty strong light. Many lps do as well (though others hate light, depends on which).
Softies do better with good light as well because they are primarily photosynthetic.

 

[NoahLikesFish]

I might stick to viparspectra but there looks like there’s cheaper methods that would be weaker but that’s all I’d need

 

[NoahLikesFish]

I might not do sps tho.

 

[NoahLikesFish]

This looks good Amazon product ASIN B00GFTK7CQ

 

[NoahLikesFish]

Dang taking that light off and a couple other things took like 125$ of my budget. I added a current orbit b/c it’s what my friend uses

 

[James_O]

I’m using a Nicrew Marine LED. It comes with a remote and a timer, and the lights are nice and bright. It is also adjustable.

I believe it was around $55-$60.

 

[NoahLikesFish]

Is it a good investment to buy a big test kit or should I just stick with what I have. I doubt I’d need much testing just to keep macros and softies and low light lps

 

[NoahLikesFish]

I’m using a Nicrew Marine LED. It comes with a remote and a timer, and the lights are nice and bright. It is also adjustable.

I believe it was around $55-$60.

If nicrew is anything like it is in freshwater it sucks

 

[NoahLikesFish]

My friend is using current orbit so I will use it, I might add live rock to my tank with the cash saved

 

[Sharkbait19]

If nicrew is anything like it is in freshwater it sucks

The nicrew actually has good reviews for freshwater. It is cheap but effective and I have talked to many people who have used it and was recommended it for my planted tank. It just doesn’t have all the bells and whistles that the more expensive lights have.
But by that logic, getting a cheaper light for a marine tank, even if it seems as effective, is not the best idea.

Is it a good investment to buy a big test kit or should I just stick with what I have. I doubt I’d need much testing just to keep macros and softies and low light lps

Yes you still want a good test kit. You need to have a good idea of parameters for any corals or even fish. Lps and nps especially, both of which are very susceptible to swings in parameters. And even softies and macro will dies quickly if something is off.
If you can’t test for a problem, you have no idea what to fix.

 

[NoahLikesFish]

I’d spend 395 if I got coralline lr 20 lb and all the stuff with current light

 

[NoahLikesFish]

The nicrew actually has good reviews for freshwater. It is cheap but effective and I have talked to many people who have used it and was recommended it for my planted tank. It just doesn’t have all the bells and whistles that the more expensive lights have.
But by that logic, getting a cheaper light for a marine tank, even if it seems as effective, is not the best idea.

Yes you still want a good test kit. You need to have a good idea of parameters for any corals or even fish. Lps and nps especially, both of which are very susceptible to swings in parameters. And even softies and macro will dies quickly if something is off.
If you can’t test for a problem, you have no idea what to fix.

I am getting salifert nitrate and api for ammonia. I don’t think imma need like a 120$ Red Sea kit just to keep macro and softies if I’m doing weekly 25% wc

 

[Sharkbait19]

Salifert is fine. You are also going to want something for calc, phosphate, ph, and alk.
Weekly water changes isn’t enough to assume everything is fine. You would still want to be able to test.

 

[NoahLikesFish]

But softies barley use calc alk and mag. I’d only really loose if I didn’t do water changes for a month. Plus I get constant supply from dissolving shells

 

[NoahLikesFish]

Multiple people have told me that I don’t need to test calc alk and mag on softies

 

[Sharkbait19]

But softies barley use calc alk and mag. I’d only really loose if I didn’t do water changes for a month. Plus I get constant supply from dissolving shells

They may not use it but big enough swings can still result in toxic water.

 

[Sharkbait19]

Multiple people have told me that I don’t need to test calc alk and mag on softies

But you do plan on getting lps and nps?

 

[NoahLikesFish]

But you do plan on getting lps and nps?

Nps sun corals (they are lps) and mabye like Duncan’s but they would be the only large consumers of calc and if I dose soda ash and weekly wc (not very common from what I’ve seen) I shouldn’t have issues with nutrient deficiency. Also, I wouldn’t get them for several months

 

[NoahLikesFish]

They may not use it but big enough swings can still result in toxic water.

I’m not going to get big swings if I have high alk and stable consistent water changes?