Water parameters opinion

[nickenayat]

Hey reefers,

So my tank has been setup and running for about 3 and a half months now and it's been going great. I currently have a IM AIO Nuvo nano 24. I got a skimate desktop skimmer and desktop media reactor running BRS ROX 0.8 carbon. Also running purigen, chemipure blue marine, and a nano glo light for a mini Refugium on one custom candy basket with some live rock and cheato algae. Also have been doing a weekly water change of about 15-20% water. The only dosing I do is 3 tsp of kalkwasser+2 (brightwell aquatics +2 is plus magnesium and strontium) in my 5 gallon ATO. I supplemented some magnesium (brightwell aquatics) over the past two weeks because it was getting low (around 1100).

My parameters:

Ammonia- 0 ppm
Nitrite- 0 ppm
Nitrate- 0 ppm
PH- 8.4
Magnesium- 1400
Alkalinity- 12.2
Calcium- 480
Phosphate- don't measure
Salinity- 1.025
Temp- 77-79

I feel some of these numbers for alk, calc, and mag are high. Wondering for your opinions and if so what I can do to better maintain them. Here are some pics of my tank and equipment set up.
Thanks in advance to everyone.

 

[Cory]

Everything looks good but your alk is getting very high.

 

[alyee5]

High alk could cause precipitation and sps to get burnt tips if you are ULNS, but as Cory said your corals are looking good...

Here's what I've been reading lately since I've added corals...I think Randy Holmes Farley recommends Alk to be below 11 dkH (due to precipation issues)


https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/o...-reef-aquarium-by-randy-holmes-farley.173563/

 

[nickenayat]

High alk could cause precipitation and sps to get burnt tips if you are ULNS, but as Cory said your corals are looking good...

Here's what I've been reading lately since I've added corals...I think Randy Holmes Farley recommends Alk to be below 11 dkH (due to precipation issues)


https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/o...-reef-aquarium-by-randy-holmes-farley.173563/

thanks. should i stop dosing kalkwasser in my auto top off or maybe cut the amount in half? maybe a 50% water change is fine? The corals have been looking very healthy and growing great.

 

[alyee5]

I'd ask Randy himself for this type of guidance.

@Randy Holmes-Farley

Or is it #Randy Holmes-Farley

 

[TheEngineer]

Why are you dosing kalk and running carbon and all the other chemical filters? I can only see two stony corals and one fish from your pictures. That would imply low needs for both. Since most of your corals are softies you would be better served with some nutrients in the tank.

Were water changes not enough to maintain your calcium/alkalinity/magnesium values? Did you have nutrient issues which caused you to add chemical filtration?

Tank looks really nice btw

 

[nickenayat]

Why are you dosing kalk and running carbon and all the other chemical filters? I can only see two stony corals and one fish from your pictures. That would imply low needs for both. Since most of your corals are softies you would be better served with some nutrients in the tank.

Were water changes not enough to maintain your calcium/alkalinity/magnesium values? Did you have nutrient issues which caused you to add chemical filtration?

Tank looks really nice btw

Dosing kalk to help with the torch and frogspawn and candy cane and the one montipora. the other chemical filtration I use because I always used those for my other tanks when I was in freshwater and it delivered better water quality. The water changes weren't supplementing the calcium and magnesium enough, before I started dosing, the calcium was below 400 and the magnesium was below 1100. I also started dosing magnesium because I had an algae bloom and heard from others that raising magnesium can help to combat algae growth.
I currently buy my water from my LFS because I don't have an RODI unit, also they only charge 0.75$ a gallon of each and I only do a 4 gallon change a week so its fairly cheap as of now. I don't think the water I buy from my LFS has enough nutrients although the salinity is 1.026. I plan to get an RODI unit in the future so I can mix my own water and then won't need to supplement the other chemicals. Thoughts?

 

[TheEngineer]

Have you tested the water from your lfs? None of those corals are large enough, in my opinion, to be sucking things down that fast.

 

[Shameless_Dood]

I agree, I think the alk is high, but it doesn't seem like you have issues you are concerned about. Resist the temptation to chase the magic numbers, it will drive you nuts, especially when there doesn't seem to be any outward signs of a problem to correct.

That being said, here's what I would do if I was in your shoes in my non-expert opinion. I would stop dosing your kalk (for the time being) and start measuring alk daily for a few days (no water changes during this time otherwise you are introducing variables that are hard to account for). Now you will know what your corals are consuming daily, then restart dosing alk and continue daily testing, look to maintain a constant level. The rapid swings in alk have always caused me huge problems.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Dosing kalk to help with the torch and frogspawn and candy cane and the one montipora. the other chemical filtration I use because I always used those for my other tanks when I was in freshwater and it delivered better water quality. The water changes weren't supplementing the calcium and magnesium enough, before I started dosing, the calcium was below 400 and the magnesium was below 1100. I also started dosing magnesium because I had an algae bloom and heard from others that raising magnesium can help to combat algae growth.
I currently buy my water from my LFS because I don't have an RODI unit, also they only charge 0.75$ a gallon of each and I only do a 4 gallon change a week so its fairly cheap as of now. I don't think the water I buy from my LFS has enough nutrients although the salinity is 1.026. I plan to get an RODI unit in the future so I can mix my own water and then won't need to supplement the other chemicals. Thoughts?

I'm a bit confused, but new salt water should not contain what are normally called nutrients (nitrate and phosphate) and mixing your own salt water will not eliminate the need for supplements unless it is being does because the LFS water is deficient.

Raising magnesium is not going to solve an algae problem. Some brands of magnesium supplement may have an impurity that will help deter bryopsis, but not algae in general.

 

[nickenayat]

I agree, I think the alk is high, but it doesn't seem like you have issues you are concerned about. Resist the temptation to chase the magic numbers, it will drive you nuts, especially when there doesn't seem to be any outward signs of a problem to correct.

That being said, here's what I would do if I was in your shoes in my non-expert opinion. I would stop dosing your kalk (for the time being) and start measuring alk daily for a few days (no water changes during this time otherwise you are introducing variables that are hard to account for). Now you will know what your corals are consuming daily, then restart dosing alk and continue daily testing, look to maintain a constant level. The rapid swings in alk have always caused me huge problems.

Thank you. I'll try that

 

[nickenayat]

I'm a bit confused, but new salt water should not contain what are normally called nutrients (nitrate and phosphate) and mixing your own salt water will not eliminate the need for supplements unless it is being does because the LFS water is deficient.

Raising magnesium is not going to solve an algae problem. Some brands of magnesium supplement may have an impurity that will help deter bryopsis, but not algae in general.

Sorry for the confusion. I'm relatively new to saltwater and may have the terms mixed up. The water from my LFS i think is low in calcium and magnesium. I haven't checked it. I had a bryopsis problem so raised the magnesium and added more crabs to help with it. It did lower the amount of bryopisis and kept it in check.

From the other post I'm gonna stop dosing kalk and maesure the alk daily to see the levels that are consumed and start from there. How does that sound? Any other suggestions? Thanks

 

[TheEngineer]

I think you've got the right idea. Test your source water and only dose for what needs replenishing more frequently than your water changes can provide. I'd said only dose as a last resort personally. Most importantly... keep posting

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Sorry for the confusion. I'm relatively new to saltwater and may have the terms mixed up. The water from my LFS i think is low in calcium and magnesium. I haven't checked it.

Why do you think it low? It might be if they cheap out and make it low in salinity. Ever measure its salinity?