Parameters Too Stable or Rising?

[ollysaquariums]

Hey everyone, I have a reef tank that’s roughly 6 months old and I have noticed a few things that I’m not sure whether I should be concerned about them or not.

Firstly, I hadn’t tested in nearly two weeks and in that two weeks I didn’t water change or dose anything. When I tested today I noticed my KH has only gone down by 0.4 so went from 7.7dKH to 7.3dKH. Is this normal stability or is there something fishy going on? (no pun intended).

Another thing is in that time my calcium only went down by 10ppm from 480ppm to 470ppm. I could either just have a really stable tank or something’s going on.

The weirdest thing that happened though was my magnesium went up by 10ppm somehow. I’ve had trouble with magnesium for a while now and this is even weirder because without water changes or dosing it’s gone up somehow.

Should I be concerned about this or not?

 

[FranklinDattein]

There is little to no calcification occurring, hence the values remained virtually unchanged. It is not uncommon in new tanks and tanks with softies only.
The 10ppm increase in Mg is well within the error rate of the test, so also virtually unchanged.


I would only be concerned only if you have stony corals, as it means they aren't growing.

Doe ist have stony corals? Do you have a full tank shot?

Is coralline algae growing? If not, that is there first milestone to look for. It should start consuming some minor amounts of ca/alk/mg.

 

[ollysaquariums]

There is little to no calcification occurring, hence the values remained virtually unchanged. It is not uncommon in new tanks and tanks with softies only.
The 10ppm increase in Mg is well within the error rate of the test, so also virtually unchanged.


I would only be concerned only if you have stony corals, as it means they aren't growing.

Doe ist have stony corals? Do you have a full tank shot?

Is coralline algae growing? If not, that is there first milestone to look for. It should start consuming some minor amounts of ca/alk/mg.

I have two monti frags, a half dead green goblin and a half eaten (by my yellow coral goby) birdsnest and other than that it’s LPS and softies.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

IMO its a negligible decrease in 2 weeks, water changes would be the easiest way of replenishing that. The magnesium test is likely a test error, I haven't tested mag in years and IMO its the least important. Alk is the most important and your alk is fine IMO.

 

[Lagoon Reef Keeper]

you cannot measure magnesium or calcium accurate enough to say it changed by 10ppm. There are 0 hobby kits accurate enough. This post is regarding tenths and minute changes none of which are concerning. The reality is your tanks consumption will always be changing over time and needs adjusting. But don’t make changes over 10ppm magnesium/calcium that’s silly to even consider. Relax and stop worrying about decimal places and 10’s of ppm. That’s just sort of comical.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

In addition to what others have said, I'd stop measuring magnesium. Home measurement is too inaccurate to be useful in this setting where no measurable consumption can be occurring. Real consumption is never more than about 1/10th of the calcium consumption.

 

[ollysaquariums]

In addition to what others have said, I'd stop measuring magnesium. Home measurement is too inaccurate to be useful in this setting where no measurable consumption can be occurring. Real consumption is never more than about 1/10th of the calcium consumption.

What if I get a more accurate tester for Mg like a hannah tester? My corals just don’t seem happy atm and it’s not good. I’m getting more cleanup crew and another wavemaker today but is there anything I should get as well to have happier corals?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

is there anything I should get as well to have happier corals?

Thats a big question and very hard to answer without knowing what the issue is.
if you can give more info on your set up it will help us..... what are the full parameters What testing kits are you using? Rodi or tap water? What is your filtration system? What is your light? What do you have for flow? What do you dose to the tank if anything? Picture of the corals and full tank pics help too.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

What if I get a more accurate tester for Mg like a hannah tester? My corals just don’t seem happy atm and it’s not good. I’m getting more cleanup crew and another wavemaker today but is there anything I should get as well to have happier corals?

I have no reason to think the Hanna is more accurate.

 

[ollysaquariums]

is there anything I should get as well to have happier corals?

Thats a big question and very hard to answer without knowing what the issue is.
if you can give more info on your set up it will help us..... what are the full parameters What testing kits are you using? Rodi or tap water? What is your filtration system? What is your light? What do you have for flow? What do you dose to the tank if anything? Picture of the corals and full tank pics help too.

Okay here’s the details:

Tank: Aqua One MiniReef 215 (Second-Hand) - 243 Litre Display (Excluding rock and other stuff), 60 Litre Sump

Filtration: Sump with Bio Balls, Aqua One G216 Protein Skimmer, Unsure of Return Pump, Felt Filter Sock, RowaPhos, Blue Life Clear Pro

Flow: Fluval Wavemaker 2800L/h, Mantis Hydrus 25 (I just got yesterday)

Light: AI Edge 44HD

Test Kits: Hannah PO4 ULR, Salifert pH, NO3, Ca, Mg, KH

Parameters (as of yesterday, not the best):
Salinity: 35ppt
KH: 7.3 dKH
Ca: 470ppm
Mg: 1330ppm
PO4: 0.76ppm (working on lowering)
NO3: 25ppm
pH: 8.2

RO/DI water is used
I don’t dose anything as of currently other than having an ATO.

 

[FranklinDattein]

The system looks young, so my advice is to keep asking question, maintain a check list and exercise patience. It isn’t uncommon for a reef tank to take 12-18 months to stabilise, specially if it is you first rodeo.
It also helps to find a experienced local reefer that you can trust and is willing to help (and listen to him).

My advise from why was gathered so far:
- what is the Temperature variation in a day? Try to limit to 1C a day and under 27c at all times. Heat is bad.
- forget about mg, it is not important a this stage.
- prioritize getting nutrients under control. Prefer water changes and consider reducing the food intake.
- your nutrients are quite high and there is no algae. That is a bit strange. You either have a very good herbivore or there is something to keep an eye on. Maybe not enough light …
- let go of GFO and any other chemical to remove PO4, they can be irritating to corals. At 200l it is much safer to reduce nutrients with water changes. You can go back to Gfo for small corrections later, when the tank is thriving.
- you tank model is well know for a crap skimmer and bio balls. Consider swapping for a better skimmer later on, it will help maintain nutrients under control. Same for bio balls,they are notorious nitrate factories so prioritize removing it. A single block of media will do a better job.
- clean the filter sock every second day, religiously or get rid of them. They are another nitrate factory.
- measure the tds of RODI water and replace the resin if it is above zero.
- consider doing an ICP to make sure there are no contaminants.
- of You started sterile, consider seeding the tank with a small rock and a cup of sand from a stable tank. A rock with coralline is a great visual indicator, if coraline is not spreading, stony corals will also not do week.
- avoid spending on expensive corals until you get it stabilize.

Good luck