Are these tests right?

[Treenk]

Ok so really I'm trying to figure out why my rocks and only my rocks are covered in green. So I bought the salifert 6 pack and this is what I got
Alk 6.4
Po4 0
No3 5
Ph 8.3
Mg 1750-1800
Ca 550
For both my and ca I had to get extra in syringe to finish test so above their 1500 and 500 test results I did them twice and followed instructions in the book and then from a video same results.
I use instant ocean reef Crystal's my salinity goes from 1.016 and 1.017 depending on evap (no ato).

This is my green rock problem if you want to chime in on it too.

 

[Tumey]

From the pictures your tank appears to be pretty young still. The green you’re questioning is the rock starting to mature. If there’s a trusted LFS close to you & you’re doubting your test results you should be able to take them some water and have them double check your numbers.

 

[C. Eymann]

What brand of salt are you using ? did you acid cure the rocks?

Mineral levels (minus alk) are really high

 

[Treenk]

From the pictures your tank appears to be pretty young still. The green you’re questioning is the rock starting to mature. If there’s a trusted LFS close to you & you’re doubting your test results you should be able to take them some water and have them double check your numbers.

Yeah tank is about 2 months old. About how long will it stay green? I keeps getting more and more. Yeah there are a few lfs near me I'll ask around and see what they charge.

 

[Tumey]

Yeah tank is about 2 months old. About how long will it stay green? I keeps getting more and more. Yeah there are a few lfs near me I'll ask around and see what they charge.

My guess is that you used dry rock? Did you do anything to the rock before putting it in the tank? You have cycled the tank to establish the biological process yes? What you’re seeing is the very beginnings of things. Your rock will drastically change in color and appearance as things progress.

 

[BeejReef]

That's very high calcium and magnesium. Not sure if it's dangerous, but I'd def look into that.
Also, hopefully a typo bc the salinity you mention is very low. You're aiming for 1.025 or 1.026.

Yup... say goodbye to white rocks forever
The turning green, brown, or yellow is a good sign. It's the flowy or bubble algae you will want to stay on the lookout for.

 

[Uncle99]

You might want to slowly adjust your parameters Alk to low, phosphate too low, others to high.
Then work diligently to keep them right on point at all times and let your tank mature, say another 6 months.
All of it will disappear if you keep your water parameters within normal ranges with little flux.

 

[Js.Aqua.Project]

First, the green on your rocks looks perfectly normal for a tank starting to mature.

Next, let's look at those parameters. I am hoping you had a typo when you said that your salinity is at 1.016 and meant 1.026. If not, I'm not sure how even with Reef Crystals your Ca and Mg would be so high unless you are dosing them (which if you are, stop, you don't need it at this point).

The majority of reefers aim for parameters like:
SG 1.024-1.026 (most settle right in the middle at 1.025)
Ca 420-450 (I know more at 420 than 450)
dKH 7-11 (key with dKH is to pick a number and keep it as steady as possible)
Mg 1250-1350 (most are in the neighborhood of 1280)
NO3 5-10 (Ultra Low Nutrient reefers aim for 0-1 but usually have to compensate by adding Amino Acids, Carbohydrates, and Vitamins)
PO4 .02-.08

One of the big things is not to "chase numbers", since you are in the starting phases of this tank, what I would recommend doing is finding a tank that is similar to what you want to keep (as far as livestock/coral) and match those parameters and just hold it steady. Another great resource is the "Reef Care Recipes" from Red Sea (yes they are trying to push their products, but you can maintain them with any one else's too).

 

[Treenk]

Lol yes I meant 1.026-1.027. Is it the salt that's making those 2 so high then? I'm not dosing anything, when I first started with dry rock I used a quick start with all the bacteria since I started all dry rock. Atm all I am doing is about a 12% water change a week. Is there a reason my dkh is lower than it should be, or why my phosphate is a flat zero? Thank you btw is that's probably the best most detailed answer I've ever gotten.

 

[Samina]

Do you mix the bag of salt at all before you scoop some out to make your water? Take a look at this video and it might answer some of your questions in regards to why your Ca and Mg are high while Alk is low.

Will salt mix stratify or separate before we get the chance to use it for our saltwater tanks? | BRStv Investigates

A majority of saltwater used in home aquariums is made by mixing a dry salt mix with RO/DI water. Some folks have access to sterilized natural seawater, but this is very limited for the most part. Whether you are mixing it yourself or buying from a local fish store, it is very

www.bulkreefsupply.com

As far as the green rock goes, as the other folks already said, it’s just your rock going through the normal phases and coming into its life. It will continue to change over the course of time. All good stuff though.

As far as 0 PO4 goes, that is not ideal. As @Js.Aqua.Project mentioned, you want that to be atleast 0.02ppm. But that can be raised by beefing up feedings (gradually) or by increasing bioload. I would personally start by increasing feedings a bit and after a couple weeks see if that changes anything.

 

[lapin]

While RC salt will make Mg and Ca high, your alk is very low and should be high.
Something is wrong. Bad test kit ? Maybe a bad bucket of salt? but not likely. It could be your new rock is absorbing alk or something in it is growing and using alk. You can raise alk with baked baking soda dissolved in water.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php

If I was you, I would switch to the normal Instant Ocean salt until you have a lot of coral that requires a salt high in Alk, Ca and Mg

Alk 6.4
Po4 0
No3 5
Ph 8.3
Mg 1750-1800
Ca 550