Who should i believe?

[Yash]

I'm cycling my 30 gallon sw with a
Shrimp and it's been a little less than 2 weeks. I got my water tested yesterday at the lfs and the guy said it's looking good so far except my ph is low. He tried to
Sell me a bottle of buffer but I did not have my wallet on me so I went home to get it but just before I left I decided to get some advice from here and a lot of people Told me not to buy buffer and buy my own test kit so once again I went back to the store and instead of buying the buffer I asked for a test kit and he asked me why I didn't want the buffer so I told me what I had read and he completely disagreed with it. So I'm not sure what I should do.
Also members on here told me not to do a pwc till my cycle is done but the guy at the store recommended a 25% change....what should I do? Please help.

 

[Unicorn]

dont go with what people just tell you! Do what makes sense, what research makes sense, and what is the logical thing to do!

First, What exactly are your levels?!?! what does "looking good" mean?
If you dont know, than THAT is your answer! You NEED TO knwo your levels for now and future referances! EVERYTING you will do, whatever will happen to your tank, you NEED TO KNOW your levels!
So, #1: go get the test kit for Ammonia, Nitraite, Nitrate, pH... later on you will need phos, Calcium, and dKH

Please read up what cycling means and what it does!

Ammonia changes into Nitrites and than to Nitrates
When u dose Ammonia (eg ur dead shrimp) you dont want to do a water change... in general you do not do water changes during ur cycle (later on it is a MUST), unless (!!!) you cant read ur levels anymore... and you dont do big changes, just 10-20%

considering the buffer: you need to raise your pH, BUT buffers increase ur dKH too... you need to know ur alkalinity before you just add random chemicals to your tank

Cycling lowers pH because Hydrogen ions get released into the water from the Ammonia (NH3 changes to NO3). The higher the H+ the lower the pH... thats what pH meassures: Hydrogen
Make sure you have good water movement on the sureface of your tank, that helps with the gas exchange to stabilize your pH
Also, dont check pH in the AM, check it in the late PM.
Do you have ur lights on?

You need a test kit period

 

[Yash]

I did get a new test kit yesterday so I guess I don't have to settle for "looks good" reply anymore.
And yes I turn on the lights in the morning and turn them off before bed.

 

[Wy Renegade]

Good advice up above, agree with most of what was already said. While you need to know actual levels as was stated above, there are many people who get their water tested regularly at a reliable LFS. Often time the LFS will have nicer and more accurate test kits than the new reefer buys. However, as was stated, they should be giving you actual levels, not "looks good."

As for the water changes, it totally depends on if you are doing a hard and fast cycle or a slow and soft cycle. One cycles the tank quickly and is hard on any existing micro or macrofauna on that expensive LR you purchased (no water changes), the other cycles the tank much slower, but assures a greater survival rate on the critters on/in the LR you paid so much for (regular water changes during the cycle). As stated above doing some reading on cycling and the nitrogen cycle, will help you have a little better idea.

 

[austinsdad]

Limit your lighting to 8-10 hrs daily. So, what are your readings now that you have a test kit? Especially interested in the ammonia,nitrite, and nitrate. I wouldn't worry about the Ph for now at all.

 

[rdnelson99]

In my opinion, do your own test but check them against a good LFS who gives you levels once in awhile. YOu need to get to know them to see if they are giving you good advice or just trying to get you to buy product that you will have to keep buying over and over again. As for water change, do you make your own RO/DI water and in turn Salt Water or do you buy it? If you are buying it, is he telling you to do PWC just so they can sell you more water??? I have run into both kinds of LFS here in my area. Some I trust completely and others not at all.

 

[Yash]

This is how the tests are looking like after a week and half after starting the tank.




Sorry iPhone quality photo, the ammonia looks like 0 or very close, nitrite is 0 and nitrate looks like 5 idk? And ph is looking like 7.8-8.0. What do you guys think?

 

[Yash]

In my opinion, do your own test but check them against a good LFS who gives you levels once in awhile. YOu need to get to know them to see if they are giving you good advice or just trying to get you to buy product that you will have to keep buying over and over again. As for water change, do you make your own RO/DI water and in turn Salt Water or do you buy it? If you are buying it, is he telling you to do PWC just so they can sell you more water??? I have run into both kinds of LFS here in my area. Some I trust completely and others not at all.

I buy ro water and yes he did recommend a pwc so idk if he's making a sale or I really need one.

 

[LyndaB]

I went back to the store and instead of buying the buffer I asked for a test kit and he asked me why I didn't want the buffer so I told me what I had read and he completely disagreed with it.

Sounds like he's disappointed that he's got himself a customer who's smarter than he is...... wise of you to do further research before returning to the store......

 

[austinsdad]

The ammonia looks like between .25 and .50 from here. Definitely not zero. There should be no green hue at all.

 

[rdnelson99]

If you are using RO/DI water, why would your phosphates read anything but 0? If I were you, I would run a test on some of the water from that store before putting it in the tank. Se what levels it is at coming from them. What you should read is Sal 1.025-1.026, Am 0 Nitrite 0, Nitrate 0, Phosphate 0, Cal 420-460. If you see phosates in the water they are selling you, it is not RO/DI or they haven't changed cartiges in a long time. Either way, it tells me I can't trust them because they are just wanting to make a sale and don't care about what they are selling.

As for cycle, it doesn't appear that it has started yet. If you have AM with no nitrite or nitrate then you have no BB. Once again, if they said "Looking Good" they are feeding you a line trying to get you to buy fish now instead of later. The + to them is you will buy them now and buy them again when the first ones die. I hate to be so blunt but I would start looking for another LFS. There are some very good ones out there but you just have to search for them.

How I found the good ones was by asking tons of questions both here and at the LFS. Then I would compare the answers I was getting. Pretty quick it became clear.

 

[Yash]

It's the only store in my city that sells ro water so I guess I'll start looking for one in nearby cities. What should my next step be? Just let it be and wait for cycle to start since the shrimp is still in there?

 

[Yash]

The ammonia looks like between .25 and .50 from here. Definitely not zero. There should be no green hue at all.

Oh okay, thanks.

 

[Unicorn]

The ammonia looks like between .25 and .50 from here. Definitely not zero. There should be no green hue at all.

Well, he is still cycling, so thats ok
What does ur pH actually say?! 7.8 is low, but not catastrophic

In the long run you will need to buy a RODI unit if you can't trust ur LFS

 

[rdnelson99]

I am in no way saying don’t buy from them. Just don’t take their word on things as gospel. Double check everything for yourself first. Take time to learn about fish before you buy them. Make sure that it isn’t going to decimate your corals or kill the other fish in your tank before you buy it.

You have a good opportunity here. Since your tank is not cycled you can be patient and take that time to learn a lot before you ever start to add any livestock. Read up and understand the cycle process. Read tons of threads on this site and don’t be afraid to challenge what someone says in a thread. There are lots of knowledgeable people and lots of “Know It All’s”. There is a big difference. LOL I don’t trust anyones advice if they can’t tell me why. Good example is with topping off your tank. Some say, you MUST top off with freshwater and you MUST use saltwater for water changes. While that entire statement is not wrong, the MUST part is. The key is to understand that you want to maintain a constant salinity. Therefore, if the water you loose is due to evaporation, the salt stays behind and freshwater is the best thing for top off. However, if you have a glass top like me, the water you loose is from taking samples or drip acclimation. In that case, you are taking the salt out with the water. The better way to explain how to top off in my opinion would be to say, test your water, if the salinity is high, use fresh water to try to lower it to the desired level. If the salinity is right where you want it, use saltwater that has the same salinity when you top off, that way the overall salinity stays the same.

The main thing is you have some time while your tank cycles. Use it wisely and learn all you can. Ask lots of questions. You will be glad you did. Also, make your first purchase a RO/DI unit and mix your own saltwater. Purewaterclub.com makes a good inexpensive one. You can get the 100 gallon a day for around $60.00 from EBay or from their website. I bought this one PureWaterClub.com which is the same as the one I mentioned but does 150 gallons a day.

 

[austinsdad]

Good advice to read up on the cycle process. Very important right now.

 

[Yash]

Thanks a lot guys, I really appreciate all the help and advice. Saved me a lott of money and time. I'll be doing a lot of research and reading over the next few days that's for sure. Will keep y'all updated on how things go.

 

[Unicorn]

Thanks a lot guys, I really appreciate all the help and advice. Saved me a lott of money and time. I'll be doing a lot of research and reading over the next few days that's for sure. Will keep y'all updated on how things go.

Ok, glad we were able to help keep us posted

 

[rdnelson99]

Good Luck Yash. You got a leg up on most people. A lot of them find out the hard way long after they have put a lot of money and heart into. You get to start with a clean slate and do it right the first time.