New Reef tank setup, need help

[HimRathore]

Not sure if the tank is cycled yet, as am getting funny numbers from Selifert.

I prepared 80Lts water (20%) over the weekend for 1st water change and just out of curiosity tested it for Nitrate and guess what, freshly prepared water shows same readings as my tank water. I feel like there is some problem with the Selifert test kit.

I am planning to get tank water tested via some lab/LFS today or tomorrow.

Anyone had similar experience with Selifert; FYI, I am using Red Sea Coral Pro salt and everyone suggested Selifert for test kits instead of API (another easily available brand here).

 

[HimRathore]

Any suggestions folks, anyone else experienced this with Selifert

 

[theatrus]

Any suggestions folks, anyone else experienced this with Selifert

What is the source of the water, RO/DI system?

 

[HimRathore]

What is the source of the water, RO/DI system?

Yes RO/DI
With 5-10ppm TDS

 

[theatrus]

Yes RO/DI
With 5-10ppm TDS

If you’re 10ppm on the output of a DI system that can be part of the problem. What does your tap water read?

 

[HimRathore]

If you’re 10ppm on the output of a DI system that can be part of the problem. What does your tap water read?

Tap water is around 400ppm

 

[theatrus]

Possibilities here:

- The test kit reads correctly and your source water has detectable nitrates.
- The test kit reads nitrates but is being influenced by something else in your water supply that is not nitrates
- The test kit zero nitrate is misreading.

I’d get a second opinion on testing the source water. Even at 400ppm in, you should be well below your current readings after a DI stage of the system is working correctly.

 

[HimRathore]

Sure, here is what I am planning to do this weekend:

- Test tank water through some lab or nearby LFS
- Re-test RO/DI output water for TDS and impurities

 

[Matt Carden]

+1 on "being influenced by something else". I was reading 0 phosphate with Salifert until I did 99% water change. Now I am reading >3ppm. This is due to overdosing because I was reading zero and was trying to bring them up.

 

[HimRathore]

Need an urgent help.

Hit a tragedy or is it a tragedy?

A battery operated LED light fell into my sump, remained there for 3-4 hours, water is a bit cloudy and skimmer has some red dust in the collection cup.
Battery in the light is rusted and there was some rust mixed water concentrate in it.

Now is this rust a problem? Can anything else in the battery hurt my fishes or cycling?

Fishes are behaving normally & feeding normally as well.

Please help..........

 

[theatrus]

Need an urgent help.

Hit a tragedy or is it a tragedy?

A battery operated LED light fell into my sump, remained there for 3-4 hours, water is a bit cloudy and skimmer has some red dust in the collection cup.
Battery in the light is rusted and there was some rust mixed water concentrate in it.

Now is this rust a problem? Can anything else in the battery hurt my fishes or cycling?

Fishes are behaving normally & feeding normally as well.

Please help..........

Electricity and salt water leads to all sorts of fun rapid breakdown. Did the battery leak? Was it an alkaline?

The steel body of a battery is fine, my main concern would be any copper in the internal wiring breaking down. If you can water change, do so. Inspect the light internals for any blue-green copper corrosion.

 

[HimRathore]

No Blue Green copper corrosion for sure, mostly Red & Brown looks to be rust. It was one of those cheap Chinese light, they never use copper

Any issues with rust?

Yes, It was an alkaline battery.

 

[theatrus]

No Blue Green copper corrosion for sure, mostly Red & Brown looks to be rust. It was one of those cheap Chinese light, they never use copper

Any issues with rust?

Yes, It was an alkaline battery.

Iron Rust is fine for the most part - in fact we pay a lot for pure GFO to remove phosphates . It’s hard to know what alloys were used so there may be some heavy metals (likely nickel) involved, hence just accelerating water changes is likely a good insurance plan. Some people swear by Polyfilters (https://m.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=4335) as a chemical filter as well.

 

[HimRathore]

12 hours update to what I thought was a tragedy:

Water is back to normal, haziness has gone away.
Skimmer cup is full with Red/Brown matter, probably the rust, have cleaned it once.
Filter sock is Red/Brown as well, would change it in another 12 hours.

I hope it has not affected the water chemistry..........

 

[HimRathore]

Thanks Theatrus, your instant response was very helpful and calmed me down.

Cheers Buddy

 

[HimRathore]

Guys, do you use any light meter to ensure steady growth for corals or do you rely on manufacturer provided details for the specifications.

Any suggestions on which one are you using and how do you measure light, is it just at the top of the water surface or under water near corals.

 

[rkpetersen]

Guys, do you use any light meter to ensure steady growth for corals or do you rely on manufacturer provided details for the specifications.

Any suggestions on which one are you using and how do you measure light, is it just at the top of the water surface or under water near corals.

You can buy, rent or borrow a PAR meter, and then check PAR lighting levels at different locations under the water to get an idea of what kind of light your corals are seeing. The Apogee PAR meters work well. Some people measure light intensity at different times of day as well but I just stick with peak midday levels as my guide.

 

[HimRathore]

Another week pass by, and while I was preparing to add next set of fish i.e. pair of Ocellaris Clown.

Another problem surface, this time it is MOLD
I installed a LED light in my sump cabinet and realized green powder on my plumbing and sump water. With more investigation it was MOLD around some area at the top of cabinet which i drilled for plumbing pipes.
It was not painted or coated and potentially the humidity due to evaporation from water heater has caused this issue, I would have to handle it else it would reduce the strength of the wood.

- Can you propose a method to cure this without removing the display tank, it is a huge tank and i don't have enough capacity to hold the water as well
- Can the mold if mixed in water cause problems for fish or reef?

Just a quick recap on the setup:
It is a 100G, 1 month old setup with 4 small damsels.

 

[HimRathore]

After curing the current problem, what should be my next steps to avoid the problem in future?

- Vantilation in the cabinet OR cover the sump with custom Acrylic sheet with cut outs for skimmer & plumbing OR both?

 

[HimRathore]

Another curious question, since no paint for wood in completely water proof, they are mostly water resistant.

Can I apply silicon, which I used to make the tank, it is completely water proof.

I would first rub off and cure the current issue, and then coat silicon to the effected area, and other prone areas as well (like joint). This box is not visible anyways so ugly looking box is totally fine, although I am now good at applying silicon and would make sure it is not ugly.