Pop Quiz for the New to SW

[reefrunner69]

OK, I am having a few water param problems with my reef, I know what has caused this and I know how to fix it, what I want from ya'll is to try to answer my question with one of the proper courses of action. Each correct answer will get 25 kudos and the first correct answer will get 100 kudos. I will inform you whether your answer was correct via pm, so as not to give it away for others trying. I agree with so and so will not be accepted as an answer to my question, you must tell me what you would do if this were your system. I will be splitting answers from this and moving them to a invisible forum for today and maybe tomorrow, after that, I will merge them all back together here, no ones answer will be lost

Ok here is the deal, 20g long stoney reef, very few softies. As alot of reefers get, I have been lax in taking my readings regularly, today I got up and tested the water on my reef, here were the readings..

Temp-83*F
CA-485
ALK-2.29 meq/L
PO4-0.01 ppm phosphor 0.03 ppm PO4
NO3-0.00
PH-7.7 Taken shortly after the actinics came on

Maintenance, add top off regularly dosed with Turbo Calcium by Kent during the day, add Kalkwasser via drip at nite. Water changes every 3-4 weeks. I have been extremely busy the last couple of weeks and have been lazy about mixing the kalk, so really for the last couple of weeks top off has been 100% RO with Turbo Kalk.

OK, what is the problem? What is the cause of the problem? And how do I fix it? I will answer any questions that you have to help me solve my problem.

 

[d9hp]

I am not sure if I can answer this, it says beginers but I consider myself one. The pH is low for a SW tank, I think this is primarily because of the lights being off all night long. If you have a refuge, I would turn the lights on 24/7, or turn them on on an opposite cycle of that on the tank so you get very little pH swing, also this will keep temp swings minimal, which does not look like that is a problem for you.

2nd try. The alk is too low for the CA levels which are being bumped up by your topoff kalkwasser water. I would do more water changes, considering you use IO the alk levels will rise while the CA will stay the same, making the SPS corals much happier.

Ok, there you go.

 

[ReefRaff]

I'll take a guess, and I am guessing,,??????

Your Ph is way too low, amd I think it is because your alk, and calcium are too high. and to fix it I would do a water change and go back to dripping Kaulk. so tell me if I'm right.

 

[ReefRaff]

the low alk (comared to calcium is whats driving the ph down. Take two tablespoons of baking soda and mix it with some ro, then add that slowley to the tank. that will help bring up the alk. dose that over 4 hrs and then let it mix for two hrs. if that dosn't bring up the alk and the ph up then do it again.

with a cal level that high you should have a alk level at 4.75 to 5 to be in balance.

 

[Biggen]

Ugh... Why couldn't you have posted some FW questions???

 

[reefrunner69]

Ugh... Why couldn't you have posted some FW questions???

LOL, cause there ain't nothing goin on in my fresh tank , The situation I posted is completely true, not made up and is a product of my own lazyness and complacency, normally I wouldn't post such a thing out of embarrassment, but I thought it might be fun for some of the newer aquarists to try and figure out. The tank is already on it's way to normal parameters and should stabalize where I want it by Tues at the latest

 

[Hara]

your alk to calcium ratio is off, the ph has also dropped due to the lack of kalk. Could be you have been in a hurry and not mixed the kalk well enough and too much of it settled to the bottom and became "un useable".

Just a thought

 

[Guest]

The situation I posted is completely true

OK, I'm now an idiot. where did you post that you had a problem?

 

[reefrunner69]

SW getting Started

 

[reefrunner69]

what is the problem?

High CA without a balanced ALK, ph is also low.

What is the cause of the problem?

OK, everyone that posted got the immediate solution, but no one got the root cause of the problem. The root cause is important, cause if it isn't identified and fixed, then the problem will reoccur. One of the things that was needed to ID the problem was a little bit of product knowledge, Turb Calcium (made by Kent) is a dry form of calcium chloride, the thing about calcium chloride is that if dosed to quickly it will deplete your alk, yet still raise youe CA, this natually throws off the ionic balance. The PH, while seeming very low, wasn't as bad as you would think, the reading was taken when there were still substantial levels of CO2 in the tank and that was depressing the PH. I try to shoot for an over nite ph of 8.0 or higher, so it was low, but that was a symptom of the low alk.

And how do I fix it?

The solution of a waterchange was right on the money, for newer aquarists that don't know their tank too well yet, or exactly what chemicals will do for them, it is the safest way to get the tank back into balance, either a series of small waterchanges or 1-2 larger water changes. I personally chose to add buffer to the tank, I added 1 teaspoon of Seachems marine buffer (which stabalizes the alk and ph over the course of 24 hrs) yesterday after taking the readings and this am the alk was up to 3.69 meq/L, I added another teaspoon this morning and am planning for a small water change tomorrow (already scheduled).

I thought there would be more takers, but since there were three willing to give it a shot....100 kudos each

Anyone else feel free to comment.

 

[Guest]

Why is this in the staff section also? That is why I asked where the problem was posted. Last night when I logged on, I went to the staff area and this post was in here without RR's question.. DHP9 was the first one...Strange..it makes me out to be an even more idiot that the post is in both places and now RR's question is at the top where DHP9's was last night..Hmmm. are you guys messing with me??

 

[reefrunner69]

LOL, no Tim, in my original message I stated that I would remove all posts to it to an invisible forum, and I did, d9hp was the first to reply so when I split it and moved it to the staff forum his was the first post to show. When I merged all the posts back together, it goes by post time, so my question stayed on top. I don't think it made you look like an idiot, just someone that saw the answers before you saw the original question. As for the link in the staff forum, I think when I merged them I left a shadow topic

 

[Guest]

No, I am joking on my part,,,I thought I was halucinating....It was rather strange..

 

[pipermurphy]

Reefrunner, I am mad at you, this proves to me that I have SO much more to learn. I have read probably 6 books and have a SW tank for a year and had no clue on an answer. I was feeling good about my SW experiences and all till now. Thanks alot.

Maybe this can be a more occuring item? All in favor say 'I'

 

[d9hp]

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