New to having to worry about calcium and magnesium

[Goaway]

This w

Ok, I really appreciate it
Thank you... hopefully this helps

From your tests though, you look to be under 33 ppt for the salt mix. GL I hope you get this sorted out.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

This w

From your tests though, you look to be under 33 ppt for the salt mix. GL I hope you get this sorted out.

I do too...I'm surprised I haven't been having some big problems

 

[Screwgunner]

Not much at momemt as only 6 months into it so stocking slowly

2 clownfish
Ywg/tiger pistol shrimp
Tail spot blennie
Silver belly wrasse
Bi colour blennie
Blue streaked cleaner wrasse
Coral beauty
Copperband butterfly fish
Will add last fish in 1 week time and be 1 spot foxface

Cuc
2 cleaner shrimp
14 mini hermit crabs
3 red legged scarlet hermit crabs
6 nassarious snails
6 trochus snails
2 conchs snails
2 tuxedo urchins
Will get some more hermits next week when buy fish

Corals
Gsp
Orange zoa frag
Neon green paly's frag
Toadstool leather
Green torch
1 lobo
Will buy another colour torch next week also

Im just sticking to advice off stocking tank slowly so every 2- 3 weeks i buy something
So far so good no issues or no deaths at all.actually i lie as had a hermit crab definately kill another hermit as seen it and suspect him off killing another.
Also bought a halloween hermit crab but caught him eating spines/ tentacles off a urchin and he flipped a nassariuos snail and started eating so he went back to the lfs

Looks really nice. I am also at 6 months but my rock is at 10 months.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

This w

From your tests though, you look to be under 33 ppt for the salt mix. GL I hope you get this sorted out.

I just tested a little water stuck in the bag I got my coral in today and my refractometer says it and my DT are the same

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

I just tested a little water stuck in the bag I got my coral in today and my refractometer says it and my DT are the same

On a different note, should I buy a higher quality test kit for alkalinity like Red Sea Pro's? They're expensive so I haven't gotten one yet

 

[Goaway]

On a different note, should I buy a higher quality test kit for alkalinity like Red Sea Pro's? They're expensive so I haven't gotten one yet

It maybe the test kits at this point.

 

[Rick Mathew]

Hey everyone, I just got my first hard coral frags (besides sun corals) today and I also have kept a clam for a while. Since I knew I was introducing hard corals today, yesterday I tested my water and found:
Calcium- 400
Magnesium- 1250
Alkalinity-10
I admit my test kit is off brand and probably not the most accurate but it would be weird for it to measure both parameters out of range. I just did a water change recently. What should I be dosing with and just to be sure, I might buy one of the Red Sea Pro test kits either alkalinity, calcium or magnesium...they're pretty expensive so if I had to only buy one, which should it be? Also, what should I use to supplement the low calcium and magnesium?

Thanks!

If I might jump into this conversation...If you are just starting out doing tank water testing, you might be helped by the articles I wrote on testing...There are 4 of them Titled "GETTING IT RIGHT" ….you can find them here.... https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/authors/rick-mathew.66447/

I wrote them for the vary reason you are discussing..."How do I know what the correct value is?"....This is especially important if the strategy is to adjust parameters...ie dose elements...because getting incorrect values will cause all kinds of issues...hope you find them helpful

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

If I might jump into this conversation...If you are just starting out doing tank water testing, you might be helped by the articles I wrote on testing...There are 4 of them Titled "GETTING IT RIGHT" ….you can find them here.... https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/authors/rick-mathew.66447/

I wrote them for the vary reason you are discussing..."How do I know what the correct value is?"....This is especially important if the strategy is to adjust parameters...ie dose elements...because getting incorrect values will cause all kinds of issues...hope you find them helpful

I'll check it out, thanks!

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

It maybe the test kits at this point.

The Red Sea kit let's you measure precise values but would that be useful for alkalinity or is the nearest whole or half number enough? @Rick Mathew can I have your opinion?

 

[ying yang]

Looks really nice. I am also at 6 months but my rock is at 10 months.

Thanks.hopefully as get more corals i get more colour in tank and they grow nicely and get little or no issues.but we shall see ha ha
But im pretty easy going so unless dire straits problem i just let it be and do its thing ^_^

 

[Screwgunner]

I am asking you that just to tell you that your salinity is probably incorrect measure. If your salinity measure was correct, then at 1.026, your alk should be close to

Thanks.hopefully as get more corals i get more colour in tank and they grow nicely and get little or no issues.but we shall see ha ha
But im pretty easy going so unless dire straits problem i just let it be and do its thing ^_^

If you are getting clowns i would start with them first wait a month add a couple more or 1 bigger one. Clowns are the hardest fish.

 

[Rick Mathew]

The Red Sea kit let's you measure precise values but would that be useful for alkalinity or is the nearest whole or half number enough? @Rick Mathew can I have your opinion?

For Alkalinity second decimal is plenty good...There will be some variability in the measurement no matter which test you select...knowing that variability is important to know when to make any adjustments..

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

For Alkalinity second decimal is plenty good...There will be some variability in the measurement no matter which test you select...knowing that variability is important to know when to make any adjustments..

Thanks!...I'm a fan of some of the more professional test kits (maybe I"m a little bit of a chemistry nerd). Since I treated myself to buying one today, I wanted to get one in which precise measurement is important so I ended up getting phosphate and I went with the Nyos brand because they didn't have Red Sea Pro (my personal favorite line) in stock. Also, is it possible to have a salinity of 35 ppt and an alkalinity of 10?

 

[Rick Mathew]

Thanks!...I'm a fan of some of the more professional test kits (maybe I"m a little bit of a chemistry nerd). Since I treated myself to buying one today, I wanted to get one in which precise measurement is important so I ended up getting phosphate and I went with the Nyos brand because they didn't have Red Sea Pro (my personal favorite line) in stock. Also, is it possible to have a salinity of 35 ppt and an alkalinity of 10?

Yes ..My salinity is slightly over 35 and my alkalinity hovers around 9.6

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Yes ..My salinity is slightly over 35 and my alkalinity hovers around 9.6

Ok, thank you. The one guy commenting earlier was livid about it not being possible...I don't know enough chemistry to have said whether its possible or not

 

[Rick Mathew]

Ok, thank you. The one guy commenting earlier was livid about it not being possible...I don't know enough chemistry to have said whether its possible or not

I think he may have been referring to the initial alt mix.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

You

I think he may have been referring to the initial alt mix.

Yeah possibly, and I don't mean livid in a derogatory way either. I reread my comment and it didn't sound how I intended.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

I think he may have been referring to the initial alt mix.

I did, however, invest in a high quality set of kits (Calcium, mag, and alkalinity) so I can keep an eye on those parameters more closely