Post your parameters - BE HONEST THREAD

[saltyhog]

How much the parameters matter probably depends somewhat on what you keep. I rarely test my nano with zoas and LPS.

My 72x24 parameters

pH 8.1-8.35 depending on time of day....Apex

salinity 1.026

temp 79.4 to 79.9...Apex

Alkalinity 8.5 with slight variations....Hanna

Calcium 440......Salifert

Magnesium 1410......Salifert

PO4 0.06 to 0.1 most of the time but can get up to 0.13 occasionally.....Hanna ULR

Nitrate 5-10......Salifert or NYOS

 

[RJKain-777]

Tank upgrade is 3 months old, rock is 3 years old:

Alk 9.0 Hanna checker
Calcium 447 Hanna checker
Magnesium is 1170 salifert
Phosphates are 0.00 Hanna checker
Nitrates are 2ppm salifert
PH 7.9

 

[ReefGeezer]

Can't remember if I've already posted but...

I don't test often, but the most recent tests said:

Alk 8.3 dKh (Salifert)
Calcium 380-420 (Salifert)
Mag around 1300 (Salifert, sometimes a little higher right after water changes)

pH Unknown ( I have a monitor but the probe died years ago and I never replaced it. The tank started running better the day I quit testing pH!)

Salinity 34-35 ppt (Refractometer)
78-82 F (Depending on Season)

Nitrate 0 (Salifert)
Phosphate 0 - .03 (Hanna ULR)
I know there are some available nutrients, as algae is present & growing in the system.

I have no idea about potassium, iron, iodine or any of the other minor elements. I just do water changes to replenish them.

 

[KTTX]

Salinity 35 ppm
Temp 77.5 Apex
Ph 8.03 Apex
Alk 7.6 Red Sea
Cal 445 Red Sea
Mag 1500 Red Sea
Nitrates 6 ppm Red Sea
Phosphates .08 Hanna ULC

 

[KTTX]

Can't remember if I've already posted but...

I don't test often, but the most recent tests said:

Alk 8.3 dKh (Salifert)
Calcium 380-420 (Salifert)
Mag around 1300 (Salifert, sometimes a little higher right after water changes)

pH Unknown ( I have a monitor but the probe died years ago and I never replaced it. The tank started running better the day I quit testing pH!)

Salinity 34-35 ppt (Refractometer)
78-82 F (Depending on Season)

Nitrate 0 (Salifert)
Phosphate 0 - .03 (Hanna ULR)
I know there are some available nutrients, as algae is present & growing in the system.

I have no idea about potassium, iron, iodine or any of the other minor elements. I just do water changes to replenish them.

Have you noticed starving corals and color lose with 0 Nitrates?

 

[mta_morrow]

1.026
77-78 degrees
7.8-8.1/425/1500
NO3 12-16
PO4 .05-.13
PH 7.8

 

[Jeff Jarry reef]

PO4- .03
NO3- 3 ppm
PH- 8.0
Salinity- 1.025

 

[ddrueckh]

All these numbers are nice, but without a picture of the tank they are associated with, I feel they are worthless. Just because people are posting their numbers does not mean they are having long term success or any success at all.

 

[Jman76]

Hot off the press...
Temp=78.9
Sal=1.025
pH=8.1
Cal=450
Mag=1320
Alk=8.2
Trates=20
Phos=.08
Just replaced DI stage, my RODI had 10 nitrates. Hoping to bring these down a little, good practice for my new 75

 

[Jeff Jarry reef]

Here's my proof

 

[ReefGeezer]

Have you noticed starving corals and color lose with 0 Nitrates?

I haven't noticed any lack of growth but color is just OK. I have mostly SPS corals, but even the one Chalice I have seems to be doing well. I don't think the nutrient levels are actually 0. I feed a lot and have a pretty heavy bioload. I think the nutrients are transient and are being bound by the corals and the little bit of algae present as soon as they become available. I do have some issues with color. I think maybe feeding something like Reef Frenzy or adding some amino's would get them to pop, but I haven't ventured down that road yet.

 

[Tastee]

Thank you @Tastee , it’s been running since March 2018. I have always had higher levels of Mag ! So When I made that last batch of water that was tested, I took the purple bag out of the bucket (dry) and tossed it around to make sure that everything was thoroughly mixed. I recalibrated my refractometer (to make sure that I was doing everything correct) and I mixed the salt with a pump and heater to 35 ppm. So Please let me know when you test your NSW, because I am very curious to see what you get in your test results. Another reefer was the one that told me that he tested NSW and that his Mag was always high too using the same salt. My batch number is 815346, I got this bucket from BRS like 2 months ago. So please let me know when you do it, Thank You and I’ll be standing by.

Sorry it has taken so long but I tested my new AF water today when I changed my water. I only change water every 6 weeks and forgot last time, which is why it took so long.

Here are the parameters as measured by my Red Sea Pro kit. Alk 7.6, Mg 1600 ppm, Ca 430 ppm. The high Mg matches what my tank runs at so either my test kit tests high or their salt is higher in Mg than they quote (1300-1360 ppm). I assume the former however this is my second test kit and the first one tested at the same levels. Perhaps the Red Sea kits in general read incorrectly high for Mg. The AF ICP test results for my batch (686820) were Alk 8.0, Ca 441 mg/l and Mg 1375 mg/l. I certainly don’t argue that my test results are more accurate than the ICP test!

 

[DarkSky]

Salinity - 1.027
Alk - 8.9 dKh
Ca - 460
Mg - 1400
NO3 - 5 ppm
PO4 - 0.15 ppm

 

[REEFer86]

It seems like lots of people post parameters and they’re just too perfect. Let’s be honest. Post your true parameters. I don’t see having something not perfect as being a failure. Nor do I think it’s bad to be out of sync with everyone else, so long as your tank is healthy.

Here are mine:

PO4 0.06 — ok for me
NO3 25 — wish to be lower
pH 8 — 8.2 is my goal
Alk 10.2 — nothing wants to eat my alk!
Ca 420 — could be higher
Mg 1500 — could be lower

Hah.
Not sure at this moment where my levels are for PO4 or NO3 haven't tested in a few days.

Alk last time I checked was at 5.2 - this been on ongoing battle.

My All was at 9.2! Then everyday went down by 1 point and have not been able to stop it from declining so I’ve been dosing Alk which has improved my PH but has not helped my ALK weird. My corals have not survived only a handful. Very upsetting but part of the process.


My calcium was at 458 and my mag at 1500 eek.

I shall do a large water change this weekend to try and reset my levels and start fresh. I had a problem with the Doser and air in the lines causing inaccurate dosing.

 

[marco fish]

Sorry it has taken so long but I tested my new AF water today when I changed my water. I only change water every 6 weeks and forgot last time, which is why it took so long.

Here are the parameters as measured by my Red Sea Pro kit. Alk 7.6, Mg 1600 ppm, Ca 430 ppm. The high Mg matches what my tank runs at so either my test kit tests high or their salt is higher in Mg than they quote (1300-1360 ppm). I assume the former however this is my second test kit and the first one tested at the same levels. Perhaps the Red Sea kits in general read incorrectly high for Mg. The AF ICP test results for my batch (686820) were Alk 8.0, Ca 441 mg/l and Mg 1375 mg/l. I certainly don’t argue that my test results are more accurate than the ICP test!

I have done a few tests since then @Tastee and if I don’t match exactly 1.025 salinity, the Mag goes up rather quickly ! Thanks for coming back to me on this!

 

[Tastee]

I have done a few tests since then @Tastee and if I don’t match exactly 1.025 salinity, the Mag goes up rather quickly ! Thanks for coming back to me on this!

Thanks, that’s interesting and I wasn’t aware the Mg test is linked to salinity. According to my Refractometer my salinity is currently 1.0255 and by the Apex it is 35.6 ppt. That is what I mixed my NSW to. It is entirely likely however that my salinity is somewhat higher or lower - I calibrate my Refractometer to 0 ppt (not 35) and the Apex probe does not get good reports. I am confident my salinity is stable, but whether it is really 1.0255???

 

[ylreefer]

I'll put my 2 pennies worth in.
Tank is fairly new at about 7 months in so nothing is perfect. But then perfect is different in everyone's mind so as long as your stock looks happy and your not growing a forest of algae DON'T PLAY with the numbers lol.

As of yesterday
PH 8.3 (co2 scrubber)
NO3 2PPM
PO4 ZERO (upped the feeding to increase this a little)
Mg 1440
Ca 425
Alk 9.8

I will say I was away for over 2 weeks.. Came back and alk dropped to 6.3 which I've just managed back up. Will be sure to set the dosor next time I leave

 

[BayouReefer]

P04- .03
N03-10ppm
Ph- 8.1
Alk- 8DKH working it back to 9
Calc- 450
Mag- 1350
Salinity- 1.026
Temp 79.5

 

[marco fish]

Thanks, that’s interesting and I wasn’t aware the Mg test is linked to salinity. According to my Refractometer my salinity is currently 1.0255 and by the Apex it is 35.6 ppt. That is what I mixed my NSW to. It is entirely likely however that my salinity is somewhat higher or lower - I calibrate my Refractometer to 0 ppt (not 35) and the Apex probe does not get good reports. I am confident my salinity is stable, but whether it is really 1.0255???

@Tastee just so that there is no confusion or misunderstanding, when I said that I tested a few times since then, I was referring to the new salt water mix using AF reef salt . If I mix it to 1.025 the parameters are what they label on the bucket, but if I mix it a little saltier it goes up in parameters. I was running my reef a bit saltier because I’ll bring ocean water sometimes for water changes and it’s also how I started my reef from 18 miles offshore Key West and it tested out to 1.027. I have ran my system with elevated mag at 1600 with no ill effects but I do try to keep my Alk and cal as stable as possible! And yes to salinity correlates to all parameters, in the ocean they don’t change because of the amount of water, but in our reefs at home we constantly have to add the main 3 because of coral consumption and little water volume. On the subject or off the subject lol, I do try to test my alkalinity and P04 daily, stability on those 2 seem to keep my sps happy and colorful. Stability is the key to successful long term reef tanks no matter what parameters we run them at, as long as they are in range ! I thank you for coming back to this thread and sharing your input and experience, this is how we all learn and have thriving little pieces of the ocean in our homes. Thank you again

 

[dduby]

Tested today

ph - 8.38
salinity - 1.024
Temp - 79.7
Ca - 395
Mg - 1390
NO3 - <5ppm
PO4 - .04
Alk - 8.8

The last few days have been fairly mild and having the windows open has really helped with ph. Just started dosing with Red Sea Foundation and I am still working on Ca.