Working on better testing gear

[NeMoo]

I believe my ph is close to 8 or just above.
My nitrates 0 or barely reading
Phosphate 0
My calcium is 380-400
And my hardness is between 10 and 11

My question is since I didn't have magnesium test and they're related can anyone tell me about what magnesium should be and is the hardness to high?

 

[tbrown]

@Randy Holmes-Farley has stated that magnesium testing isn't really worth it since the test kits are fairly inaccurate.

With that said, I believe most people are shooting for around 1350.

What are you measuring with hardness? I'm assuming it's not Alkalinity you're measuring but if it is dKh of Alkalinity, that is high. People running SPS dominant tanks like higher Alkalinity usually but with high alkalinity and no nutrients you can run into problems with some corals - especially SPS. I've run as high as 12 with little to no problems until my phosphates and nitrates hit 0.

 

[NeMoo]

@Randy Holmes-Farley has stated that magnesium testing isn't really worth it since the test kits are fairly inaccurate.

With that said, I believe most people are shooting for around 1350.

What are you measuring with hardness? I'm assuming it's not Alkalinity you're measuring but if it is dKh of Alkalinity, that is high. People running SPS dominant tanks like higher Alkalinity usually but with high alkalinity and no nutrients you can run into problems with some corals - especially SPS. I've run as high as 12 with little to no problems until my phosphates and nitrates hit 0.

That's what I'm worried my nitrates are zero, my bam bam zoas are all closed up, all other zoas seem happy in my tank so not sure then if it's lighting or flow I just upgraded to a canister filter. I will recheck tomorrow. I do have what I was told is a Lakers scroll and I think some other sps I got early on and almost killed completely trying to regrow but polyps are still mostly retracted. Is there a way to lower my alkalinity?

 

[NeMoo]

@Randy Holmes-Farley has stated that magnesium testing isn't really worth it since the test kits are fairly inaccurate.

With that said, I believe most people are shooting for around 1350.

What are you measuring with hardness? I'm assuming it's not Alkalinity you're measuring but if it is dKh of Alkalinity, that is high. People running SPS dominant tanks like higher Alkalinity usually but with high alkalinity and no nutrients you can run into problems with some corals - especially SPS. I've run as high as 12 with little to no problems until my phosphates and nitrates hit 0.

I'm using the reef test kit from imagitarium.

 

[NeMoo]

That's what I'm worried my nitrates are zero, my bam bam zoas are all closed up, all other zoas seem happy in my tank so not sure then if it's lighting or flow I just upgraded to a canister filter. I will recheck tomorrow. I do have what I was told is a Lakers scroll and I think some other sps I got early on and almost killed completely trying to regrow but polyps are still mostly retracted. Is there a way to lower my alkalinity?

 

[tbrown]

Alkalinity is easiest to lower slowly over time with water changes if you don't have coral to naturally soak it up.

Muriatic acid can lower alkalinity but it will drop your pH drastically. I've added muriatic acid to water change water and let it mix with air for a day and then checked pH before changing the water but it's not usually a great idea.

 

[NeMoo]

I had started dosing calcium and reef plus a while ago then maybe 2 or 3 weeks before I originally posted this I started using all for reef, I tested today and hardness is down to 9 and calcium still at close to 400, and I fed a little heavy to try to offset the nitrates being zero or close to it, my tanks probably just under a year old.

 

[tbrown]

Everything looks healthy and happy.