TheWB’s IM Lagoon 50

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I’m following the directions from Dr Tim’s. A 4oz bottle of the One and Only was added yesterday around 8pm. I performed the first tests of Ammonia, Nitrite and PH as instructed at 8pm tonight using the Salifert Test Kits. Ammonia was undetectable, Nitrites were undetectable and PH was 7.7
Have to admit I was expecting a detectable level of ammonia after only 24 hours. I’m going to do an ammonia test 30 minutes after dosing tomorrow just to see if I can get a detectable level. I’m halfway worried my test kit is bad. I probably don’t have anything to worry about but who knows. Better to try and doublecheck just to be sure. I’d hate to go a week of doing this and then find out the readings weren’t accurate.
 

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I’m following the directions from Dr Tim’s. A 4oz bottle of the One and Only was added yesterday around 8pm. I performed the first tests of Ammonia, Nitrite and PH as instructed at 8pm tonight using the Salifert Test Kits. Ammonia was undetectable, Nitrites were undetectable and PH was 7.7
Have to admit I was expecting a detectable level of ammonia after only 24 hours. I’m going to do an ammonia test 30 minutes after dosing tomorrow just to see if I can get a detectable level. I’m halfway worried my test kit is bad. I probably don’t have anything to worry about but who knows. Better to try and doublecheck just to be sure. I’d hate to go a week of doing this and then find out the readings weren’t accurate.

I always use my LFS as verification. When I was first starting out I took my water to them once a week to test and I would compare it to what I got. Mostly spot on, but definitely easy to botch the titration so I was always double
Checking my work . I also learned to use RODI to clean my test tubes, that can also throw off your results. Hope that helps!
 
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I always use my LFS as verification. When I was first starting out I took my water to them once a week to test and I would compare it to what I got. Mostly spot on, but definitely easy to botch the titration so I was always double
Checking my work . I also learned to use RODI to clean my test tubes, that can also throw off your results. Hope that helps!
Thanks for the advice. The lfs will be an option eventually but I’ve got no time tomorrow so that will have to wait. I am using RODI to clean everything.
 

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I’m following the directions from Dr Tim’s. A 4oz bottle of the One and Only was added yesterday around 8pm. I performed the first tests of Ammonia, Nitrite and PH as instructed at 8pm tonight using the Salifert Test Kits. Ammonia was undetectable, Nitrites were undetectable and PH was 7.7
Have to admit I was expecting a detectable level of ammonia after only 24 hours. I’m going to do an ammonia test 30 minutes after dosing tomorrow just to see if I can get a detectable level. I’m halfway worried my test kit is bad. I probably don’t have anything to worry about but who knows. Better to try and doublecheck just to be sure. I’d hate to go a week of doing this and then find out the readings weren’t accurate.
I didnt have any ammonia after 24 hours, dont worry.
 
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I never had ammonia till about 48 hours and it was a very small amount that was detected
Thanks, adding more ammonia tonight at 8. That will be the 48 hr mark. I'm sure it's totally fine, I've just never done a cycle this way so no experience to draw on.
 
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Update time. Today I was able to get my Apex 2016 up and running for the most part. Return pump, wavemakers, heater and Fuge light are all operational and running as expected. Radion XR15PRO and Tunze 3155 ATO are running off a DJ switch for ease of turning them on and off manually. Temp probe is dialed in about as well as I can based on its initial readings compared to the readings on my coralife thermometer and Hanna salinity checker with temperature.
This is where the troubles started. I was unable to get any kind of calibration on the salinity probe, I think in large part due to poor instructions from Apex based on what I have read this afternoon. The ph probe went a little better but I had to do it manually. It’s currently reading a little lower than what the Salifert ph test has been coming in at which isn’t good news because both are way too low. Salifert has been consistent at 7.7 and the Apex says 7.51. This is going to be an issue. ORP probe needs about 2 weeks to break in so who knows on that and I don’t need it anyway so it’s now a very low priority.
Tunze ATO is not functioning correctly but that seems to be because I started it with the optical sensor submerged. Had a few problems with it so now it’s off. I’ll wait for some water to evaporate and then restart it with the sensor above the water line and see if that resolves the issue.
Cycling the tank is either going super well or really badly. None of my testing has yielded the expected results. Finally saw a readable amount of ammonia over 0.25 after dosing per DR Tim’s instructions two days in a row by accident. Ph is my biggest concern, holding steady at 7.7 isn’t going to cut it.
Right now my Apex is an $800.00 power strip and temperature controller. I’m sure in time I’ll get the ph probe and salinity dialed in but I was really hoping to have that done today. I’m a little bummed but these are clearly first world problems so I won’t stress too much.
 
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Turned on the Radion for the first time just to see what it looks like. I have not programmed it so I have no idea what setting it’s on. I like it though, now all I need is some fish and coral.
7BD5A665-CF5A-4F95-A0E8-854CCA7909C5.jpeg
 
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Looking good, have u fully cycled yet?
Thanks *****, As far as I'm concerned I am not fully cycled. I'm 9 days into it and have not seen much in the way of detectable levels of anything plus my ph is way too low. I need to do several things. Mainly dose more ammonium chloride to see if the tank can process the higher level. Also need to mix up a bucket of fresh saltwater and test the ph. Need to find out why I'm hovering at 7.5 to 7.7. I opened a window about 10 ft from the tank before I left for work today. It will be interesting to see if the ph is bumped up at all when I get home. Gonna be cold in the house though, it was 29 degrees outside when I cracked that window. Basically I'm in diagnosing and sorting out mode. Nowhere near ready for fish at this point but that's ok, I've got time.
 
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Hella_Reef

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Thanks *****, As far as I'm concerned I am not fully cycled. I'm 9 days into it and have not seen much in the way of detectable levels of anything plus my ph is way too low. I need to do several things. Mainly dose more ammonium chloride to see if the tank can process the higher level. Also need to mix up a bucket of fresh saltwater and test the ph. Need to find out why I'm hovering at 7.5 to 7.7. I opened a window about 10 ft from the tank before I left for work today. It will be interesting to see if the ph is bumped up at all when I get home. Gone be cold in the house though, it was 29 degrees outside when I cracked that window. Basically I'm in diagnosing and sorting out mode. Nowhere near ready for fish at this point but that's ok, I've got time.
Gotcha, personally I dont chase ph. I leave it be, been told by a few reefers with beautiful systems that people tend to mess up a good tank when chasing that ph number with buffers and what not.
 
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Gotcha, personally I dont chase ph. I leave it be, been told by a few reefers with beautiful systems that people tend to mess up a good tank when chasing that ph number with buffers and what not.
That’s interesting food for thought. I don’t really want to chase numbers but that one just seems so low. I need to do more research to see how it affects fish. I’ve read that lower ph can slow coral growth. I just want to provide a healthy environment for my inhabitants, ya know. If you’ve got any other thoughts on the subject I’d love to hear them.
 

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Yes it does slow coral growth down with lower ph is what I have read myself, but if u keep ur alk and everything else stable, the coral growth will be fine. It may take longer for the corals to get going in the beginning, but once they are fully acclimated to ur own system u should have no problem growing them with a lowered ph.

Not everyone is fortunate enough to have the ideal ph range of 8.1.

To help raise ph you can:

1. Run ur skimmer line outside which would help, but ur prob no where near a window or would not want an ugly skimmer line running on ur wall,

2.Leave a window open

3. Run ur system on kalk, when water changes are insufficient enough with coral demand of the added/trace elements needed.

4. Run a algae scrubber or chaeto ball in one of the back chambers, leave the light on the opposite schedule of ur main display lights. When ur lights go out at night, the ph drops. This will help balance that out a little by running ur fuge light at night.

But like I said, me personally I have never put my focus towards ph, and many others have told me the same thing. Focus on the most important thing, keeping Alkalinity stable and po4, no3 at ur systems ideal range. Ur corals will let you know what that may be. Everybody's system is different, you will learn urs on trial and error.


Here Is a ph article with all the answers..

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/rhf/
 

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That’s interesting food for thought. I don’t really want to chase numbers but that one just seems so low. I need to do more research to see how it affects fish. I’ve read that lower ph can slow coral growth. I just want to provide a healthy environment for my inhabitants, ya know. If you’ve got any other thoughts on the subject I’d love to hear them.
Consistency and stability are far more important with this and the elements than trying to chase a number.

Chasing leads to inconsistency and instability with fluctuations.
 
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