alkalinity

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r6mason

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
May 5, 2005
Messages
140
Location
Texas
I just wanted to know if these reading were correct and okay to add more fish.

Nitrate-0
Nitrite-0
Ammonia-0
PH-8.0-8.4
Alkalinity-15-16 dKH


I have had a puffer a clown and a hippo tang for a while now but lately anything I added just died. I was doing some reading and noticed my PH was low (7.8-7.9) and I added some calcium and it seemed to raise my PH. I just tested my alkalinity today and I read that it is suppose to be somewhere between 7-10 dKH. Mine seems to be 15-16 dKH. Is this okay or not so good.


TIA
Mason
 
Size of tank and CA level would be nice. While a Ph of 7.9 is a bit on the low side, fish will tolerate it . Ph does change slightly throughout the day anways. It is very important to guard against dramatic swings in Ph (like adding a buffer all at once).
 
it is a 100 gal tank. I do not know CA as of yet. I will test later today.

Any thing else you need to know??
 
I have 2 clowns, 1 fingerprint Tobi Puffer, 1 Blue hippo Tang, 1 Cleaner shrimp and 1 Chocolate Chip Star.

I have about 40-50 LBS. of LR and just did the CA test and it was about 380 ppm.
 
I float them for about 30 min to an hour. Then I add a little of my water to the bag while still floating them and do this over and over every 15-20 min. for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Then I empty all the water in the bag with the fish into the tank.
 
It is possible that they required a longer acclimation period. I have seen some LFS with a SG at 1.018 and my reef is 1.025 so it takes me up to 3 hours to acclimate them.
Its been my experience with loosing fish in a few days of adding them to my tank was my fault for not doing a proper acclimation. When I first got into the hobby the LFS said all you need to do is drip them for 1 hour and toss them in the tank. Well I lost my share of fish listening to him. I now check the salinity and drip longer and slower for lower or higher SG. pH is another big factor, if the pH is off by alot it will also effect the health of the fish.
You should never empty any water for the LFS into your tank, it could contain copper or a bacteria that will infect the tank.
Floating is good but I prefer the drip method and if its cold in the house I put a heating pad under the bowl to keep them warm.
Using this method has worked out very well for me..
 
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