Is my DT Ready for a Fish?

[jadwv2210]

I just tested the water earlier and my parameters are as follows:

Salinity: 1.026 sg
Temp: 78 Degrees Fahrenheit
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: >2 ppm
Ph: 8
Alkalinity: ~7.5 Dkh

I added Biospira to this tank after I initially filled it with water and it has been running for about 3-4 weeks. From what I've read that alkalinity reading is a bit low but I'm not sure if it is important for a tank that will only have fish in it at this time.

I've got a QT tank setup with a HOB filter, a heater, and a few pieces of PVC pipe. The filter media for the filter has been sitting in the DT sump for a couple of weeks now. The fish I was thinking of getting are 2 oscellaris or percula clowns depending on what they have at the store. My display tank is a 40 gallon breeder.

Is there anything I'm overlooking? I don't want to forget something and risk hurting my new pets!

 

[DannyB]

The alk is only going to effect pH stability in a tank with no stony corals. If you are wanting to increase it you can do it all at once while there are no inhabitants but other than that the parameters seem fine for adding fish. You really only need to look at the ammonia and nitrite levels to determine when the cycle is over. How long has your ammonia and nitrite been at 0?

 

[jadwv2210]

The alk is only going to effect pH stability in a tank with no stony corals. If you are wanting to increase it you can do it all at once while there are no inhabitants but other than that the parameters seem fine for adding fish. You really only need to look at the ammonia and nitrite levels to determine when the cycle is over. How long has your ammonia and nitrite been at 0?

Monday will make one week that I first tested the water and found 0 ppm ammonia and 0 ppm nitrite. The nitrate reading has barely risen if at all since my initial test. I have been adding some pellet food to the tank every other day.

Is the alkalinity something that will increase on its own in time after the fish have been added or is this something I will need to monitor closely and adjust on my own? My first corals will be LPS and soft corals like leathers. No SPS for a while since I'm a beginner.

 

[Harold Green]

More than likely the alk will decrease with time. Have you looked into adding kalk to your top up water? It's a good low tech approach to raising alk and once you determine how much water your tank uses and how much the kalk is needed to maintain your alk it's pretty stable.

 

[DannyB]

I wouldn't think kalk would be anything needed until you have corals or a lot of coraline algae to consume the excess alk and calcium. There are plenty of additives you can use to increase alk. Before i began using kalk, i used baked baking soda in rodi water. I don't remember the ratio right off hand but shouldn't be hard to find the recipe for it. Once you get the alk where you want it your WCs should keep it fairly stable.

 

[Harold Green]

You can also use pickling lime. I happen to like the kalk because the liquid stays in suspension better in my ato reservoir. I know how much to add to a gallon of ro water, pour the clear liquid into my reservoir and monitor the ph until I get it where I want it. Then the ato gradually raises the dt ph to where I want to maintain it.

 

[jadwv2210]

I'm in a rough predicament when it comes to ATO because my power surges on and off fairly often which makes the water level in my sump fluctuate. I think it will be nearly impossible to use an ATO on this tank until I get a battery backup for the return pump.

I'll see if I can find the baking soda method outlined anywhere.

Is there any specific reason a tank with new water like this would have low alkalinity? Or is it something that some people just have to deal with? I'm using HW-marine mix reefer salt if maybe that is what's going on.

 

[DannyB]

Test the alkalinity of freshly mixed water. The salt mix may be low on alk. You may look into a gravity fed ATO. That would negate power issues for your ATO.

 

[Harold Green]

A pair of float switches. They'll work when the power is on without losing any settings during power outages and pump issues shouldn't affect the ato as when the power is out the level in the sump is high and won't call for any top up water. Before getting into alk issues you might want to try bringing outside air into your skimmer to see if it raises ph. Sometimes the problem can be too much co2 indoors.

 

[jadwv2210]

I put some baking soda on the water I was using to top off evaporation last night and then waited a couple of hours to test. The Ph was 8.4 and the alkalinity rose to 9.5 dKH as expected.

I'm probably going to fill the QT tank with old tank water this weekend and then get a fish next week. Looking at 2 oscellaris clowns!

I'll have them in the QT tank for a few days to make sure they're eating and then I'll probably do a 30 days copper treatment with cupramine prophylacticly.