Khuligirl's 20 long nano reef build

[alyxandria]

Originally Posted by BigRedsReefs10

Ugly but great for a cuc


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Oh I know I've read that they're great but if I ever come across one I'm making my boyfriend deal with it lol. I don't like bugs and it looks too creepy crawly for me. Like a giant centipede. Haha

[Khuligirl93]

Ammonia- 0
Nitrite- 0
Nitrate- 0
pH- 8.0-8.2 (but in the morning I've tested it at 7.6)
Specific gravity- 1.024
Temp- 78 degrees

Ca- 490 ppm
KH/ Alk- 4.5/ 1.5
Mag- 1200 ppm

Why are my corals shriveling up and having tissue die off???
My mushroom coral has shriveled up like a raisin, I thought they were supposed to be easy? While my coco worm is fine, which are supposedly very sensitive. That one acan still hasn't come back and the pink milipora pieces have died as well.


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[BigRedsReefs10]

What tests/equipment are you using? What units is that alk measurement in?


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[Khuligirl93]

Amm/nitrite/trate/pH are with API liquid test kits.
Specific gravity with a hydrometer.
KH/Alk, mag, and calcium are with Salifert test kits.
I'm not sure what the alk is measured in, it's whatever the chart said on the instruction manual.


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[bribo12]

Is your alk 4.5 dKh??? I'd say that's your culprit


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[Oscarr19]

Originally Posted by bribo12

Is your alk 4.5 dKh??? I'd say that's your culprit


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+1

You wanna aim for 8-12.


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[Khuligirl93]

What should I raise it with?


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[bribo12]

Slowly. You can either use a 2 part additive or baking soda. Here the calculator I use. I wouldn't raise it more than 1 dKh a day though http://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chemcalc.html


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[Oscarr19]

There are a number of products but on a tank your size, water changes should be more than enough. I do weekly 25% water changes and it maintains my alk at 9-10 with a tank full of hard corals.


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[bribo12]

Originally Posted by Oscarr19

There are a number of products but on a tank your size, water changes should be more than enough. I do weekly 25% water changes and it maintains my alk at 9-10 with a tank full of hard corals.


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This is true but a sudden change from 4.5-7 or 8 with a wc will do more harm than good. I'd try and raise it up a bit before doing a wc. But like Oscar said wcs should keep alk where it should be


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[Oscarr19]

Originally Posted by bribo12

This is true but a sudden change from 4.5-7 or 8 with a wc will do more harm than good. I'd try and raise it up a bit before doing a wc. But like Oscar said wcs should keep alk where it should be


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Absolutely right. I should've also mentioned that. I'm just curious as to how it managed to drop so low. When was your last water change?


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[Khuligirl93]

I have no idea. I did one last Tuesday. I normally do 25% once a week, but before the last one I had missed a couple weeks. I get my water from work and we use the coral life brand salt with RODI water. Is baking soda a long term solution, or will the alkalinity be quickly "used up"? Is there any natural way to keep alkalinity higher or will I always have to supplement? If so, what's the best product to use?
Could this be the reason for my large oH swing?

So far I've been using tests and equipment from work, but I decided it's time I get my own! Just ordered these:
http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/...psdtnzvbvn.png

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[Sillyfishies]

I have the red sea kit and I like it

[BigRedsReefs10]

Ph will naturally swing and be higher with the lights on, I wouldn't worry about it to much. I'm guessing if you get the alk stable things will come around v


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[Khuligirl93]

Great I'll be adding a couple pinches of baking soda a day dissolved in a cup of RODI water.
And then I'll be switching from this crappy coralife salt to Aquavitro salt.

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[Khuligirl93]

Got some goodies today!
I picked up some seachem reef builder because my boss said it was better than the Brightwell Alk 8.3.
After testing with the Red Sea kit, my Alk showed lower than the lowest reading (5.3 dKH- not much different than the 4.5 it was previously, even though I'd been adding baking soda) so I added about 1/4 tsp of the buffer. That was a couple hours ago, so I'm going to retest soon. http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/...pssccoa6x4.jpg
Also, what's the best way to calibrate a new refractometer? I've been told RODI at zero, but then read that that's a bad idea. I didn't buy any calibration fluid.
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[BigRedsReefs10]

It's best to use calibration fluid, but I've used ro before too. I've also taken a sample of my water to someone with a refractometer (friend or lfs) and checked it on that then calibrated with my own water, but that only works if theirs is calibrated correctly. Is that the brs one that was a door buster? It was supposed to come with calibration fluid if it was....


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[Khuligirl93]

I'm not sure what you mean by door buster, it was like $40 on Amazon. It says ATO on it, but no other apparent brand name.
I retested with my new test kit, apparently I had been reading it wrong (reading the fluid left after titration instead of fluid used). So the readings I got were:
Mag- 1200
Alk- 6.3 dKH
Ca- 470
I nornally do weekly 25% WCs but I had skipped a couple weeks before I started noticing issues. I was advised to do a few more frequent WCs to try to get mag and Alk back up before adding any supplements. They said 1300 mag and 10 dKH Alk. What do you guys think?
How do I know if the salt I'm using is sufficient to maintain levels or if I'll need to add supplements regularly?

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[bribo12]

Brs had that same one on sale for $25 over the weekend with calibration fluid.

Mag should be 1300-1500 and alk should be 7-10 dKh. Anywhere in that range is fine. It doesn't necessarily have to be 1300 and 10.

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[Khuligirl93]

Aw darn.
Ok I'll work on getting them into those ranges with WCs


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