Total newbie with questions

Rmckoy

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I

Read that about flower pots...after the reef store sold them to me. So far so good but im prepared for them to not make it and trying to research more before purchase and not rely on the reef store employees...
Lfs employees can be cons similar to a used car salesman .
to ask for advice is great , but be sure to do your own research

back to the Goni ( flowerpot ) there are many here with long term success . With a simple search on here I’m sure you will find more than enough reading material to help .
 
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taebotoni

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When you say hard water have you tested the Alk ?

I also have extremely hard water where it destroys kettles And coffee makers in no time .
But will suggest making your own water is by far the best
It gives you 100% control over water quality ,
When you need water in the case of emergency you don’t have to wait for the store to open ,
You know how often the filters are changed and if it’s producing higher tds and stability when it comes to using the same salt

But the top perk is the money saved by not paying a lfs for their free water
Well luckily i get the water for free...spent a lot of money with them over the years on our freshwater tanks. We have well water that we have to use tons of chemicals on to clean ...an entire wall of our garage is a filtration system. Im scared to put saltwater fish in it lol. Heck we double flter our drinking water. Freshwater fish do ok with it
20220923_160951.jpg
 

jsker

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Recently got zooplankton and phytofeast...also have reef roids but have not used yet. Fish are getting very small amount of flake. Was thinking of getting some meat (shrimp) for once in a while. Testing is good. Water changes every two weeks and i exclusively use the water from the reef store since i have very very hard water.
If you can get some Oyster Feast, the corals love it.
 

Uncle99

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Welcome to R2R!
At two months old, it’s difficult to maintain the stability needed for all corals to be happy, zero or near zero nutrients is not a good thing, corals consume nitrate directly and phosphate through the capture of bacteria.

I know your tests were “good” but maybe you could share your numbers with us?

I see some green, it would be interesting to know your phosphate level in PPM or better, PPB.

High phosphate slows growth and expansion.
Low phosphate makes them starve.
0.05-.15ppm is just right IMM.
 
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taebotoni

taebotoni

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Welcome to R2R!
At two months old, it’s difficult to maintain the stability needed for all corals to be happy, zero or near zero nutrients is not a good thing, corals consume nitrate directly and phosphate through the capture of bacteria.

I know your tests were “good” but maybe you could share your numbers with us?

I see some green, it would be interesting to know your phosphate level in PPM or better, PPB.

High phosphate slows growth and expansion.
Low phosphate makes them starve.
0.05-.15ppm is just right IMM.
So i just ran two tests (please note i have issues distingiushing some shades of color). Phosphate is between 0.25 and 0.50 ppm. Nitrate is between 5.00 and 10 ppm.
 
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taebotoni

taebotoni

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Welcome to R2R!
At two months old, it’s difficult to maintain the stability needed for all corals to be happy, zero or near zero nutrients is not a good thing, corals consume nitrate directly and phosphate through the capture of bacteria.

I know your tests were “good” but maybe you could share your numbers with us?

I see some green, it would be interesting to know your phosphate level in PPM or better, PPB.

High phosphate slows growth and expansion.
Low phosphate makes them starve.
0.05-.15ppm is just right IMM.
According to this chart. I feel like i need a better phosphate test kit...?
 
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taebotoni

taebotoni

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Welcome to R2R!
At two months old, it’s difficult to maintain the stability needed for all corals to be happy, zero or near zero nutrients is not a good thing, corals consume nitrate directly and phosphate through the capture of bacteria.

I know your tests were “good” but maybe you could share your numbers with us?

I see some green, it would be interesting to know your phosphate level in PPM or better, PPB.

High phosphate slows growth and expansion.
Low phosphate makes them starve.
0.05-.15ppm is just right IMM.
 

Rmckoy

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These kits are not accurate for phosphates
The range for phosphates is a lot lower
You want above zero but 0.25 being the next tier on the kit is excessively high

I’d recommend Hanna instruments for this parameter .
 

Rmckoy

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So i just ran two tests (please note i have issues distingiushing some shades of color). Phosphate is between 0.25 and 0.50 ppm. Nitrate is between 5.00 and 10 ppm.
5-10 for nitrates is good . But also depends on the Alk
Nsw levels are ok to maintain nitrates around 5-10 but if you are using elevated alkalinity lower nitrates are not always good .
 

Uncle99

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According to this chart. I feel like i need a better phosphate test kit...?
At two months, it’s really difficult to maintain stability as the bio-filter is in constant change.
That being said, your task for months 2-8, is to track, record and adjust your chemistry until a time, that, for weeks on end, you get the same results. The longer the system is in this “Goldilocks” zone, the faster your good guy algae will develop in terms of population and diversity.
Most reefers try and jump this stage.
Very bad idea.

Hanna UL Phosphorus checker is the only kit I know that can read those really small samples rather well. Your looking for 0.03ppm to say .15ppm, doesn’t matter which number, stability is the key.

Salinity cannot change at any time as it forms the base of our chemistry. Salinity out, everything out. AT0 is a must have.

Alk needs to be stable as well, it has a big impact on all other chemistry. Seek a virtual 0ppm flux or as close as with this one.

Before doing any testing of Alk, MG must be in the slot first at say 1400ppm, otherwise you’ll get poor testing results.

5-20ppm nitrate just fine as long as it’s not increasing or decreasing steadily.

Zero nitrate and/or phosphate is a real bad number as it allows the population of pest algaes like Dinos.
 

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