Test results, are these okay?

[pomme]

Test results, are these okay?

i have a reef tank with a few soft corals, acros, clam, and other hard corals.

temp- 26
salinity - 1.022 but slowly taking it up to 1.025
ph - 7.9. low and would like it higher but difference between hagen and salifert.
ammonia - 0
nitrite - 0.025
nirtate - 2.5 high, but done a small water change to bring it down and will do another tomorrow.
kh - 7, again difference between hagen and salifert as hagen was 9. but will slowly increase to 12.
calcium - 450 salifert, and more hagen, 540!
magnesium - 1350.
phospate - 0
iron - 0

how does this all sound?
andrew

 

[biotoxin]

im guessing your temp is in C , in F it should stay around 79-82.
good sg is 1.024-1.025
that is not a good ph. I would get an alk system like b-ionic. Just as an example i checked my tank last night before adding it my ph was 8 added the bionic stable at 8.2 now which is optimal.
nirtrite should be 0 as well as ammonia
2.5 nitrate isnt that bad anywhere below 5 is doin good.
good calcium should be 400-450
magnesium sounds ok and phosphates too.

 

[fishfreek]

According to my calculator your temp in C converts to approx 78F. If you bump your temp up to 27C then that will be approx 80-82F range. Thats where I keep my tanks.

As biotoxin said your nitrite and ammonia should be zero so the presence of nitrite is a bit concerning. Your nitrate levels look ok ot me.

 

[pomme]

with one test kit it sys none, and then another says 0.025, so i think there is a little bit, this could be by the filter pads and bio balls in the tank? should i thake them out?

 

[fishfreek]

well nitrite should not exist in a cycled tank. nitrite is just as bad as ammonia. Its usually nitrate that can be found in filterpads and bioballs.

Infact bioballs make very efficent nitrite removal tools.

 

[pomme]

well i dont know whats caused that then ill do water changes and take it down and then see if it creaps up again?

 

[fishfreek]

Check the nitrite level of your top off water to see if you might be introducting the nitrite with water topoff's/waterchanges.

 

[pomme]

yeah checked and its 0, i have just looked in sump and noticed that one of the filter pads in have in there is half submerged in the sump where it is pushed and the water is going through it to the next setion of the sump. and next to the filter pad there was like a skimmate looking bubbles? could this be the cause of the nitrite and nitrate?

 

[fishfreek]

Doubtful.

Nitrite is a product of the breakdown of ammonia. We all know where ammonia comes from as far as in our tanks. Nirate comes from the further break down of nitrite. Nitrate is usually collected in filter pads, bioballs and other places that use filterfloss or have an oxygen rich biological filter.

 

[pomme]

so you reckon just leave them in?