I just cycled my fish tank and getting ready to add my first ever salt water fish this weekend. I picked up a hydrometer and Phosphate, Calcium, and Alkalinity test kits at the saltwater fish store because that's what they recommended. My specific gravity was 1.021, Phosphate levels were 0, calcium was 500 ppm, and alkalinity was at 10dkh. Are these okay? and any recommendations on first fish and what else to get for my tank?
First test
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Randy Holmes-Farley
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You have been tracking ammonia during cycling, right? Those quoted values are fine. Fish are not very sensitive to mist things reefers measure.
Long term, I’d raise the salinity.
Long term, I’d raise the salinity.
DweeboDylan
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yes I have, and what salinity would you recommend? and any hardier coral that you would recommend for beginners?
flagg37
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Right, the salinity was the only thing I was going to comment on and making sure that the cycle was actually completed.
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DweeboDylan
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I was not going to add them anytime soon, just curious. and I really want some clownfish and filefish gobi
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Like Randy said, I assume you tested for ammonia ans nitrate to know the tank is cycled, right?
Fish don't care much about Ca and only a little about alk. Ammonia and nitrite are two of fishes biggest concerns, especially in a new tank.
BTW, I run my salinity at 1.025 to 1.027. And if you ever get the chance (with a reefer friend or at the LFS) take your hydrometer and compare it to somebody's refractometer... and make it a freshly calibrated refractometer. Whatever the difference is between your hydrometer and the refractometer, write it down. I even made a label and stuck it on my hydrometer. Refractometers need to be calibrated every so often. Hydrometers can be very out of line and can't be calibrated, but they stay out of line by the same error rate for years and years! Mine was out by reading 0.005 too low. It was that way 5 years ago and it's still off by the exact same amount! They may not be accurate right from the start. But if you know the error, then they are dead reliable all the time!
Fish don't care much about Ca and only a little about alk. Ammonia and nitrite are two of fishes biggest concerns, especially in a new tank.
BTW, I run my salinity at 1.025 to 1.027. And if you ever get the chance (with a reefer friend or at the LFS) take your hydrometer and compare it to somebody's refractometer... and make it a freshly calibrated refractometer. Whatever the difference is between your hydrometer and the refractometer, write it down. I even made a label and stuck it on my hydrometer. Refractometers need to be calibrated every so often. Hydrometers can be very out of line and can't be calibrated, but they stay out of line by the same error rate for years and years! Mine was out by reading 0.005 too low. It was that way 5 years ago and it's still off by the exact same amount! They may not be accurate right from the start. But if you know the error, then they are dead reliable all the time!
