My Mushroom Garden Table Saga 2.0 build thread

fishguy242 · Nov 25, 2020

TriggerFinger said:
Well if I had skim mate then I would do that but my skimmer isn’t running because of the zero nitrates. I even have some cyano trying to creep in some places ;Facepalm

hey..

get that skimmer runnin' slightly over feed fish,move around flow for cyano

LRT · Nov 25, 2020

TriggerFinger said:
My alk reagent was bad and my true reading was 5.9 dKH. Had no idea! I’ve never been able to register nitrates so that’s an on going battle. Phosphate is a steady .1-.15 ppm

I’m using baking soda for the alk and loud wolf something or other for nitrate

Hey Trigger i was just thinking...
You mentioned you turned skimmer off. How is your PH sitting. And did you drop air stone in since you turned off skimmer? I'd imagine PH has dropped since your alk is low.
I was running super low PH until I ran my skimmer lines outside.
Air stone should help bring your Ph up if its low. And probably help balance your alk. Idk just some thoughts here.

LRT · Nov 25, 2020

fishguy242 said:
hey.. get that skimmer runnin' slightly over feed fish,move around flow for cyano

Or this lol. Def get that skimmer running and pumping oxygen into system again!

TriggerFinger · Nov 25, 2020

LRT said:
Hey Trigger i was just thinking...
You mentioned you turned skimmer off. How is your PH sitting. And did you drop air stone in since you turned off skimmer? I'd imagine PH has dropped since your alk is low.
I was running super low PH until I ran my skimmer lines outside.
Air stone should help bring your Ph up if its low. And probably help balance your alk. Idk just some thoughts here.

I don’t have a pH kit. Honestly, it probably is low since my tank is in the basement. No windows to open for air circulation. I did have some 1” pvc run through my walls to the outside with the forethought of running the skimmer air line outside; just never hooked it up. I have so much work to do on my tanks...it’s overwhelming. Really overwhelming. That’s why I have no FTS lately...

;Facepalm;Sorry

LRT · Nov 25, 2020

TriggerFinger said:
I don’t have a pH kit. Honestly, it probably is low since my tank is in the basement. No windows to open for air circulation. I did have some 1” pvc run through my walls to the outside with the forethought of running the skimmer air line outside; just never hooked it up. I have so much work to do on my tanks...it’s overwhelming. Really overwhelming. That’s why I have no FTS lately...;Facepalm;Sorry

Always some kinda work to do lol. It took me some time to finally hook my skimmers up with outside air. Took me all of about 10 minutes lol. I procrastinate alot though.
I'd for sure turn skimmer back on even if you take cup off and let it wet skim back into system until you get nutrients and things stabilized.
Also get a PH kit lol your worse than me haha

TriggerFinger · Nov 25, 2020

Sooo....if low ph is causing my alk to remain low, is dosing alk going to make it precipitate instead of mix into the tank? @fishguy242 @LRT
how do I know if that’s happening? Oh my jeezis I should have paid attention to my chemistry classes. Never thought I would need any basic chemistry knowledge beyond; don’t mix cleaning solutions!

LRT · Nov 25, 2020

TriggerFinger said:
Sooo....if low ph is causing my alk to remain low, is dosing alk going to make it precipitate instead of mix into the tank? @fishguy242 @LRT
how do I know if that’s happening? Oh my jeezis I should have paid attention to my chemistry classes. Never thought I would need any basic chemistry knowledge beyond; don’t mix cleaning solutions!

Full disclosure. I am still wrapping my head around the chemistry of it all its been the most overwhelming part of reefing for me.
All I can tell you is when I raised my Ph it did bring up my alk a tad. I should test alk now just to see. But my Ph was sitting around 7.6 before I ran my airlines outside and got I up to around 8.1. My alk was running low 8 and up to around 9ish.
The only other thing I've kinda wrapped my head around is when I raised nitrates to astronomical levels it bottomed out my phosphates.
When I dosed phosphates back up its settled my Nitrates out to 10-15ppm.
Nitrates where running a solid 15-20ppm before I dosed phosphates.
Last I checked phosphates last week was sitting around .03. Took chemipure back out and hoping things just balance now.

TriggerFinger · Nov 25, 2020

LRT said:
Full disclosure. I am still wrapping my head around the chemistry of it all its been the most overwhelming part of reefing for me.
All I can tell you is when I raised my Ph it did bring up my alk a tad. I should test alk now just to see. But my Ph was sitting around 7.6 before I ran my airlines outside and got I up to around 8.1. My alk was running low 8 and up to around 9ish.
The only other thing I've kinda wrapped my head around is when I raised nitrates to astronomical levels it bottomed out my phosphates.
When I dosed phosphates back up its settled my Nitrates out to 10-15ppm.
Nitrates where running a solid 15-20ppm before I dosed phosphates.
Last I checked phosphates last week was sitting around .03. Took chemipure back out and hoping things just balance now.

Reading through the articles and replies from Randy Holmes-Farley are so difficult for me to grasp. I have to google so many words and then the explainations lead to more googling and I get lost.

LRT · Nov 25, 2020

TriggerFinger said:
Reading through the articles and replies from Randy Holmes-Farley are so difficult for me to grasp. I have to google so many words and then the explainations lead to more googling and I get lost.

Haha yeah I still don't get it. I'm sure it may just click some day. At least that's what I'm hoping for anyway

Would love to hear what @fishguy242 has to say. Probably something real common sense like that will probably be most helpful for us all.

fishguy242 · Nov 25, 2020

pinpoint ph monitor kit dc 12 volt..."secret santa"

about a 100$ well spent,can always count on ,look at same time of day when ever you check,calcium and alk are important rt now..as far as baking soda,i just started using myself,have no ph tests/monitors,never checked,just the cal and alk,salinity,so far

LRT · Nov 25, 2020

fishguy242 said:
pinpoint ph monitor kit dc 12 volt..."secret santa" about a 1004 well spent,can always count on ,look at same time of day when ever you check,calcium and alk are important rt now..as far as baking soda,i just started using myself,have no ph tests/monitors,never checked,just the cal and alk,salinity,so far

Super interesting and old school for sure. Only reason I got concerned with PH is because due to the extremely hot weather here my system was completely cut off from any fresh air for months during summer this year. Fixed my PH issue just running airlines and pulling fresh air that way though.

TriggerFinger · Nov 25, 2020

What do you use for pH testing @LRT
Also, the Hanna alk and phosphate ulr are super easy; I do use them. I just got a salifert mag kit; yet to be used.

LRT · Nov 25, 2020

TriggerFinger said:
What do you use for pH testing @LRT
Also, the Hanna alk and phosphate ulr are super easy; I do use them. I just got a salifert mag kit; yet to be used.

Don't judge lol but I am still using API ph test kit. I've had results confirmed by a cpl lfs but only api kit i trust at this point. I do have the Hannah alk which is what I use it is fairly simple. Ive used the hannah cal tester but using salifert as well. Using salifert mag and phosphate kit now. I believe I did open the Hannah mag kit and got a headache looking at directions. Never has been used.

TriggerFinger · Nov 25, 2020

No judging here!! Just lots of learning! ;Bookworm

LRT · Nov 25, 2020

TriggerFinger said:
No judging here!! Just lots of learning! ;Bookworm

Api ph kit is super cheap and easy to use

TriggerFinger · Nov 25, 2020

@LRT I just tested my alk again...up to 6.6 from 5.9 dKH. I am assuming that it wouldn’t show a higher reading if it was precipitating...that makes sense right?

LRT · Nov 25, 2020

TriggerFinger said:
@LRT I just tested my alk again...up to 6.6 from 5.9 dKH. I am assuming that it wouldn’t show a higher reading if it was precipitating...that makes sense right?

I honestly don't know. Thats one of those big words I haven't wrapped my head around in this hobby lol I've read some on it but not close to enough to recite.
How did you get it to come up? With baking soda?

TriggerFinger · Nov 25, 2020

LRT said:
I honestly don't know. Thats one of those big words I haven't wrapped my head around in this hobby lol I've read some on it but not close to enough to recite.
How did you get it to come up? With baking soda?

Yes. I’m using Randy’s recipe for regular (not baked) baking soda and rodi. His calculator calls for me to add 4.3 oz a day but I started out at 3oz a day to see what happens. I’m not real sure on my true water volume so I’m basing it on 90g hoping that’s pretty close. That’s brought me up to 6.6 in 3 days. May up it to 4oz and see what happens. Still can’t get nitrates. Going to mix up another solution for that and make it stronger.