Testing Water & Adding Chemicals??

[sharonafix]

Starting up a new 55 gal reef tank. I know everything has to cycle. but do have a few questions that I am sure EVERYONE has had when they started.

I put in 75 lbs of cured LR and 60 lbs live sand. It looks beautiful but know things are going to start to happen and I know that.

Saltinity is 1.023, temp 76. PH is 8.0 Ammonia, Nitrites & Nitrates are starting to climb, as expected. My LFS sold me test kits for KH and Calcium. I have not added Calcium to my system yet. WHEN DO I START TO ADD CALCIUM and WHAT IS BEST?

As far as KH, my water is hard and I could get any results when tested. What would be best to condition my water and WHEN do I start?

Need ADVISE!

 

[phases99]

If the LR is cured you may not see much if any of a cycle. If you are doing a reef I would bump the salinity up to 1.025 and temp to 80. Let your test kits tell you when to add CA and/or ALK. You should be getting some reading from your ALK kit? If your LR is covered in Coralline you will want to keep them in balance from the beginning. It sounds like you are planning on using tap water. If you are serious about having a reef you should look into a RO/DI system or plan on buying water.