Can Hypo be done w/ Rock that is only used for biological...

[luntiz]

Can Hyposalinity be done w/ "Live Rock" that is only used as biological filtration? I don't have any inverts because I have 70lbs of Base Rock when i started out and only 10lbs of "Live Rock" which isnt really live because it came from a LFS and I didnt see much if anything on the rock w/ a flashlight at night.

 

[steve-s]

Biological filtration in the strictest sense is simpley bacteria which will survive hyposalinity. Mind you, everything else will not. All life other than the fish and bacteria will die. Pods, worms, you name it. :?

Cheers
Steve

 

[luntiz]

I probably have no pods at all right now (70lbs base rock, 10lbs lfs rock) the rock looks cheap...i'm sure its nothing like the rocks people order online, very limited amounts of life other than the bacteria. I rather have my fish ich free than have that 1 pod that came from 10 lbs of lfs rock.

 

[luntiz]

Also, is it okay to use purified drinking water to replace the salt water? I inspected the local drinking water machine and it goes through 4 stages: 1 - RO, 2 - Carbon, 3 - (forget what but its suppose to make the water "taste fresh" and 4 - UV.

If I can I would use the Purified drinking water instead of buying RO water from my LFS @ 50cent/gallon


Heres the site: http://www.glacierwater.com/

 

[steve-s]

Shouldn't be a problem. Just be sure you monitor the alk/pH as you lower the salinity and throughout the process. Hopefully you will be using a refractometer?

Cheers
Steve

 

[luntiz]

Where can i purchase a Refractometer? I currently only have a hydrometer.

As of now the dKH is 9 and pH is 8.0. Is there some sort of all-in-one formula to help keep the Alk/pH up to par?

 

[ClamKnuckle]

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=24722&highlight=refractometer

thats the thread when i was asking about them about a week ago.

they have a ton of them listed on eBay. I just got mine but I havent tried it out yet

 

[steve-s]

Is there some sort of all-in-one formula to help keep the Alk/pH up to par?

Best thing to use is a dry marine buffer. It will keep both in line. If the alk is good, then look to the set up if the pH is off.

As clamknuckle said, refractometers are easy enough to get. Just ensure it is an ATC. Might also want to check with some of the sponsors here to see what kind of offer they will make.

Cheers
Steve