Messed up salinity and I am in trouble. What did I do wrong?
- Thread starter Chelymay
- Start date
- Tagged users None
OP
OP
Ok so I turned the lights down and the whites are off completely.
When I did turn the white lights on all the way to take a good look at the “cyano” the algae looks green not red.
LFS guy said it was cyano but I thought cyano was red, hence red slime. Not sure what to do with that.
I checked my parameters just now (API test kit)
Salinity 1.026 (yeah)
Phosphates .50 (yikes)
Nitrates 0 (how is that possible)
PH 8.2 (good I think)
Alkalinity 10 (see)
Calcium 520+++ (test goes to 26 drops, I counted 29 drops before it reached the right color)
Is a water change needed to bring phosphate down? If so, how much?
What’s the best way to bring up nitrates?
Again thank you so much.
laverda
2500 Club Member
An Apex is not going to solve any issues. Save your money.
I don't think your salinity being bit low would cause your issues. I have zoas and leathers in my qt tank. I drop the salinity of it to match the water new fish come in, typically 1.019-1.020 without any issues.
What was the source of the water for the water change that started the problem? Are you using RODI water?
you will get a zillion opinions here lol
but I pay zero attention to salt brand, I buy whatever is cheaper and have a few decades of killing fish to back that up lol
Short of driveway rock salt, anything above Coralife is fine
laverda
2500 Club Member
I agree I don't think there is anything wrong with IO salt. Many good LFS and hobbiest use it without any issues.
However something seems to be wrong with your new saltwater. The water change started the issue. Also the fact you calcium is so high does not make sense. IO typically mixes low in calcium if I recall correctly. I used to mix it with Oceanic which is very high in CA for this reason. So where is all the calcium coming from? RODI is a possible source if not working properly. It could also be letting chlorimines through. Chlorimines are toxic and easily tested for with swimming pool test kits. I also question your test results since your using API test kits.
I also think your corals are not getting enough light to be happy. You and not using white at all so you have 2 59 watt fixtures in essence running at 60%. That is not much light.
OP
OP
Yes I am using rodi water which I make the day before in a brute can with a pump for circulation and a heater to match my tank temp.
To be completely honest here, I have never had great with corals.
I have lost:
Goniopora
2 Kenya trees
Xenia (was full of pest when I got it, recovered perfectly until salinity dip, now it’s gone)
Currently not doing well:
Zoa colony
Button polyps
Toadstool
My troopers:
2 Hammers (one had split then salinity incident, now is thinning out but the other one is retracted but looks good)
2 Candy Canes
Mushrooms
Green Star Polyps
Long Polyp Leather (came apart but has attached to a skeleton and is hanging in there)
Macro Algae looks great:
Lots of Sea Grass
2 Shaving Brush
Red Bush Gracilaria
Chaeto looks mushy not good.
All my snails died the day after salinity dip that’s what alarmed me and I started checking parameters.
My conch and My 2 hermit crabs are fine.
Plus all my fishies are doing great.
Trouble shooting has been difficult
That’s why I am asking people in the know.
Rule #52: Never be afraid to ask for help.
OP
OP
I have tested my rodi water and it checked out. Literally nothing. 6 stage, I live in the mountains and the water is pretty terrible. So rodi was a no brainer.
The calcium is odd to me. I have to add cuttlebone to my freshwater tank for my snails so their shells don’t get thin. Plus I have a shale cave in my freshwater tank. The parameters in that tank are perfect. I don’t really have to check them but once a month and they are always DOBA
I do have 3 different kinds of rock in my reef tank most were live when I bought it. I have the standard purple rock plus some shelf pieces which are the live pieces and some rock that almost looks like concrete but they said it wasn’t, it was dry. I soaked it for a week maybe longer.
Now I am worried the rock I chose is wrong. Could that be the issue or one of the issues.
This sucks for me.
OP
OP
See that’s the kind of problem solving I am lacking as a newbie.
I have had so many excellent thoughts and ideas on how to fix my issues.
So many that I am confused and don’t know what to do. I have to remind myself that I am newbie.
Sitting here looking at my tank, thinking what have I done.
laverda
2500 Club Member
I know conflicting advice can add to the confusion. As you read the advice think if it makes sense for your situation, does the person giving it know what they are talking about, do they have any more experience than you? I see so many posts from brand new reefers giving bad advice on here it is crazy. I know my advice on your lights conflicted with someone else's. I don't think that is your issue currently. but has to do with why they have not been doing well over all long term.
Good luck sorting it out.
OP
OP
Thank you and I agree with the the lights. I just recently added the second 100 watt Nicrew light because of that exact reason. The light was in the center of the tank. My corals perked up after adding the second light but someone said to lower them for stress reasons I guess. I don’t know at this point.
How much white and how much blue.
100% blue 40% white?
80% blue 20% white?
I have no idea. I have also read no white at all because of dinos and cyano.
To much light will bleach them and not enough they will stretch to reach it.
I have witnessed neither of those situations.
It is a guessing game which is not stable which is what I am aiming for.
One word comes to mind, Overwhelmed
cngh
Community Member
First, you are doing the right thing coming to the forum to ask for help. Although I don't think it's fair to completely trash your LFS, they don't know your system intimately or necessarily have the same interest invested in your tank that you do, but it seems pretty clear they're interested in selling you "quick fix" products (also corals) that you probably don't need or aren't ready for. It's ok to keep going to them, but always have that in the back of your mind. Go to the forum first, then see if the LFS's advice is consistent with the advice you get here. If they recommend something, don't buy it right away. Come back here and ask if you need it. If they're a good LFS, they won't pressure you to buy right away. That being said, you're going to get a million different opinions from the forum and everyone's experience will be different. You will need to be able to sift through the advice that, while valid, does not apply to your situation. Not all recommendations made here will be good for your situation. This includes the .02 cents I'm about to throw into this mix, haha.
Second, you have a ton of products that you don't need. Welcome to the club! I'm confident that ALL of us have bought stuff we were convinced would help but we actually didn't need (or made things worse b/c we were desperate for a quick fix), so that's not a knock on you. Looking at all those bottles and supplements, you definitely should not be dosing all that at once or in a short period without proper testing and observation. There's no quick fix or benefit to rushing through things. That purple up, for example, is basically snake oil. You'll get coralline without it. A lot of the other stuff aren't "need" items, but are helpful when you have a tank with specific requirements which you'd know after lengthy observation and testing. Like that trace colors, you don't need it if you only have a few corals that are barely depleting the minerals from your salt water (and which get sufficiently replaced when you do a water change); on the other hand, if your tank is so jam packed with corals that you can't even see the live rock, then trace colors might be good to dose to offset the rapid depletion of minerals from your salt water. Ask first, buy later!
So, try really hard, when trouble shooting, to only make one change at a time. Watch and test, and if nothing has changed but the problem persists, then move to the next thing. But if you do it all at once or in short succession, you have no idea what worked or if one thing made it worse. This hobby is a test of your ability to be patient!
Finally, I don't think that going to a bigger tank or buying an apex is going to magically make your problems disappear. Throwing money at "MORE/BIGGER/NEATER/AWESOMER STUFF" is just going to result in you wasting your money. Plenty of people run beautiful tanks on the KISS method, including nanos like yours. When I first started 12+ years ago, I fell into the money trap of more/expensive stuff means easier/better reef tanks. I bought into the supplements like you, the equipment (dual reactors, bio pellet reactors, algae/fuges, dosers, chillers, packed sumps, etc.), and in the end most of it ended up being sold (for way less than I paid) or given away because I was never as satisfied by the results as when I ran my nano tanks simply (good lighting, good flow, good heater, a skimmer, an ato, regular water changes). But that was my experience and a lot of people here do rely on all that stuff and have amazing tanks. Basically, I'm not poo-pooing equipment, I'm just saying don't feel you have to rush into all that stuff NOW NOW NOW. Also, buy as much as you can used or pre-owned because that'll save you a ton of money.
Hang in there. We've all been in your shoes. Research and learn. Be patient. There is no "the one way" to do things. Follow the advice that's right for you. Keep posting here.
terraincognita
Valuable Member
This video series is REALLY good for new reefers.
It's really long, but it takes you through almost everything in a pretty simple manner with easy terms.
It has a lot of Ancillary info, while there's definitely fluff and repetative info as well, which is why it's SOOOO long, it's still a really good series,
By the time you get to the 26 Week mark about 5 hours worth of video you'll be able to answer most of these questions yourself, Or at least have an idea, and then we can confirm it.
It's hard to tell you "what to do" vs asking our opinion or advice on what you'd like to do/plan to do and if we think that's a good idea
.You'll get better and truer reponses with the latter
OP
OP
No coralline growth just algae.
I like the Prostar 200 gallon but it isn’t that deep. But it’s bigger than my AIO 45 gallon
I have a test strip that I just did on one day old rodi water. That’s all I could find up here in the mountains (maybe amazon) but here is a picture of the results
Attachments
terraincognita
Valuable Member
That water looks fine.
Definitely Would suggest the following Hobby Grade Tests for your reef water after mixing in the salt.
Hanna Alkalinity Checker
RedSea or Salifert Calcium
RedSea or Salifert Mag
Salifert Nitrate
Hanna Phosphate
those are about the only 5 Tests you'll ever really need besides maybe an occasional ICP just to really get down to the nitty Gritty.
OP
OP
This video series is REALLY good for new reefers.
It's really long, but it takes you through almost everything in a pretty simple manner with easy terms.
It has a lot of Ancillary info, while there's definitely fluff and repetative info as well, which is why it's SOOOO long, it's still a really good series,
By the time you get to the 26 Week mark about 5 hours worth of video you'll be able to answer most of these questions yourself, Or at least have an idea, and then we can confirm it.
It's hard to tell you "what to do" vs asking our opinion or advice on what you'd like to do/plan to do and if we think that's a good idea
You'll get better and truer reponses with the latter
I absolutely love Ryan and Randy over at BRS. They are the reason I fell in love with reefing. I copied there AIO tank. I bought the coral they suggested and some of the equipment and products but like they said a hundred times in their videos, not everyone will have the same results or advice. Plus they have the money and a huge coral selection, a coral lovers dream. I’ll just take this one and this one oh and this one. Lucky!!!
I love their video on hey look what we did wrong and laugh about it. I try to do that but I get more freaked out then they do.
What I took away from them is keep trying and there will be issues and if you don’t know what to do go on reef2reef and ask.
So here I am.
Anyway, I love those guys
So here’s a shout out to BRSTV!!
Do they have a fan club because I certainly belong in it
terraincognita
Valuable Member
when you get to SPS you’ll probably be testing daily until you’re comfortable.
I check my nitrate and phosphate every 3 days.
Alk once a week.
otherwise only when I think somethings wrong do I really check other elements.
nitrate and phosphate could be out of wack for a week before the corals respond but I like to act before then.
If I had a softy ez Lps only tank. Probably never hahaha unless something started dyingz
OP
OP
My phosphates are high at .5 but everything else looks good today. How do I safely bring the phosphates down? Do I need to do a water change and if so how much water?
Here’s the great thing my salinity is stable at 1.026. Win!
I’ve been fighting that myth for ages LOL... it malarkey ...total malarkey
I can say this unequivocally and with confidence: adjust the color to what you like and just leave it... Believe me, if I know nothing else it that corals can adapt to a wide range of color temps so long as you leave it that way and it has enough blue ....
Don’t worry about white light making algae, you fight algae with water quality not light adjustments
Similar threads
