A few random Questions

[t blackwell]

hey y'all...I am going to ask a few things I was thinking of a minute ago to get some insight.

1..can coral do ok in salinity 1.022 1.023 or is that a big problem. I know I know its supposed to be higher ..I have heard ( dont know if its true) that the fish do better with parasites when its on the lower end.

2 I added an outside airline to my skimmer in hopes of improved ph stability since I have glass tops and the house is closed up a lot in winter and summer. ( i dont often test ph to be honest-maybe I should) anyone have positive experience with this?

3 I have never messed with my sandbed and recently someone told me its a must to siphon it..but I have heard otherwise..its not deep 3 in some places averages 2"

4 I understand coral does best with stabilty ...I have been testing dkh 1-2 times a week..calcium about every two weeks..mag once a month-ish..nitrates once a month ish and phosphate about the same..I have two tanks a 220 and a 50 cube.

the 220 has a couple of tangs and a wrasse..two clowns and some other nano fish..about a dozen fish but most on the smaller side.
the 220 has 320 watt razor light ( only a couple of corals like a torch and some duncans since I lost a lobo and an elegance over a few months..the salinity is 1.022 1.023 the dkh averages 8.0 lowest has been 7.6..the calcium is around 450 the mag is over 1300..the phosphates are treated when they rise above .20. the nitrates have tested from 5 to 10 all the way up to 25 (lately) I do have bio pellets running and im sure I overfeef some..average nitrates the last few months has been between 5-10ppm...api -with all this information should coral do decently..I dont mean sps either..

my 50 cube has salinty of 1.025 two clowns a goby and an acan a hammer(small) and frags of duncan a zoa a small lobo..and a cyphastrea and chalice and favia type..the last three have pretty much declined..the parameters have been solid and low phos and nitrates maybe 5-10...Im ready to get competent with corals so i can advance and get some good results..what am i doing wrong?.the 50 cube has one radion xr15( i think its 90 watts) over it.I am trying to get feedback and figure out why im not doing better with coral. I have lost a nice lobo over 3-4 months and an elegance..and a couple of small frags like chalice as i mentioned. all good advice feedback appreciated.

 

[rkpetersen]

Hi, welcome to the forum! I'll take a shot at some of your questions.

1..can coral do ok in salinity 1.022 1.023 or is that a big problem. I know I know its supposed to be higher ..I have heard ( dont know if its true) that the fish do better with parasites when its on the lower end.

Most corals will be ok at 1022 although it's true they prefer full salinity. Hyposalinity is a treatment for parasites like crypto but that requires a drop to around 1010. A slightly lower than normal salinity won't help fish avoid parasites to any real degree so might as well keep it higher for corals imo.

2 I added an outside airline to my skimmer in hopes of improved ph stability since I have glass tops and the house is closed up a lot in winter and summer. ( i dont often test ph to be honest-maybe I should) anyone have positive experience with this?

Yes this works great, not so much to stabilize pH but to keep your pH in a higher overall range by reducing the CO2 which enters your water via the skimmer. How much of a difference it makes will depend on how much higher the CO2 level typically is near the tank as compared to outside, which you won't know for sure unless you check it with a CO2 meter.

3 I have never messed with my sandbed and recently someone told me its a must to siphon it..but I have heard otherwise..its not deep 3 in some places averages 2"

Many different opinions on this. It probably does help keep your sand fresher and cleaner, and nutrient levels in your tank lower. It can also on occasion stir things up that will kill fish and corals overnight, or restart a crypto infection that you thought was gone. If you're going to do it, I recommend vacuuming the sand during a water change rather than just stirring the sand and watching the resultant snowstorm.

4 I understand coral does best with stabilty ...I have been testing dkh 1-2 times a week..calcium about every two weeks..mag once a month-ish..nitrates once a month ish and phosphate about the same..I have two tanks a 220 and a 50 cube.

I test more often than that but I'm probably more compulsive about it than most. Nonetheless it's probably a good habit to do a full battery of tests once a week, with additional testing as appropriate to circumstances.

the 220 has a couple of tangs and a wrasse..two clowns and some other nano fish..about a dozen fish but most on the smaller side.
the 220 has 320 watt razor light ( only a couple of corals like a torch and some duncans since I lost a lobo and an elegance over a few months..the salinity is 1.022 1.023 the dkh averages 8.0 lowest has been 7.6..the calcium is around 450 the mag is over 1300..the phosphates are treated when they rise above .20. the nitrates have tested from 5 to 10 all the way up to 25 (lately) I do have bio pellets running and im sure I overfeef some..average nitrates the last few months has been between 5-10ppm...api -with all this information should coral do decently..I dont mean sps either..

The numbers you mention should allow for coral survival and growth. I'm not familiar with that fixture so I'd be concerned about checking the light intensity and spectrum. The XR15 over your 50 cube may not be enough; consider upgrading to an XR30 or adding a couple of T5 bulbs. Also what's your flow situation? And do you have a refugium on either tank? A functioning refugium is great for introducing edible microfauna into the water and also for removing nitrate/phosphate/metals.

 

[Mastiffsrule]

Welcome to the club. Sounds like a great start. Put up some pix when you can for use to get to know you.

#WelcomeToR2R

 

[t blackwell]

Hi, welcome to the forum! I'll take a shot at some of your questions.



Most corals will be ok at 1022 although it's true they prefer full salinity. Hyposalinity is a treatment for parasites like crypto but that requires a drop to around 1010. A slightly lower than normal salinity won't help fish avoid parasites to any real degree so might as well keep it higher for corals imo.



Yes this works great, not so much to stabilize pH but to keep your pH in a higher overall range by reducing the CO2 which enters your water via the skimmer. How much of a difference it makes will depend on how much higher the CO2 level typically is near the tank as compared to outside, which you won't know for sure unless you check it with a CO2 meter.



Many different opinions on this. It probably does help keep your sand fresher and cleaner, and nutrient levels in your tank lower. It can also on occasion stir things up that will kill fish and corals overnight, or restart a crypto infection that you thought was gone. If you're going to do it, I recommend vacuuming the sand during a water change rather than just stirring the sand and watching the resultant snowstorm.



I test more often than that but I'm probably more compulsive about it than most. Nonetheless it's probably a good habit to do a full battery of tests once a week, with additional testing as appropriate to circumstances.



The numbers you mention should allow for coral survival and growth. I'm not familiar with that fixture so I'd be concerned about checking the light intensity and spectrum. The XR15 over your 50 cube may not be enough; consider upgrading to an XR30 or adding a couple of T5 bulbs. Also what's your flow situation? And do you have a refugium on either tank? A functioning refugium is great for introducing edible microfauna into the water and also for removing nitrate/phosphate/metals.

you think thats not enough over the 50? the par listed for it in the manual is pretty high in a 24x24 cube..keep in mind no sps-yet..im not ready for that..interesting I will re read about that..I dont run it at 100 percent either ( afraid I would overdo it...I run it like at 70 percent at its highest....do you think my 320 watts over my 220 is enough for sps /softies...thats the one I had doubts about more..its 29.5 high. My 220 has a large sump with a refugium..section...the 50 cube has nothing but a skimmer the sump is small on the 50..no fuge..oh yeh..flow..in the 220 I have an ice cap gyre 3k on one side higher up..and on the other end I have a waveline puck up to 3000 gph..I think the gyre goes that high or maybe a little more..run the gyre in increasing pulse up to 70 percent around the clock..the puck i run from like 9 am till 9pm pulse on off 80 percent to try to make it kind of alternating random.

 

[rkpetersen]

you think thats not enough over the 50? the par listed for it in the manual is pretty high in a 24x24 cube..keep in mind no sps-yet..im not ready for that..interesting I will re read about that..I dont run it at 100 percent either ( afraid I would overdo it...I run it like at 70 percent at its highest....do you think my 320 watts over my 220 is enough for sps /softies...thats the one I had doubts about more..its 29.5 high. My 220 has a large sump with a refugium..section...the 50 cube has nothing but a skimmer the sump is small on the 50..no fuge..oh yeh..flow..in the 220 I have an ice cap gyre 3k on one side higher up..and on the other end I have a waveline puck up to 3000 gph..I think the gyre goes that high or maybe a little more..run the gyre in increasing pulse up to 70 percent around the clock..the puck i run from like 9 am till 9pm pulse on off 80 percent to try to make it kind of alternating random.

I'd consider buying or renting a par meter and seeing where you stand as far as light.

Your flow sounds ok, although it's hard to say without seeing it in action. Certainly should be enough for softies and lps, anyway.